A prestige international award has gone to Uzbekistan’s new Islamic Civilization Centre.
The Prix Avicenne is awarded for outstanding achievements in the humanities and natural sciences, as well as for contributing to the preservation and promotion of historical and scientific heritage.
The award, adjudged by the French scientific community, was presented at a ceremony at the National Academy of Medicine of France in Paris before an audience of leading scientists, historians of medicine, orientalists, Islamic heritage specialists and representatives of cultural institutions of Europe.
The centre was established at the initiative of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to highlight the country’s contribution to world culture.
Award organisers said the centre, due to open to the public next March, is an “excellent” example of a modern approach to the study of the heritage of Ibn Sina, one of mankind’s greatest scientists.
Centre director Firdavs Abdukhalikov said:
“This award is further vivid evidence of international recognition of the large-scale activities of our president.”
The centre, he said, is a
“unique author’s scientific and cultural megaproject designed to return to the world the true intellectual heritage of the great thinkers of the East.”
He adds,
“This is a high honour and well-deserved appreciation of the work of hundreds of national and foreign scientists, researchers, translators and experts who form its scientific and educational content.
“It also symbolizes the deep respect of the world community for the historical role of Central Asia in the development of global scientific thought.
We will continue to expand international research, strengthen scientific ties and continue work dedicated to the legacy of Avicenna and all outstanding thinkers of our land.”
The award organisers said that Uzbekistan, today, not only preserves its own cultural and scientific past but makes a significant contribution to world humanities, forming and initiating new large-scale projects, standards for research, restoration, cataloguing and popularization of the Islamic intellectual heritage.
The centre holds some of the rarest manuscript copies of Avicenna’s works while also organizing international conferences dedicated to the contribution of the great thinkers of Central Asia to world science.
According to French scientists, the centre’s newly created exhibition brings the study and research of Avicenna’s heritage to a new level and makes Uzbekistan a leading platform in this area.
The centre itself is located in an historical area of Tashkent, next to the spiritual heart of the capital of Uzbekistan, the Hazrati Imam Mosque.
In the centre is the Quran of Uthman, one of the oldest Qur’anic manuscripts in the world, which is included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, an international initiative to preserve and promote cultural heritage and artefacts of global importance.
When it opens in 2026, visitors will be able to see rare artifacts from different eras. The centre also presents collections from museums worldwide and from the World Society for the Preservation, Study and Promotion of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan (WOSCU). Interactive exhibitions will show breakthroughs in algebra, astronomy and medicine – some of the most important discoveries of the Golden Age of Islam.ps
