Firdavs Abdukhalikov and Dr. Louis Ng Photo from the press service of the Center for Islamic Civilization
A presentation of Uzbekistan's Center for Islamic Civilization took place at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on July 20, where the two institutions signed a memorandum of cooperation, reports the press service of the Center for Islamic Civilization.
The document was signed by the Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization, Firdavs Abdukhalikov, and the Head of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, Dr. Louis Ng Chi-wa.
The agreement provides for joint exhibitions and scientific research, cooperation in museology, the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage, the training of specialists, and the exchange of professional expertise.
Abdukhalikov noted that the partnership will make it possible to present Uzbekistan's historical and cultural heritage to an international audience using modern museum and digital technologies.
«The signing of the memorandum with the Hong Kong Palace Museum creates a solid foundation for a long-term partnership and opens up new opportunities for joint exhibitions, scientific projects, and cultural exchange programs,» the Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization said.
Dr. Louis Ng said that several months earlier he had visited Uzbekistan and acquainted himself with the work of the Center for Islamic Civilization. He was deeply impressed, he said, by the country's methods of preserving and presenting cultural heritage.
After the ceremony, the heads of the two institutions discussed organizing exhibitions, conducting research, sharing restoration expertise, and running training programs for museum specialists. The Uzbek delegation toured the Hong Kong museum's exhibitions, collection management system, and restoration departments.
During the presentation, Abdukhalikov spoke about the concept behind the Center for Islamic Civilization's exhibitions, the role of the Great Silk Road, and the legacy of the scholars and thinkers who lived on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. The Director of the National Center for Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences, Farkhod Maksudov, presented the results of joint research by archaeologists from Uzbekistan and China. The Academic Secretary of the Center for Islamic Civilization, Rustam Jabborov, delivered a report on Chinese motifs in the works of Alisher Navoi.
The event was attended by Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for the Belt and Road Initiative at Hong Kong's Trade and Economic Development Bureau, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China, Farkhod Arziev, and representatives of scientific and cultural institutions. The Center presented the museum with book-albums from the series «Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan in World Collections."
The Center for Islamic Civilization was built in the Uzbek capital next to the Khast-Imam complex. The building is designed in the style of medieval architectural monuments, with four 34-meter-high portals and a 65-meter central dome. It houses a Quran Hall, a conference hall seating 550 people, and a museum whose exhibitions span the entire history of Uzbekistan — from pre-Islamic times to the present day. The Center is intended to become a platform for studying the heritage of past generations and its contemporary interpretation, in cooperation with the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan and scientific and educational centers around the world.
