Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The opening events of the Islamic World's Capital of Culture 2025 have been held in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.

Representatives from more than 20 ICESCO member countries participated.

The Azerbaijani delegation, led by Deputy Culture Minister Murad Huseynov, attended the opening ceremony.

In connection with Samarkand being declared the Islamic World's Capital of Culture, an international forum was held in the city under the theme "Spiritual Heritage and Cultural Expressions of the Islamic World: Calligraphy, Music, Poetry, and Solidarity."

The event was attended by Uzbekistan's Culture Minister Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Azerbaijan's Deputy Culture Minister Murad Huseynov, ICESCO Director-General Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik, President of the International Turkic Academy, Academician Shahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova, as well as officials, scholars, and media representatives from various countries.

Opening the forum, Ozodbek Nazarbekov stated that significant efforts are being made in Uzbekistan to thoroughly study, preserve, and develop Islamic knowledge and spiritual heritage.

ICESCO Director-General Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik spoke about Samarkand's contributions to Islamic scholarship and cultural heritage, calling the declaration of Samarkand as the Islamic World's Capital of Culture a historic event and outlining future plans in this direction.

In his speech, Azerbaijan's Deputy Culture Minister Murad Huseynov shared information about the efforts made in Azerbaijan to preserve cultural heritage.

He stressed that Samarkand holds a special place in Islamic history and has long been recognised as the homeland of great scholars, architects, and other artisans. Situated on the Silk Road, Samarkand became a hub where diverse cultures converged.

The Deputy Minister also emphasised that last year, the ancient Azerbaijani city of Shusha fulfilled the mission of being the Islamic World's Capital of Culture, during which various projects were implemented.

Speeches were also delivered by the President of the International Turkic Academy, Academician Shahin Mustafayev, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Aktoty Raimkulova and others.

They highlighted the important role of the ancient city of Samarkand in the dissemination and promotion of Islamic heritage.

Following the forum, a series of colourful events were held as part of the opening program of the Capital Year. Guests visited Samarkand's historical and cultural sites.

Prior to Samarkand, the cities of Tashkent in 2007 and Bukhara in 2020 had carried out the mission of being the Islamic World's Capital of Culture.

In 2024, Shusha, Azerbaijan, was designated the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World.

This title was confirmed at the 12th Conference of the Culture Ministers of the Islamic World in Doha.

The declaration of Shusha as the Cultural Capital highlights the city's rich historical and cultural heritage, particularly its role in the development of Islamic culture.