President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent on March 17.
In terms of area and scope, the Center is one of the largest complexes in the world aimed at studying and promoting Islamic history, culture, and civilizations. It was built on an area of 10 hectares in the territory of the famous Hazrati Imam complex in Tashkent. The building consists of three floors and is 161 meters long and 118 meters wide. The height of the dome is 65 meters, and the total area is more than 42 thousand square meters. Such unique indicators are also the basis for its inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records.
The center is built on the basis of ancient and national architectural traditions and can be accessed from four sides - through four main portals. These portals and the outer arches of the building are decorated with verses of the Quran and hadiths about knowledge, tolerance, humanity, and respect for parents.
On the ground floor, there is a special platform for children, a restoration and electronic copying laboratory, funds for storing museum exhibits and rare manuscripts, a modern cafeteria, and museum lobbies.
On the first floor, there is a museum with an exhibition hall of about 8,350 square meters and a conference hall with 550 seats. On the second floor, there is a library with a collection of manuscript and lithographic sources, printed and electronic literature, reading rooms, as well as conditions for international organizations and scientific institutions.
The President familiarized himself with the conditions created, the rich expositions, and new initiatives. He entered the Holy Quran hall and examined the spiritual atmosphere and unique expositions created here.
Under the dome, a special mapping hologram is created, in which the image of the universe is first displayed, and the stars in the sky shine. The composition of the stars under the dome was formed on the basis of a map of stars visible at night in the sky of Tashkent. 90 "svarovski" stones and more than 650 lamps were used to represent them.
Here, along with the Uthman Quran, there are 114 rare manuscripts of the Koran, created during the reign of various dynasties, belonging to our country. Among them are rare specimens from the Samanid, Karakhanid, Ghaznavid, Timurid, Shaybanid, and other periods.
After that, the President was presented with the work on organizing high-quality service for visitors to the museum. It was noted that in a short period of time the center has received recognition from reputable international organizations and publications. In particular, the center was recognized as one of the 10 most anticipated museums in the world in 2026, according to the Smithsonian Magazine of the Smithsonian Institution in the USA, which won the French Avicenna Prize. Also, the publication "Condé Nast Traveler" included it in the list of museums that can be visited in June 2026, and BBC Travel included it among the most anticipated museums in the world.
Based on international ISO standards, the exhibits have been digitized and placed on a single electronic platform. Based on the requirements of UNESCO and ICOM, as well as the experience of the world's most famous museums, labeling standards and classifications of exhibits in 8 areas have been created. As a result of placing QR codes on each exhibit, visitors will be able to familiarize themselves with their video and audio content through mobile phones or tablets, initially in 3 languages, and later in 8 languages. It is also planned to use robot guides, video and audio introduction via tablets, audio guides, radio guides, and direction-setting headphones, similar to those in the British, Louvre, and Metropolitan Museums.
According to preliminary estimates, about 5,000 tourists are expected to visit the center daily. It was also noted that more than 400 employees are required for the full functioning of the center and museum in accordance with international standards, more than 100 specially trained supervisors and more than 30 tour guides are currently working, and separate guidebooks have been developed for tourists from 10 countries.
After that, the head of state got acquainted with the conditions created for the activities of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan on the second floor of the center building. He inspected the center's library.
The total area of the library is 3,105 square meters. Currently, its collection includes more than 45,150 publications, of which 2,609 are rare publications. In addition, the library has 350 thousand electronic publications. It can serve 310 users simultaneously. Four separate rooms have been organized for scientists and professors, and all modern equipment and amenities have been created for their scientific activities.
After that, the president got acquainted with the activities of the international scientific and educational platform organized at the center. He also familiarized himself with the exhibition of valuable historical artifacts donated to the center and purchased from abroad.
In accordance with the President's instructions, work is being consistently carried out to return cultural valuables from abroad to Uzbekistan. Last year, more than 700 artifacts were purchased from auction houses, art dealers, and private collectors in the UK, such as Sotheby's and Christie's. More than 1,000 items were donated by various institutions, organizations, and sponsors. The main part of them is located in the museum on the first floor.
The President was also presented with samples of pottery from the Timurid era, a 19th-century silk veil covering the Prophet's tomb in Medina, a historical example of a Khizana hanging over the door of the Kaaba, a large "ona-sozana," fragments of a large copy of the Quran by Umar Akto' during the reign of Amir Timur, tiles from architectural monuments of the Timurid era, and fragments of weapons, helmets, shields, swords, and armor from the Mughal era.
- "Today was a great celebration on the path to self-awareness. Thanks be to God, for nine years we have built a complex that truthfully reflects the identity of our people and our history. Every person who comes here, especially our youth, should know and understand what kind of ancestors we are descended from. This grandiose project is not just a simple drawing. The heart drew it, love drew it, dreams and regrets drew it. The sacred hall where the Holy Quran is kept was not created by chance. It is a place born from the heart, born from the desire to express the dreams, aspirations, and greatness of our people. This project is a product of good intentions aimed at realizing the true image of our great people," the President said.
At the end of the visit, the head of state signed the Book of Honorary Guests of the Center of Islamic Civilization.
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