Irina Osmanova, a representative of the Museum of the History of Religion in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is visiting the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan.

She proposed organizing an exhibition featuring artifacts of Uzbek cultural heritage, currently preserved in the Museum of the History of Religion, to coincide with the center’s opening. The proposal was positively received.

The representative of the Russian museum is actively collaborating with the center’s staff as an international partner, researching historical sources related to the Uthman Quran held in Uzbekistan and examining the geographical distribution of 50 facsimile copies published in Russia in 1905.

“I believe that the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, established on the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is an unprecedented project”, noted Ms. Irina Osmanova. “Our goal is to foster international scholarly cooperation. We visited various museums over the past three days and studied their exhibits. I am pleased to announce that preparatory work on the department of pre-Islamic civilization is now complete, allowing us to move forward with the exhibition’s setup. This process involves close collaboration with the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan, the Hermitage, and the Museum of the History of Religion in Saint Petersburg”.

The Uthman Quran is one of the oldest manuscripts of Islam’s holy book. In 647, the prominent companion Uthman Ibn Affan ordered the creation of several copies of the Quran and dispatched them to various regions. Until the second half of the 19th century, the manuscript was preserved in the Khoja Ahrar Vali mosque in Samarkand.

After the Russian Empire’s conquest of Samarkand in May 1869, the Mus'haf (manuscript) was sent to Saint Petersburg on the orders of Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufmann, Governor-General of Turkestan. In August 1922, following persistent demands from Muslims in Turkestan, the sacred text was successfully returned to Tashkent. Today, the Uthman Quran is kept in the Muyi Muborak mosque within the Khazrati Imam complex.

While the Mus'haf was in Russia, 50 facsimile copies were printed and distributed to various cities.

According to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, the center will feature a map indicating the distribution of these facsimile copies printed 120 years ago. Upon the center’s opening, the original Uthman Quran will occupy a prominent place in a specially designated hall, which will also exhibit ancient handwritten copies of the Quran.

Nazokat Usmanova, UzA