On December 12, 2022, the Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted a meeting with participants of an international scientific conference on the topic “Strengthening and development of common historical and cultural heritage in the worldview of Uzbek and Kazakh thinkers of the XIX century”, which was held at the International Institute of Central Asia. Among the participants of the meeting were Kazakh scientists Matijanov Kenjekhan Slyamdjanovich -  General director of the M.O.Auezov Institute of Literature and Art, Doctor of Philological sciences; Batirkhan Bolatbek Shadenuli – Scientific Secretary of the R.B. Suleimenov Institute of Oriental Studies, PhD; Kidir Torali Edilbayuli - Deputy of General  director of the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art, Candidate of Philological Sciences;  Aubakir Jandos Magazbekovich - Director of the Scientific Research Institute "Abai Akademiyasy" of the L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University, Candidate of Philological Sciences.

The guests were met with the Deputy director for Scientific works S.Karimova, head of the Fund Sh.Islamov and the head of the Department of International Relations of the Institute U.Rakhmanov. The guests were provided with information about the history and activities of the Institute, about the research currently being conducted. The meeting was attended by the head of the department” History of Central Asia " A.Khodjaev, Head of the department ”Historical Source studies" H.Lutfullaev, Head of the department ”Classical Literature of the East"         S. Eshonova. At the meeting, the guests asked their questions. In particular, they were very interested in the procedures of electronic copying, the current principles of online catalogs, publications carried out by departments, the activities of the restoration and scanning department. Negotiations were held with representatives of Kazakhstan on the further development of bilateral scientific cooperation and on mechanisms for joint publications. The current activities of the Institute aroused great interest among the guests and stressed the need to think over ways to establish cooperation with the Institute in the future.

After the conversation, the guests visited the restoration department. The guests were very interested in the restoration work carried out in the department and the production of models. The meeting lasted 1 hour. After that, the guests thanked the staff of the Institute for the warm welcome and expressed their wishes for further cooperation.

The 18^th Ubaydulla Karimov International Conference of Young Orientalists on “Current State of the Preservation and Research of Ancient Written Sources” was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 4-5 August 2022. The conference was organized by Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences; the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan (Cabinet of Ministers, Republic of Uzbekistan); Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies (Ministry of High Education, Republic of Uzbekistan); Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). The conference was held at Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent. The opening ceremony heard the speeches of Prof. Dr. Bakhrom Abdukhalimov, Director of Al-Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Vice-President of Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences; Ambassador Shoazim Minovarov, Director of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan; Ambassador Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of IRCICA; Ass. Prof. Dr. Gulchehra Rikhsiyeva, Rector of Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies; Prof. Dr. Zohidjon Islomov, Vice-Rector, International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shovosil Ziyodov, Director of Imam Bukhari International Scientific-Research Center.

An exhibition titled “Conservation and Restoration of Manuscripts from the Holdings of Al-Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences” was opened on the occasion of the conference.

80 research papers were presented by participants from various countries attending online and in person. The session themes were: “Current State of the Preservation, Restoration and Cataloguing of Manuscripts”, “Historical Source Studies”, “Central Asian History and Historiography”, “Language and Literature”, “Islamic Studies”, “Arts of the Book”. Prof. Dr. Ashirbek Muminov, Advisor to the Director General of IRCICA on programs, read the address of Ambassador Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of IRCICA, who was unable to attend due to earlier arrangements. Prof. Muminov presented a paper during the plenary session (prepared together with Dr. Didar Bayır, Head of the Library and Archive Department, IRCICA) on the classification and preservation experience of Egypt on funds of manuscripts through the activities of the late Prof. Dr. Nasrallah Tirazi, who also served as advisor at IRCICA Library in the 1980s. Prof. Muminov also led discussions during various sessions. At the end of the sessions, certificates of participation were presented by the organizers to the young scholars for their achievements in research. Six diplomas for the best papers were conferred to Bashorat Khodjaeva (Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies), Ilyaskhan Bakhromov (Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan), Husan Usmanov (International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan), Durdona Zokirova (Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies), Mumin Mirzo Abdupattaev (International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan) and Asalkhan Rakhmatullaeva (National Institute of Painting and Design Named After Kamoliddin Behzod).

A Round-Table titled “Experience of Uzbekistan in the Preservation and Research of Ancient Written Sources” was moderated by Ambassador Shoazim Minovarov, Director of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, on the second day of the conference.

The papers of the conference will be published in the form of a book. Those of the preceding, 2021 conference were published the same year with the conference theme carried to its title, Proceedings of the International Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Academician Ubaydulla Karimov: New Perspectives for the Study of Islamic Culture, History and Art in Uzbekistan.

