It seems that the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has become a real “icon” of socio-economic prosperity, regional connectivity, good governance and above all revival of splendid culture, traditions and civilization of ancient times in Central Asia. Hence construction of the Center for Islamic Civilization (CISC) in Tashkent vividly reflects his passions and love for the celebration of “Uzbekistan Third Renaissance” and a giant step towards the revitalization of the glory of the ancient era.
Undoubtedly, President Mirziyoyev has become one of the biggest “stimulators” and “facilitators” of connecting the past’s magnificence with the present’s advancements through innovation, modernization, openness, integration and productivity. Thus the Center for Islamic Civilization (CISC) upholds his noble “strategic vision” of humanity, human values, knowledge, wisdom and tolerance through dialogue, diplomacy and development.
Hopefully, the CISC will be a “connecting hub” and replica of “ancient Silk Road” where wisdom, ethnic diversity, commerce, economics, culture, traditions and civilizations used to meet for mutually beneficial learning and better understanding.
Additionally, the CISC would be an ideal platform for “portraying” journey of centuries into transforming Uzbekistan’s ancient civilization, traditions and culture into cashable commodities through a complete scheme of arrangement, brotherhood into a best practiced model of doing business and last but not least similarities into ships of socio-economic integration, industrial cooperation, joint ventures and development of productive channels.
So, “economics of the CISC” would be the way forward through showcasing the real potential of Uzbek’s culture, history, geography and tourism in the days to come.
It is crystal clear that modern economics does not rely only on natural resources, financial means and human capabilities. Rather it is a holistic and comprehensive discipline which also depends upon the right use and utility of “culture diplomacy” to achieve the desired goals of socio-economic prosperity and projection of the soft image.
Therefore, economics of the CISC would be projected for attracting more and more inflows of FDIs in the fields of tourism, hospitality, media cooperation, education, health and human development cooperation, civil aviation and last but not least, infrastructure development.
It is pertinent to mention the CISC is “four times” taller than the Hollywood sign and approximately “seven times” larger than the White House, is a monument of epic proportions having numerous real pledges of economic progress, social prosperity and modern productive channels in the days to come.
According to the Uzbek officials the CISC will be open to the general public in March 2026, and is intended to rejoice and resuscitate Uzbekistan’s historical role as a center of Islamic scholarship. It will also be a development center for global interfaith harmony, promoter of “forbearance”, activator of “forwardness” and “catalyst” of economics of culture converting “epics of ancient history” and scholarship into modern “human engineering” and schemes of artificial intelligence.
Optimistically, its scientific, architectural and cultural elements would further enhance the level of “engagement” with younger generations and of course understanding and knowledge about the past many ancestors who influenced world civilization.
It is a good omen that the CISC engagement with 1500 specialists from more than 40 countries provided it a right way of moving forward by connecting past with present with lots of futuristic additions.
Amazingly, the CISC has an “interactive educational zone” that leverages virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence modern technologies for displays such as conversations with “living portraits” of historical scholars and thinkers, inspiring young generations to explore astronomy, medicine, literature, art, economics and commerce.
Furthermore, the CISC’s second floor will be dedicated to research, where international academics can access more than 200,000 books in its library. Thus it has also research orientation providing numerous “befitting propositions” for all.
It appears that the CISC is not just a museum because it consists of cultural and educational elements that clearly “differentiate” it from stereotypical historic presentation. It is a “gravitational cultural enterprise” engaging artifacts with the lives and ideas of influential figures. Simply miraculous.
One of the biggest achievements of the CISC is that it represents the true spirit of “secularism” by equally highlighting the true colors of Islam, Zoroastrian and Buddhist traditions, a golden age of science, literature, and architecture.
Frankly speaking, the ancient Silk Road was the first masterpiece of globalization and trans-regional connectivity and ancient Uzbekistan remained the hub of trans-regional trade, commerce, economics and exchange of ideas. Thus medieval Uzbekistan, and the wider Central Asian region, was a globalized world before globalization.
Moreover, Bukhara and Samarkand remained important destinations on the Silk Road, a cross-continental trade route that stretched from Venice to Xi’an for 1,500 years (130 BCE to 1453 CE), and became a confluence of culture and ideas from both the East and West.
Furthermore, Uzbekistan has played an important role in the development and construction of sciences and arts and the CSIC would be one of the biggest discoveries of the modern times.
Comparative studies of history reveal that the Timurid Empire during the15th and 16th centuries had been dubbed as the second renaissance of art, science, and diplomacy. Samarkand was the capital of human learning and productivity.
It seems that the CISC’s “marvelous architectural beauty” draws inspiration from Samarkand grand, mosaic-covered archways, blue tile-covered domes and intricate ornamentation.
In summary, the Center for Islamic Civilization (CISC) has become a “living reality” connecting past and present with a bright future. The CISC succeeded in “recovering” more than 2,000 historic items through auctions around the globe showing its love and commitment to safeguard the past crafts and scholarship of ancient Uzbekistan.
The CISC has many wonderful items and is not confined only to the 7th-century Quran of Uthman, one of the oldest in the world, and a collection of 114 Quranic manuscripts created by renowned rulers and calligraphers across the ages.
The writer is of the opinion that the CISC has “tremendous potential” and “multi-dimensional utility” which would be further strengthened through ever ending research, education and cultural engagement.
Last but not least, the CISC would be an ideal platform of “cultural innovation”, “intellect creativity”, productivity and interfaith harmony which would also be “instrumental” in Uzbekistan’s economy and its various sectors like tourism, hospitality and culture diplomacy.
