Why were aitys and dombra kuy added to UNESCO’s heritage list?

The aitys and dombra kuy were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the mid-2010s to recognize their significance as vital expressions of Kazakh cultural identity and oral tradition.1

The aitys is a traditional, improvised poetry competition between two performers who exchange spoken or sung poems, often accompanied by the dombra, a traditional lute. The dombra kuy refers to a musical composition performed by a single musician on the dombra, representing a core element of traditional Kazakh music. By including these practices on the heritage list, UNESCO acknowledges their role in preserving the history, social values, and artistic heritage of the Kazakh people.1