News

The book-album “Great Figures in the History of Uzbekistan in Oriental Miniatures” will be presented at the International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: New Perspective — New Discoveries.”

The presentation will be conducted by Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and Chairman of the WOSCU Board, together with Hasanbey Kondu, Chairman of the Board of Türkiye’s Mega Basim publishing house.

The book features nearly 300 color miniatures dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries, depicting rulers, scholars, poets, thinkers, and artists. Among the historical figures portrayed are Amir Temur, Mirzo Ulugbek, Abu Ali ibn Sina, Jalaliddin Manguberdi, Alisher Navoi, Husayn Bayqara, Sultan Sanjar, and Alexander the Great.

The album features images of more than 80 rulers, princes, and princesses, as well as over 20 poets, scholars, thinkers, and artists. They are associated with the history of the Samanids, Karakhanids, Ghaznavids, Seljuks, Khwarazmshahs, Timurids, Mughals, Shaybanids, and Ashtarkhanids.

Materials for the publication were collected over nearly two years. The miniatures were sourced from manuscripts held in museum and library collections across various countries. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, the British Library, Topkapi Palace, the National Library of France, and the Aga Khan Collection.

The manuscript sources used include “Mi’rajnama,” “Baburnama,” “Timur’s Codes,” and other works.

This original project by Firdavs Abdukhalikov was first presented at an international congress held in Samarkand in 2023. The book is the result of his research into historical portraits depicted in Oriental miniatures. The publication has been prepared in Uzbek, Russian, and English.

In 2024, the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and Mega Basim publishing house reached an agreement to publish the book-album in Türkiye. The Turkish publishing house has previously participated in major projects dedicated to Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage.

The International Media Forum will take place in Tashkent and Samarkand from August 24 to 28, 2026.

The Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan will serve as the forum’s main venue. The event will bring together 300 representatives of the media and expert community from nearly 50 countries, including executives of media companies, news agencies and television channels, as well as journalists, producers, scholars, and creative industry professionals.