On November 24th the delegation of ulemas (religious scientists) visited Samarkand region. The guests were received by Mr. Ibrohim Inomov, Deputy Chairman of Muslim Board of Uzbekistan. The first day of the visit was Friday so the guests performed Friday prayer at Imam Buhari Grand Mosque and made sincere supplications for the strong relationships between two countries.
During the visit to Imam Buhari Shrine Zayniddin Eshonqulov, Head Imam of Samarkand region gave profound information about the great hadith scholar – Imam Buhari, about his life, scientific heritage and how his heritage is preserved and also how government is giving much attention to further study of his works. During his speech Mr. Eshonqulov noted that the complex is under special attention of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and in recent future the place will once again experience some renovation.
After having visited the Tomb of Imam Buhari, the delegation from Tatarstan and religious scholars and imams from Samarkand held the meeting on developing Ziyarat tourism development.
During the gathering the sides exchanged opinions on organizing tourism, implementing all opportunities on maximum level, strengthening relationships between brotherhood natons.
The guests noted that people in Tatarstan are willing to visit Imam Buhari’s Shrine and see with their eyes the great historical heritage. The visit of the delegation is the beginning of grand scale ziyarat tourism between two countries and in the nearest future the number of visitors will increase.
The guests from Tatarstan underlined that tatar ulemas always wanted to visit Uzbekistan, but there has not been much opportunity as we have today. But, nowadays all efforts to increase ziyarat tourism is making visits easy and possible. On its turn tatar delegation invited Uzbek scholars to visit Tatarstan. Guests also visited Saint Daniel Shrine and The Registan Ensemble.
(translated by Alisher Sattarov)
Accepting the credentials of the permanent representative, the OIC Secretary General congratulated him on assuming the office and wished him success in carrying out his responsible mission.
The current state and prospects of cooperation between Uzbekistan and OIC were discussed during the meeting. The sides also expressed mutual interest in intensifying interaction in such important areas as education, support for youth and innovations.
The OIC Secretary General noted Uzbekistan's significant contribution to the development of Islamic civilization, science and culture, stressing that the country has historically been the center of scientific discoveries, philosophical thought and spiritual heritage of the Islamic world. It was also emphasized that today Uzbekistan continues to play an important role in strengthening the unity of the Islamic Ummah, promoting initiatives aimed at sustainable development, education and preservation of cultural heritage, which makes it one of the key partners in implementing the goals of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
It is worth recalling that Nodirjon Turgunov arrived in Riyadh in March 2024 as the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia.
He served as Consul General in the city of Jeddah from 2021 to 2024.
He has been in the system of the MFA since 2016. He worked in various positions in the Consular and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2019-2021 he served as Consul General of Uzbekistan in the city of Aktau (Kazakhstan), in 2021-2024 - in the city of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
He speaks Arabic and Russian.
Nodirjon Turgunov replaced Ulugbek Maksudov, who served from 2018-2024 as the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia and permanent representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in the city of Jeddah.