VIDEO // Romanian cobza proposed for UNESCO List; Moldovan culture minister describes move as important moment for Moldova's culture
The cobza, a traditional Romanian musical instrument, and the craftsmanship of making it might be included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, Culture Minister Cristian Jardan has said. The file is a joint effort of Moldova and Romania, and the inclusion of the cobza in the UNESCO list would follow the one of the traditional embroidered blouse, already internationally recognized.
“It is a joint file of Moldova and Romania, which we very much hope will be approved. It is an extraordinary achievement. We already have the traditional embroidered blouse included in this list, and now we are about to have the Romanian cobza. This is a very important moment for our culture. We are pleased and hope that this recognition will contribute to the popularization of an old, traditional instrument and a symbol of our unity,” Cristian Jardan said.
The decision on the inclusion of the cobza and its craftsmanship in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List is to be approved at the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in New Delhi, India, on December 8-13, 2025.
The file, The Art of the traditional embroidered blouse – an element of cultural identity in Romania and Moldova, was submitted by both states in 2021.
The cobza is a traditional plucked-string musical instrument, part of the lute family, with origins in the Arab world (aud, kopuz). It circulated in Muntenia and Moldova and was frequently used by musicians at weddings, baptisms and celebrations. Its presence is attested in old mural paintings (the monasteries of Humor, Voroneț, Sucevița, Horezu) and in written documents from the 16th-19th centuries, such as Dosoftei's Psalter or memoirs of foreign travelers.
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