A New Stage in International Scientific Cooperation

As part of the 1^st International Islamic Civilization Forum, “Islamic Civilization: The Path of Peace, Tolerance and Enlightenment” held in Uzbekistan, the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center hosted a series of bilateral meetings with distinguished foreign scholars and heads of leading academic institutions.

Among the forum’s honorary guests was Sali Shahsuvary, Director of the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation (United Kingdom), who paid an official visit to the Center.

During the visit, Prof. Shovosil Ziyodov, Director of the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center, held formal talks with Sali Shahsuvary. The meeting focused on expanding bilateral academic cooperation and identifying new areas of joint research.

The central topic of the discussions was a collaborative project to prepare a comprehensive catalogue of rare manuscripts. Under the agreement, the catalogue will be compiled in accordance with the internationally recognized methodology and extensive expertise of the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation. To ensure effective coordination between scholars from both institutions, a unified registry system will be established, enabling specialists in Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom to work simultaneously and systematically on the project.

As an initial stage of the partnership, the two sides agreed to jointly prepare an Arabic-language catalogue of the Center’s existing collection of 1,265 manuscript works in accordance with international academic standards. In the future, the catalogue is expected to be translated into additional languages to facilitate wider scholarly access and global dissemination.

The parties also agreed to launch the digitization of 653 manuscript volumes preserved in the Center’s manuscript collection, applying modern international standards for the preservation and digital management of cultural heritage.

This visit marks another significant milestone in the Center’s ongoing efforts to conduct systematic research on the rich scholarly and spiritual heritage preserved both in Uzbekistan and abroad, while integrating these invaluable sources into the international academic community.

The partnership with one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions specializing in Islamic manuscript heritage is expected to make an important contribution to promoting the manuscript legacy of the great scholars of Mawarannahr on the global stage.