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The Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is emerging as an important scholarly and educational platform for the systematic study, preservation, and international promotion of the rich scientific, intellectual, and cultural heritage that has developed on the territory of Uzbekistan over the centuries. The Center’s activities are aimed not only at presenting the legacy of the great scholars and scientific schools of our country’s history, but also at promoting their contributions to the advancement of humanity on the international stage.

Effective implementation of these objectives places particular importance on cooperation with research institutions and specialized centers across the country. In particular, the partnership established between the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center is one of these significant forms of scholarly cooperation.

A special book-album dedicated to Imam Maturidi and the Maturidi school of thought is currently being prepared through cooperation between the two centers. This publication is significant as an important continuation of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan’s efforts to systematically study the scholarly legacy of great thinkers and make it accessible to the wider public.

The book-album will cover the life and scholarly activities of Imam Maturidi, his rich intellectual legacy, the essence and historical development of the Maturidi school of thought, as well as its contemporary scholarly and educational significance. It will also highlight the work being carried out in Uzbekistan to study and promote Imam Maturidi’s legacy, including the activities of specialized research centers.

According to Oybek Sotvoldiyev, Head of Department at the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center, this cooperation stems from the shared scholarly and educational objectives of the two centers:

“At present, a number of areas of cooperation are being developed between scholarly and educational research centers in Uzbekistan, particularly between the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center. Currently, the two centers are jointly preparing a special book-album dedicated to Imam Maturidi and the Maturidi school of thought.”

Presenting the heritage of Islamic civilization as an integrated whole

One of the principal objectives of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is to present the scholarly and intellectual schools that emerged in the territory of Uzbekistan within the framework of a unified civilizational process. In this context, the scholarly legacies of Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, Imam Tirmidhi, Muhammad Khwarizmi, Abu Ali ibn Sina, Abu Rayhan Biruni, Mirzo Ulugbek, and other great scholars are presented in an interconnected manner.

From this perspective, cooperation between the Center and the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center makes it possible not only to study the legacy of an individual scholar, but also to present it as an integral part of the broader environment of Islamic civilization that developed in Uzbekistan.

This approach is also in harmony with the Center’s international mission. Indeed, the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is becoming an important platform for studying the country’s centuries-old scholarly and intellectual traditions through modern academic approaches and promoting them widely on the international stage.

Bringing national heritage to the international stage

Another important area of the Center’s activities is to raise international awareness among global organizations and the scholarly community of Uzbekistan’s place in the history of Islamic civilization.

To this end, collaborative work is being carried out among the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, the Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, and Imam Termizi International Scientific-Research Centers, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, and the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan.

Within the framework of this cooperation, special presentations are being prepared to showcase Uzbekistan’s scholarly and educational potential in the field of Islamic civilization on the international stage. In this process, the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is participating as one of the principal scholarly and educational platforms.

A special working group has also been established to prepare these presentations.

In July of this year, working visits were organized to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the United Nations Office in Geneva, where discussions were held on organizing special presentations dedicated to Uzbekistan’s heritage and scholarly potential in the field of Islamic civilization.

As a result of the discussions, agreements were reached on organizing special events at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris dedicated to the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the legacy of the great scholars.

Presentation of Uzbekistan’s Islamic Civilization at UNESCO

On October 7 of this year, special presentations dedicated to the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the legacy of great scholars are scheduled to be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

The events will highlight the reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan in the religious and educational sphere, the goals and objectives of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, its exhibitions, and the contributions of the great scholars who emerged from our land to the development of world civilization.

In particular, the exhibition is expected to feature materials dedicated to the activities and scholarly heritage of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, and Imam Termizi International Scientific-Research Centers.

An international scientific and practical conference is also planned, with the participation of UNESCO leadership and representatives, officials from international organizations, as well as scholars, experts, and researchers from France and other countries.

Such events will not only further strengthen the role of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan as an international scholarly and educational platform, but will also provide an opportunity to present the rich civilizational heritage formed in Uzbekistan to an international audience in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

From Paris to New York

Efforts to promote Uzbekistan’s scholarly and educational potential in the field of Islamic civilization on the international stage will not be limited to Paris. At the next stages, the possibility of holding these presentations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York has also been placed on the agenda.

In this process, cooperation among the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, the Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, and Imam Termizi International Scientific-Research Centers, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, and the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan is of particular importance.

The participation of international academic and cultural institutions — including the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the Association for the Study of Timurid Art and History in France, IRCICA, the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, and other partner organizations — is also envisaged in organizing the presentations.

Thus, the network of scholarly cooperation taking shape around the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan encompasses a broad process ranging from the study of national heritage to its presentation on international academic and cultural platforms.

Scholarly cooperation — toward a common goal

Cooperation between the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan and the Imam Maturidi International Scientific Research Center represents one of the important areas within these wide-ranging efforts. The book-album currently being prepared is one of the practical outcomes of this cooperation and will contribute to presenting Imam Maturidi’s legacy within the broader scholarly and educational concept of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan.

At present, the Center continues to systematically pursue work aimed at studying the scholarly legacy of great thinkers, preparing publications dedicated to them, organizing exhibitions, and developing international academic dialogue.

This further enhances the significance of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan not only as a modern complex showcasing historical heritage, but also as an international scholarly and educational platform dedicated to studying, integrating, and presenting Uzbekistan’s centuries-old intellectual and academic heritage to the world.

Durdona Rasulova

P.S. The article may be republished provided that a link to the Center’s official website is included