During the course of the training, the coordinator of the Djalal-Abad working group, Ms. Suusar Shaimkulova, shared her experience and results on inventorying sacred sites and rare rituals of the province as well as her observations and research on the current state of the sacred sites and pilgrimage practices. Today, the predominant number of pilgrimages are made to manmade sacred sites of religious leaders and propagators of Islam in Djalal-Abad province. There is a set of strict pilgrimage rules and requirements at these sacred sites and performance of certain rituals and traditional practices, which pilgrims used to perform before, are forbidden now. It was also mentioned that pilgrimage practices to natural sacred sites are diminishing year by year owing to the absence of a guardian, proper care of the territory of the sites, lack of road conditions, as well as infrastructure and facilities to accommodate pilgrims. As mentioned by the pilgrims, an adverse attitude of the religious communities has an impact on the decline of pilgrimage practices and performance of rituals at the natural sacred sites.

During the event, Ms. Aijarkyn Kojobekova delivered a comprehensive and detailed presentation on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, emphasizing on the rights of the communities to safeguard, develop and transmit their ICH to the next generation. In the course of heated discussions and team work, participants developed a list of challenges and risks. They also came up with ways to address them and further steps to safeguard, develop and pass on traditional practices and pilgrimage rituals. Participants voiced an idea to organize a regional and national association of sacred site guardians and pilgrims and have formed a group of volunteers that will start working on safeguarding and protecting sacred sites of their district on a community level by sharing information on sacred sites and raising awareness of local self-governing bodies and religious leaders/representatives.