Uzbekistan has been officially recognized by the organization ASIA Records as the Asian country with the most UNESCO-listed Islamic historic cities, according to the Uzbek Tourism Committee.
Representatives of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Malaysia took part in the award ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur.
Under this recognition, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Shakhrisabz are historic cities associated with Islamic civilization, with their historic centers included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This indicator confirms Uzbekistan’s status as one of the richest and most comprehensively preserved centers of Islamic civilization in Asia.
Located at the very heart of the Great Silk Road, Uzbekistan for centuries served as a crossroads of culture, science, and spiritual traditions of the Islamic world. To this day, its historic cities preserve outstanding examples of Islamic architecture, urban planning, and scholarly thought in an authentic setting—mosques, madrasas, mausoleums, and integrated urban ensembles. Of particular value is the holistic preservation of the historical environment, where the unique heritage is not a single monument, but the entire urban landscape in its integrity.
Alongside its architectural heritage, Uzbekistan remains an important center of pilgrimage and cultural tourism. The Khast-Imam Ensemble in Tashkent, the mausoleum of Imam al-Bukhari in Samarkand, the Memorial complex Bahauddin Naqshbandi and Chashmai Ayub in Bukhara, as well as Islamic monuments in Termez, continue to attract pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.
The awarding of the ASIA Records title represents recognition of Uzbekistan’s leadership in the preservation, development, and promotion of Islamic historical heritage, and also confirms its universal value for all of humanity.
