Tashkent: Visitors stepping onto the grounds of Tashkent's Islamic Civilization Center are immediately struck by the scale of the 10-hectare complex. Built beside the Hazrati Imam (Hast-Imam) Complex and described by Guinness World Records as one of the world's most magnificent museums of Islamic culture, the center captivates visitors with its remarkable combination of grandeur and harmony.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the Islamic Civilization Center project was initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Its foundation stone was laid on June 15, 2018, and construction took nearly eight years, involving about 4,000 specialists. The building's architecture is a tribute to the art of the East, immediately evoking a sense of aesthetic familiarity among visitors.
The monumental fa§ade features an eight-arched portal approximately 34 meters high, with each arch reflecting the unique architectural traditions of Uzbekistan's historic cultural regions, from Samarkand and Bukhara to Khiva and Kokand. Towering more than 60 meters above the complex is a magnificent dome, beneath which lies a vast 50,000-square-meter interior space. This monumental harmony may feel particularly familiar to Azerbaijani visitors, as Azerbaijan's medieval architectural heritage has also been intertwined with Islamic calligraphy and ornamentation for centuries.
The interior of the complex incorporates a rich array of traditional crafts, including carved ganch plasterwork, ceramic art, miniature painting, and exquisite calligraphy. However, the Holy Quran Hall stands as the complex's spiritual centerpiece.
The 1,200-square-meter hall is illuminated by a nearly 50-ton chandelier adorned with 1.6 million Swarovski crystals. At its center, a rotunda houses the original Mushaf of Uthman, a 7th-century manuscript written in Kufic script on gazelle-skin parchment and listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The nearly 400-page manuscript, brought to Samarkand by Amir Timur, offers a remarkable link to the era of the early caliphs, while its 338 surviving folios inspire awe and reverence among pilgrims and researchers.
Manuscripts and scholarly works occupy a special place in the exhibition. Among its highlights are 114 rare Quranic manuscripts from different historical periods, along with copies of the works of Imam al-Bukhari and treatises by al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and al-Biruni. Interactive panels, virtual laboratories, and digital avatars of renowned scholars bring the exhibitions to life, interacting with visitors in several languages, including Azerbaijani.
Visitors can explore immersive halls, multimedia exhibitions, digital reconstructions of Uzbekistan's historic cities, and digital avatars of great scholars recounting their discoveries. These exhibits highlight the deep intellectual and cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Central Asia that developed along the Great Silk Road.
Among the religious relics are a 19th-century Kiswah fragment, made in 1859 by order of Ottoman Sultan Abdlmecid I, and authentic 13th-century keys to the door of the Kaaba.
The First Renaissance Hall houses rare exhibits, including ancient coins, traditional handicrafts, and models of architectural monuments. Manuscripts hold a special place, including Imam al-Bukhari's Al-Jami al-Sahih (The Authentic Collection), one of the authoritative collections of hadith included in the Kutub al-Sittah (The Six Books). Also on display is a 17th-century copy of al-Farabi's treatise Ara Ahl al-Madina al-Fadila (The Virtuous City).
The Second Renaissance Hall is dedicated to Amir Timur and the Timurids and features the original 14th-century 'Turkmen Decree of Amir Timur,' along with 15th-century silk chopans and Bukhara-Shiraz miniatures. For Azerbaijani visitors, the exhibits recall the close ties with the Tabriz school of miniature painting and the shared Turkic heritage preserved and studied by institutions such as TURKSOY.
The museum complex is remarkably modern, bringing together historical artifacts dating back as far as 80,000 years with immersive multimedia shows, LED screens, and Humo AI. As holographic displays illuminate the fa§ades and the leaves of Amir Timur's reconstructed gardens rustle around the complex, one thing becomes clear: the Center of Islamic Civilization is far more than a museum - it is a living bridge between the past and the future. Azerbaijan, an inseparable part of this immense cultural landscape, can view this bridge with a deep sense of admiration and pride.