The State Museum of Turkmenistan hosted a round table: “The Great Silk Road: from Ancient to Modern Times”. The forum was co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Turkmenistan. It was attended by the representatives of the academic circles of our country and Russia; the representatives of the mass media and the academic staff of the local universities, as well as the students of the joint A.S. Pushkin Turkmen-Russian secondary school. The forum focused on the establishment of the Great Silk Road, its development and influence on the cultures and history of the countries of the region, as well as on the significance of this caravan route in the modern world. The round table was preceded by a brief tour of the State Museum. The guests had an opportunity to look into the history of the Turkmen state and the ancient vestiges of crafts and culture such as Jeytun, Altyn Depe, Merv and others located along the ancient caravan route. This topic is explored in detail in the head of state’s two-volume book, “Turkmenistan: the Heart of the Great Silk Road”, that contains historical facts, ancient tales and legends. This caravan route is believed to be one of the successful achievements of the ancient civilization. For the first time in the history of mankind, it paved a way for uniting the peoples in the vast area from Europe to China and facilitated cooperation between the countries in various fields. The speakers at the forum stressed that 2018 being held under the slogan “Turkmenistan: the Heart of the Great Silk Road” reflected the concept of contemporary development of the country and the region as a whole, based on the open doors policy pursued by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the positive neutrality, mutual respect, peacefulness and good-neighborliness. The delegates from Russia, prominent scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who participated in excavations at the archaeological monuments in Turkmenistan, and representatives of the leading scholarly and popular publications of the Russian Federation made presentations and scientific reports on the establishment of the course of the Great Silk Road, the cultural links along the road, the mutual enrichment of cultures and other topics. Their Turkmen colleagues, the staff of the relevant institutes of the Academy of Sciences, the State Museum and the Institute of Manuscripts specifically focused on the popularization of the phenomenon of this ancient track as the factor of bringing together the peoples and cultures. In this regard, they mentioned the importance of the 2018-2020 State Program for Scientific Research and Excavations at Historical and Cultural Monuments located in Turkmenistan along the Great Silk Road, the study and promotion of the cultural heritage. The program envisages the development of cooperation with the foreign research centers, conducting studies on various archaeological, architectural, ethnographic and historical issues, carrying out integrated restoration and renovation works etc. Its main objective is to educate the rising generation in the spirit of respect for the national heritage.