Cultural heritage of Uzbekistan: the unity of spirituality and beauty conquers and unites the world community

The VII International Congress "Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan - the foundation of a new Renaissance" was held in Samarkand. Its participants were the leading orientalists of the world. The annual event was held in order to collect information about the masterpieces that were created on our land and are stored in libraries and museums around the world, as well as in private collections. 

Historically, Uzbekistan is located at the intersection of caravan routes. For thousands of years, this territory has been influenced by different cultures. At the initiative of leading orientalists, the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan began its work in 2018. At its annual congresses, members of the society discuss the results of their activities and develop plans for the future. Currently, the organization unites experts from dozens of countries.
Over the past period, with the support of hundreds of local and international experts from the "Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan" series, 60 volumes have already been published containing information about the unique heritage of the republic preserved in the collections of the countries of the world. Ten more album books from this series will be presented at the 2023 Congress.
As the guests of the event noted, Uzbekistan attracts with the opportunity to make a journey into history. Moreover, at all times these lands were strategically important. This is proved by the exhibitions unfolding on the margins of the congress. Thus, the vernissage presented by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is dedicated to Arminius Vambery, an outstanding orientalist who, having visited Central Asia in the XIX century, was one of the first to tell the West about the dawn of culture and science in the East. This made it possible to establish close cooperation based on mutual respect, commitment of the two regions to creation and comprehensive development. 
About 300 orientalists from more than 40 countries took part in the congress. Among them are directors of international and national museums, academicians, professors and doctors of sciences. 
Among them are the head of the UNESCO Representative Office in Uzbekistan, Sara Noshadi, Executive Director of the Al-Furkan Islamic Heritage Foundation, Sali Shahsivari, Chairman of the Institute of Central Asia and the Caucasus, Frederick Starr, President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences Muzaffer Sheker, Director General of the Research Center for the Study of Islamic History, Art and Culture Mahmoud Erol Kilic, President of the National Academy of Sciences Murat Dzhumatayev, President of Mueller & Schindler publishing house Charlotte Kramer and others. 
"Uzbekistan is the heart of the Great Silk Road," said Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Chairman of the Board of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan. - Everyone understands that the cultural heritage of our country is the heritage of all mankind, so dozens of countries have united around this idea. The new Uzbekistan is open to the world. The leadership of the republic has made cultural policy a priority. So the goals of the congress go beyond Oriental studies. Scientists state: enlightenment and education are the way to global peace.  
The highlights of the congress were thematic “round tables". The speakers touched the secrets of the past and tried to answer questions: how was the legendary glazed ceramics of Uzbekistan born, what messages are encrypted in inscriptions on Baburid monuments in India, what unique exhibits of Uzbek art are stored in distant Sweden, how many Caspian seas can the cartographic space accommodate?.. 
At the congress, a number of sensational statements were made by orientalists about the unique artifacts of Uzbekistan stored in foreign collections. For the first time, a collection of weapons, horse harnesses, jewelry, suzane, as well as clothing and accessories is shown. Most of the collection is kept in the vaults of the Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia).
For the first time, within the framework of the projects of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan, a large-scale publication is being released - a book-album "Historical figures in the masterpieces of the handwritten heritage of Uzbekistan". The work contains about 300 color miniatures made in the XIII-XVIII centuries; images of over 80 rulers, princes and princesses; at least 20 poets, scientists, thinkers and artists belonging to famous dynasties. 
- In the course of work on the publication, we contacted 30 museums and libraries in more than ten countries and received the right to publish these images, - stressed F. Abdukhalikov.
In this context, it is worth noting that the republic pays special attention to the study and popularization of cultural heritage. So the publication "Historical figures in the masterpieces of the handwritten heritage of Uzbekistan", which became the result of reforms in the sphere, was published with the direct support of the government of the country. The book-album was prepared in Uzbek, English and Russian and received positive reviews from a number of leading scientists, including Akbar Hakimov, Kamola Akilova, Zukhra Rakhimova, Abdumajid Madrahimov. The volumes will be transferred to scientific institutions, museums and libraries (both local and a number of foreign countries). 
"Uzbekistan is the birthplace of the richest cultural heritage," said Frederic Bressan, President and founder of the Temurid Association (France). - The President of France, who recently visited Samarkand the day before, had warm impressions about your country, as all our media talked about. In general, we have always paid attention to the development of cultural and educational ties between the two countries, but so far this cooperation has not reached such a peak of development. The Association has published many books on the history of the Temurids. In the near future, together with the World Society, we plan to publish them in the form of a separate book-album.
Also, within the framework of the VII International Congress of the World Society, the conference "The World of Cinema and Media: a new look at heritage" was held. Holding a separate event on this topic is no coincidence: at a video conference on the priority tasks of improving mahallas and solving issues of concern to the population, held on October 11, 2022 under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, an instruction was given: to create high-quality feature films, documentaries about the history and culture of Uzbekistan. This requires the development of new media projects closely related to our heritage. 
At the meeting, the mechanisms of combining the creative and production capabilities of the film companies of the participating countries of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) to create films about history and historical figures were analyzed. With the participation of the heads of film organizations of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Turkey, the topics of future cooperation in the field of film production between the countries of the Turkic world were discussed.  
A memorandum was signed on the establishment of the Union of Cinematographers of the TURKSOY countries regarding the participation of the heads of film organizations of these states in the congress and the presentation of new film projects aimed at popularizing their heritage. 
According to the document, animation schools will be opened in Tashkent, Nukus and Bukhara in the near future. 
Promo videos and videos from the filming of films about Avicenna, Marco Polo and Mirzo Ulugbek were also presented. The material was presented by the directors and producers of the film, which tells about the life of Polo in Venice and his travels through the cities of modern Uzbekistan.
At the closing ceremony of the VII Congress, an appeal was made by members of the World Society for the Preservation, Study and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.