Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Qatar, H E Dr Ashraf Khodjaev
Doha, Qatar: Uzbekistan is seeking to deepen cultural and intellectual ties with Qatar through the promotion of its rich Islamic heritage, with the presentation of the Islamic Civilization Center of Uzbekistan at Katara Cultural Village highlighting growing cooperation in museums, manuscripts, and cultural exchange.
Speaking to The Peninsula recently, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Qatar, H E Dr Ashraf Khodjaev, said the initiative aimed to introduce Qatar’s community to a landmark institution that celebrates the contribution of Islamic civilisation to global knowledge and scholarship.
The ambassador said the center was conceived to preserve and present the legacy of enlightened Islamic scholarship for future generations, while strengthening understanding of the scientific and cultural achievements that emerged from the Muslim world.
“The main idea is to present this very unique project to the people of Qatar because we all share the values and heritage of Islamic civilisation,” Khodjaev said, noting Qatar’s important contribution to preserving Islamic history through institutions such as the Museum of Islamic Art and Qatar National Library.
The Islamic Civilization Center of Uzbekistan, initiated in 2017 under the leadership of the President H E Shavkat Mirziyoyev and inaugurated earlier this year, seeks to document the contributions of Muslim scholars in fields including astronomy, medicine, science, and philosophy.
Khodjaev said the center highlights towering intellectual figures associated with the region, including Imam al-Bukhari and Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarazmi, whose scholarship helped shape human knowledge and scientific progress.
He said the event at Katara also sought to encourage Qatar residents to visit Uzbekistan and experience the country’s historical and cultural landmarks firsthand.
A major feature of the evening was the presentation of a growing partnership between the Qatar National Library and Uzbekistan’s cultural institutions, particularly in preserving manuscripts and historical materials connected to Uzbekistan’s past.
According to the ambassador, a memorandum of understanding signed in 2024 between Qatar National Library and the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) has opened the door to closer academic cooperation.
The collaboration focuses on studying manuscripts and artefacts preserved in Qatar that relate to Uzbekistan’s history, while also contributing to a wider global publishing effort documenting Uzbek cultural heritage held in leading institutions worldwide.
Khodjaev said Uzbekistan is preparing a Qatar-focused volume as part of a wider 50-volume series cataloguing Uzbek heritage preserved in museums, libraries, and academic institutions around the world, including collections in Cambridge, Oxford, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Qatari edition, expected to be completed by 2027, will bring together information on manuscripts and artefacts in Qatar connected to Uzbekistan’s cultural legacy.
He described the publication as a unique joint effort between researchers in Doha and Uzbekistan.
The ambassador also highlighted expanding cultural cooperation between the two countries, pointing to exhibitions, cultural weeks, and artistic exchanges that have strengthened bilateral ties.
He credited the momentum to the leadership and patronage of Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Qatar and Saida Mirziyoyeva in Uzbekistan, saying their efforts had created strong chemistry for collaboration across culture and the arts. Uzbekistan held a cultural week in Qatar in 2024, while Qatar organised a cultural week in Uzbekistan later the same year.
Looking ahead, Khodjaev encouraged residents in Qatar to visit Uzbekistan, citing visa-free travel arrangements and the resumption of direct flights between Doha and Tashkent operated by Qatar Airways from June 17. “It is about culture, what makes people close to each other,” he said, describing Uzbekistan as a destination rich in museums, architecture, hospitality, cuisine, and ancient cities.
