Vladimir Putin called the Museum of the East one of the country's most valuable cultural heritage sites.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the staff of the State Museum of Oriental Art on the 100th anniversary of its foundation. The telegram was published on the Kremlin’s site on Tuesday.

"Over the years, the museum has grown into a major research and educational center, known far beyond the borders of Russia. It has become one of the most valuable objects of our richest historical and cultural heritage," the president’s telegram says.

Now the Museum of the East is the only cultural center in Russia specializing in the preservation, study and promotion of the art of the countries and peoples of the East. It is located in the House of the Lunins - a manor house of the first quarter of the XIX century on Nikitsky Boulevard. The collection of the Museum of the East has about 150 thousand works of painting, sculpture, graphics and decorative arts. The museum conducts sightseeing and lecturing activities, it has a publishing house, ikebana, yoga and visual arts studios.