Deals with the problem of protection of cultural and artistic heritage of the peoples of central Asia in 1929-1941. Along with describing achievements in preserving and restoring monuments of antiquity, and the growth of museums, connected with the spread of archaeological activity, the article points out grave errors in the organization of monument preservation activities on the threshold of the 1920s and 1930s. Experience in approaching problems in central Asia in the pre-war decade might contribute to the promotion of a system of protection and restoration of monuments in the USSR, as well as to the development of systems of national heritage preservation in other countries.