Signing of the memorandum. Photo: Fergana
In Tashkent, within the framework of the international expert forum “The Heritage of a Great Past Is the Basis of an Enlightened Future”, which concluded on September 27, the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan signed cooperation memorandums with several foreign institutions.
Agreements were signed with the National Museum of Kazakhstan and the National Library and Archives of Iran. The documents provide for the exchange of scholarly information, joint research, exhibitions, seminars, and conferences, as well as cooperation in the preservation of manuscript heritage.
The memorandum with Kazakhstan’s National Museum was signed by the director of the Center for Islamic Civilization, Firdavs Abdukhalikov, and the director of the museum, Berik Abdigaliuly. The agreement covers exchanges of expertise among specialists, collaboration between libraries, joint publications, and co-edited works. It was specifically noted that the cooperation does not entail financial obligations for either side—each party will cover its own expenses.
The memorandum with Iran’s National Library and Archives was signed by Abdukhalikov and NLAI director Gholamreza Amirkhani. An agreement was reached to establish an “Iranian-Uzbek Manuscript Room” within the buildings of both institutions. It will be used to present and study the written heritage and historical manuscripts of the two countries. In addition, the parties plan to develop joint research projects in the fields of codicology, restoration, and Islamic studies.
It should be noted that the “Iranian-Uzbek Room” in Iran has already opened. At the Center for Islamic Civilization, the facility will be inaugurated in the near future.
Both memorandums are designed for several years and may be extended by mutual agreement.
The forum “The Heritage of a Great Past Is the Basis of an Enlightened Future” was organized at the initiative of Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The event is hosting more than 200 scholars and experts from over 20 countries. Experts include representatives of national and international research organizations, among them TURKSOY, ISESCO, IRCICA, and Al-Furqan. Media coverage is being provided by more than ten outlets from different parts of the world, including Euronews, Al Jazeera, and Mir.
The Center for Islamic Civilization was built in the capital of Uzbekistan next to the Hast-Imam complex. The building is designed in the style of medieval architectural monuments, with four portals each 34 meters high and a central dome 65 meters tall. It includes a Quran Hall, a 460-seat conference hall, and a museum whose exhibitions will cover the entire history of Uzbekistan—from pre-Islamic times to the present. The Center is intended to serve as a platform for studying the heritage of the ancestors and rethinking it in cooperation with the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan and educational and research centers around the world.
