These are medieval Bukhara and Samarkand manuscripts, gold jewelry from Bukhara, famous abr fabrics and samples of clothing once worn by the population of the Uzbek khanates, as well as earthenware from Samarkand (Afrasiab) created during the period of the Muslim Renaissance (9th-12th centuries) and the Bukhara Khanate (18th century).
The album will present the brightest part of this collection - Qur'ans and manuscripts created in the cities of Uzbekistan, ceramics, weapons, jewelry, and coins. The rarest artifact presented in the album is a Sogdian silk robe dating back to the 7th-8th centuries.
In addition, the album will also feature one of the oldest manuscripts of the early 12th-13th centuries - the “Al-Dhakhira Al-Khwarazmshahiyya or the Treasures of the Shah of Khwarazm, by Al-Jurjani. The manuscript was created in Khiva, the capital of the Khwarezm Shahs, and is dedicated to the history of this dynasty.
This is the first time the collection of artifacts from Uzbekistan is presented to the general public in one publication.
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur is one of the largest museums in South-East Asia. Founded in 1998, it is housed in a purpose-built four-story Islamic architecture building in the city center close to the National Mosque.
The book has been created with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Malaysia. The project is supported by the international oilfield service company Eriell Group. The book-album will be presented at the 6th Congress of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Promotion of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the summer of 2022.
