In cooperation with the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, the World Society for the Study, Preservation, and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan (WOSCU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the International Specialized Company for the Search for Stolen, Lost, and Illegally Exported Works of Art, Antiquities, and Cultural Property - Art Loss Register, the Metropolitan Police Service, relevant British structures, and international experts, rare and unique masterpieces of global significance are being returned to Uzbekistan. This was reported by the СICU information service.
An international media event titled "History and Cultural Heritage of the Great Timurids," dedicated to the 690th anniversary of Amir Temur's birth, was held at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in London. It was attended by leading British and foreign historians, orientalists, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the scientific community, cultural circles, and international organizations. During the evening, special materials were presented on the personality of Amir Temur, his role in world history, the achievements of the Timurid era, as well as modern initiatives aimed at preserving historical heritage in Uzbekistan.
The presentation of a new edition prepared by WOSCU as part of the "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in World Collections" series - Firuza Melville's book dedicated to the manuscript heritage of Central Asia in the libraries of Cambridge University - also aroused great interest.
The most important part of the event was the ceremony of returning cultural values to Uzbekistan. Among the returned items are 10 priceless artifacts from various periods of Central Asian history. Among them are findings related to the culture of the Kushan period, ancient Termez, Buddhist art traditions, and the heritage of Sogdia. Some items date back to the 2nd–8th centuries AD. Also among the returned heritage is a unique Timurid-era kenotafe belonging to a royal personage.
— First of all, we express our deep gratitude to the author of this huge initiative and strategically important idea, our esteemed President, for the consistent and effective implementation of a program of immense importance aimed at preserving our cultural heritage, searching for it, and returning it to our Motherland. The return of the historical artifacts was the result of extensive and complex international cooperation lasting several months. Dozens of specialists, experts, lawyers, art historians, and law enforcement agencies from various countries participated in this process. The return process began after receiving information that these items may have originated from the territory of Uzbekistan. Subsequently, an international working group was formed with the participation of foreign experts, WOSCU members, art historians, and cultural heritage experts. At the same time, we express our special gratitude to the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan for its active participation in this noble and responsible process. In particular, within the framework of international cooperation, the contribution of the OSCE, the Art Loss Register, the Metropolitan Police, as well as relevant British government structures, authoritative international experts and all partner organizations deserves high recognition. It is worth noting that this cooperation serves not only to restore our national cultural heritage but also to strengthen its global prestige," said Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan and Chairman of the Board of WOSCU.
The WOSCU played a decisive role in the return process. In recent years, it has become one of the most effective international mechanisms for searching, studying, and returning the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan from foreign collections.
According to expert estimates, among the returned objects, the heads of sculptures made of gypsum and terracotta, dating back to the 2nd–5th centuries AD, are of particular importance. Such works are characteristic of the culture of the Kushan period and the centers of Buddhist art in ancient Termez — Karatepa, Fayaztepa, and Dalverzintepa. Fragments of ancient wall paintings are also of great interest. Some of them may be related to Sogdian traditions from the 7th–8th centuries or to more ancient monumental schools in southern Uzbekistan.
- The returned items are of great historical and scientific importance. They belong to different periods of the territory of modern Uzbekistan and reflect the civilizational processes that have taken place in Central Asia for centuries," said Dr. Farkhod Maksudov, Director of the Institute of Anthropology of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Upon arrival in Tashkent, these items will undergo additional attribution, restoration testing, and scientific description. This will allow them to be introduced into international scientific circulation and presented to the general public for the first time as a restored part of Uzbekistan's historical memory.
During the ceremony, official documents were signed and certificates were exchanged confirming the legal transfer of the returned cultural property to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. This event became an important symbol of international cooperation, the restoration of historical justice and the return of priceless relics to their homeland.