Uzbekistan's heritage: Samarkand Congress highlights Tashkent's Centre of Islamic Civilisation

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In this episode of Cult, we look at Uzbekistan's bold vision for the Centre of Islamic Civilisation in Tashkent and immerse ourselves in Uzbekistan's vibrant culture at the 'Shark Taronalari' festival, which celebrates traditional Uzbek music.
Transcript
00:00Preserving the country's cultural heritage is a top priority for Uzbekistan.
00:07The Center of Islamic Civilization, which is being constructed in Tashkent, aims to become a cultural and scientific hub that will highlight this heritage.
00:17Scientists from across the globe came to the country to take part in this global project.
00:24The Center of Islamic Civilization, a project initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev,
00:29was the focal point of discussions at the 8th International Congress
00:34The Legacy of Great Ancestors, the foundation of the Third Renaissance in Samarkand.
00:39The importance and ambition of the project in Tashkent concerns the will to create a real recognition
00:47through this immense history that Uzbekistan carries for its inhabitants, but also for the public beyond the borders.
00:56We are not just talking about Uzbekistan, Central Asia, but also about everything that this civilization has brought in its great diversity.
01:05At the Congress, scientists presented their projects for the Center in Tashkent.
01:10One of them is dedicated to Aksiket city, once an important Silk Road hub.
01:15Evidence of high-quality steel production and trade from the 9th to 12th centuries has been found at the site.
01:20The veritas project proposes a scientific 3D reconstruction of the city.
01:25It would almost be like walking in a 9th century or a 12th century Aksiket.
01:30It will be surrounded by bazaars, it will be surrounded by buying and selling of metals.
01:34There will be a lot of back work of science and technology that will be pumped in to recreate Aksiket.
01:40One of the key projects is a facsimile album that will bring under one cover exact copies of pages from ancient Korans
01:47representing over a thousand years of calligraphic history.
01:51It's a book containing four pages respectively of 114 different Korans.
01:58Here you can see a very old Koran, the Blue Koran which is from the 8th or 9th century.
02:03Another Koran was created in Herat in the 16th century.
02:06So it will be an amazing insight in the history of Koran manuscripts.
02:11History and tradition are also kept alive through centuries in the sounds of Makom, another cultural treasure of Uzbekistan.
02:19Musicians came to Samarkand to take part in a famous Shahr-Taronlari festival.
02:24Makom is a place where we express our power, our language and our musical heritage.
02:32The 8th International Festival Shahr-Taronlari, which means melodies of the East, brought together participants from 80 countries.
02:39One of the major goals of the event is to preserve national musical art, culture and traditions.
02:46Preserving cultural heritage is one of the top priorities of Uzbekistan
02:51and this heritage is undoubtedly a treasure in the history of our civilization.

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