A series of contacts and meetings were carried out by IRCICA in conjunction with academic and cultural institutions in Uzbekistan at the end of May – beginning of June. IRCICA Director General, Ambassador Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, together with Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar, Head of Research and Publications, and Prof. Dr. Ashirbek Muminov, Consultant for Organizational Projects, Central Asia, participated in the International Conference: “The Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan: A Crucial Link in Promoting the World Islamic Heritage” organized by the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, in Tashkent, on 30-31 May 2023. An exhibition of award-winning works from IRCICA’s international calligraphy competition was opened on the occasion of the conference.
After the conference, the IRCICA Delegation composed of Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar and Prof. Dr. Ashirbek Muminov carried out a series of official visits to various institutions of Uzbekistan. Within this framework, the Delegation visited the Directorate of Khiva City Museum and the Khwarezm Mamun Academy on 1 June in the context of the activities planned for the program “Khiva Tourism Capital of the Islamic World 2024”. The IRCICA Delegation also paid a visit to Bukhara State University on 2 June, where the existing cooperation was reviewed and IRCICA’s publications on Central Asia were offered to the University. Furthermore, Professors Tomar and Muminov met with the Rector of Bukhara State University Prof. Khamidov Obidjon Khafizovich on 3 June 2023; new joint projects were discussed. The Delegation also visited the Manuscript Works Section of Bukhara Museum, where cooperation possibilities were explored. On 4 June, Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar and Prof. Dr. Ashirbek Muminov paid a working visit to Imam Bukhari International Research Centre, in Samarkand; the cooperation, ongoing since 2019, was reviewed; views were exchanged on future projects. Furthermore, the IRCICA Delegation held a meeting with Dr. Samibayev Masud Kimovich, Deputy General Director for Research at Samarkand State Museum Reserve, introducing the Centre’s activities and laying bases for cooperation.
