Qatar joins Islamic cultural heritage conference in Uzbekistan

The three-day conference in Tashkent brings together researchers and experts to explore Uzbekistan’s Islamic scientific legacy.Qatar is participating in the International Conference on Islamic Cultural Heritage in Uzbekistan and Its Role in Global Scientific Pathways, being held in Tashkent from 7 to 9 September.Ahmad bin Hassan Al-Hammadi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Chairman of the Qatari Alliance of Civilizations Committee (QACC), is leading the Qatari delegation at the conference, which brings together participants from Türkiye, Italy, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco.Speaking at the conference, Al-Hammadi said the event forms part of Qatar’s wider “civilizational diplomacy” programme, set out in Qatar’s 2023–2027 Plan for the Alliance of Civilizations, which seeks to promote dialogue between civilisations and cultures and highlight Islamic cities that have played an active role in the development of science and culture worldwide.Al-Hammadi said the conference was the result of scientific cooperation and an active partnership between the QACC, Qatar University and Tashkent University of Oriental Studies, aimed at highlighting the scientific legacy of Uzbek scholars and its contribution to global scientific development, as well as Uzbekistan’s wider cultural and civilisational influence.He pointed to the legacy of Uzbek scholars including Imam Al-Bukhari, Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Biruni, and Ibn Sina, whose work contributed to the development of fields including mathematics, engineering, algebra, earth sciences, chemistry, medicine, philosophy and Islamic studies.The conference is also the latest step in strengthening cultural ties between Qatar and Uzbekistan. In recent years, the two countries have held Uzbek Culture Week in Doha in February 2024 and Qatari Cultural Days in Tashkent in October 2024.Qatar also took part in the opening of Uzbekistan’s Islamic Civilisation Centre, one of the country’s major cultural and scientific projects.The centre aims to highlight the contributions of Islamic civilisation and regional scholars to human progress, while preserving manuscripts, supporting scientific research and promoting civilisational dialogue.Alongside the conference, Al-Hammadi met with Ozltshkhra Ryzhensova, President of Tashkent University of Oriental Studies, where the two sides discussed ways to strengthen the partnership between the university and the QACC.Al-Hammadi expressed hope that the conference would result in scientific proposals and recommendations that help highlight Uzbekistan’s Islamic civilisational heritage and its role in global scientific development today.amic scientific heritage to more people.