THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CENTER OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

This article examines the historical, cultural, religious, and

intellectual foundations underlying the establishment of the Center of Islamic

Civilization in Uzbekistan at the Hastimom (Hazrati Imom) complex in

Tashkent. The central argument is that the choice of this site is not incidental

but historically grounded: the Hastimom complex has functioned for centuries

as the religious, scholarly, and spiritual heart of Tashkent, and by extension,

of the broader Islamic civilization that flourished in Transoxiana. The article

provides a historical overview of the complex and its constituent monuments,

including the mausoleum of Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Qaffal al-Shashi, the

Baroqkhon and Mo’yi Muborak madrasas, and the Namozgoh, Tilla Shaykh,

and Hazrati Imom mosques. Drawing on classical Arabic biographical sources,

Russian Orientalist scholarship, and contemporary Central Asian research, the

study concludes that the Hastimom complex represents a site of continuous and

layered historical significance, making it the most appropriate location for an

institution dedicated to the study and promotion of Islamic civilization.