A researcher at the Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies  of Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Khilola Nazirova, from October 15 to 18 this year, at the invitation of the khokimiyat of the Khorezm region, visited the Republic of Turkey as part of the scientific delegation of the Jalaliddin Manguberdi Foundation and the Khorezm branch of the Republican Center for Spirituality and Enlightenment.

The purpose of the visit of the scientific expedition was to study and research the burial place of the last commander Sultan Jalaliddin Khorezmshah and research new information about his valiant name. And also the expedition took part in the international symposium entitled "Silvan and Sultan Klych Arslan", which took place in the city of Dyarbakir. Professor of the University of Public Security of the Republic of Uzbekistan Zhumabay Rakhimov and the head of the Khorezm regional branch of the Republican Center for Spirituality and Education, chairman of the Jalaladdin Manguberdi Foundation Bekzod Abdrimov made a presentation and new information about the life and work of the great Sultan of Khorezmshah.Scientists from Turkey and other countries also took part in the symposium.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the young scientist Bekzod Abdrimov spoke about the main goals and objectives of the delegation and about mutual scientific cooperation, about the role and significance of the history of the great commander in the fate of the peoples of the East. The governor of the city of Dyarbakir, Munir Karaoglu said that if confirmed, the burial place of Sultan Jalaladdin Manguberdi will be replaced by a mausoleum. Speaking at a narrow meeting, Zhumabay Rakhimov also spoke a lot about the courage and patriotism of the great commander, our ancestor, that he is a symbol and role model for the modern world.

As well as, a special report was prepared by a researcher of the Institute Khilola Nazirova for the media of Uzbekistan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBOuNNAlQ_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3miiRK5q-4

The book New Perspectives for the Study of Islamic Culture, History and Art in Uzbekistan, published jointly by Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences and IRCICA, was launched during the opening ceremony of the international conference “Central Asian Islamic Manuscripts: Cultural Heritage and Historical Source” coordinated online from Tashkent on 16 November 2021. This conference was organized by Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Iranian Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the British Institute of Persian Studies, and Leiden University. The book presented at its opening consists of a collection of the papers presented during the international conference on “New Perspectives for the Study of Islamic Culture, History and Art in Uzbekistan” dedicated to the memory of Academician Ubaydulla Karimov which was organized by Al-Biruni Institute and IRCICA online and offline on 28 May 2021. Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of IRCICA, gave an address at the opening session of the conference “Central Asian Islamic Manuscripts: Cultural Heritage and Historical Source” and presented the book to the participants. The book (774 pp., 24 cm.) includes a total of 84 articles in the Uzbek, Russian and Turkish languages, each with an abstract in English.

In his opening speech, Prof. Bakhrom Abdukhalimov, Director of Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies and Vice-President of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, said that the Institute gives importance to cooperating with institutions around the world and has organized dozens of academic conferences with the aim of promoting the academic study of Islamic manuscripts, particularly Central Asian manuscripts. Prof. Abdukhalimov expressed thanks and appreciation, on behalf of his Institute’s staff and his own, to Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Director General of IRCICA, for the academic support and cooperation extended to the Institute. Prof. Florian Schwarz, Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences, said, in his speech, that one of the most dynamic fields is that of studies on manuscripts and manuscript cultures; he pointed to the significance of these materials as sources of historical, literary, artistic and other information and also as cultural heritage. Prof. Gabrielle van den Berg from Leiden University spoke of the development of Central Asian studies at Leiden University, past and present, and the expanding cooperation between Central Asian and European universities. Prof. Charles Melville, President of the British Institute of Persian Studies, pointed out to the coverage of the designation “Persian manuscripts” which historically extends beyond the frontiers of modern Iran. Speaking of the developments in manuscript studies, he described the association of researchers with manuscripts as a lively, active and genuine one.

In his address, Prof. Dr. Mahmud Erol Kılıç underlined the importance of studies on Islamic manuscripts from the viewpoint of IRCICA. Presenting the new book, the Director General said that it covers a remarkably wide spectrum of topics in Islamic studies, manuscript studies in particular, approached from different perspectives. With this diversified coverage, it will benefit academics and administrators involved in research and curriculum development as well as specialists and researchers in various disciplines of cultural studies. Prof. Kılıç also spoke of the engagement of IRCICA in promoting studies on Islamic history and culture and the sources of this culture including manuscripts, and described the wide geographical coverage of IRCICA’s activities over the OIC membership area that includes Central Asia, Caucasia, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, and Africa. The Director General thanked Professor Abdukhalimov and his colleagues for their cooperation which resulted in the new publication.

21 papers were presented by specialists of Islamic manuscripts from Asian and European countries. The sessions of the conference were titled: “Preserving the written cultural heritage”; “Manuscript evidence and historical interpretation”; “Manuscript collections: past, present, and future”; “Visual dimensions of manuscripts”; “Beyond the codex”; “Producing, publishing and studying texts: From manuscript cultures to the digital age”.