THE SILKROAD MUSEUM
Uzbekistan
Uzbek Government
WILMOTTE & ASSOCIÉS ARCHITECTES
10,000 sqm
Creation of a SilkRoad Museum
The Silkroad Museum is a bridge between the past and the present. This architectural work pays homage to the historic caravanserais, the oases of hospitality and trade that dotted this mythical route. This is an invitation to explore how tradition and modernity merge in a space dedicated to history, art and dialogue between cultures.
At the heart of this museum is a façade inspired by the Silk Road, combining brick structure and delicate moucharabiehs to welcome visitors in an architectural splendour. This entrance is not just a door, but an invitation to travel through time, where every detail, from the dancing light to the geometric design, tells the story of the ancestral caravanserais.
As soon as you step into the entrance square, you are transported into a modern caravanserai, with its brick motifs evoking the places of meeting and exchange along the mythical Route. The main façade, a combination of brick and moucharabieh, has a timeless elegance, welcoming visitors in the same way that caravanserai gates did travellers of yesteryear.
The interior space opens onto a majestic rotunda, reminiscent of the central courtyards where cultures and goods once mingled.The use of pure geometric forms and Zen-like lighting invite contemplation, in a space that honours the past while looking to the future. This museum, at the crossroads of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary architecture, is an ode to the eternal spirit of the Silk Road, a crossroads of civilisations to be discovered and rediscovered.
