UN Geneva hosts international conference on Mawarannahr's spiritual and scientific heritage

An international scientific conference titled “Islamic Civilization: The Great Spiritual and Scientific Heritage of Mawarannahr and Horizons of Enlightenment” was held on 23 October at the Palais des Nations, the UN Office at Geneva. It brought together diplomats, foreign academics and experts, and officials and scholars from Uzbekistan.

The event follows the initiative announced by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 80th UN General Assembly in September 2025 to present the heritage of Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi and Imam Maturidi at the UN. Organisers included Uzbekistan's Islamic Civilization Center, the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Academy of Sciences, the international research centres named after the three imams, and the country's Permanent Mission in Geneva.

In the keynote, Akmal Saidov highlighted the region's long legal and scientific traditions, from the Avesta and Sogdian legal documents to Islamic scholarship, and the link between cultural heritage, enlightenment, the rule of law and human rights. He recalled the 1995 UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the 2018 UN resolution proposed by Mirziyoyev.

Discussions covered Quranic studies, Hadith, jurisprudence, theology and Sufism, and the contributions of scholars such as al-Khwarizmi, Biruni, Ibn Sina and Ulugh Beg. An exhibition of replicas of ancient manuscripts, scholarly publications and miniatures was also shown. The conference ended with talks on expanding international cooperation in research, heritage preservation, education and dialogue among civilizations.