Yesterday on 21st November the meeting dedicated to “Ziyarat Tourism” (Tourism on Visiting Islamic Shrines) was held in Muslim Board of Uzbekistan with the participation of representatives from the Committee on Religious Affairs, the Center for Islamic Civilization, Tashkent Islamic University and leading touristic firms.
The event was opened by O.Yusupov’s speech who mentioned President Sh.Mirziyoyev’s presentation during his visit to Samarkand region on November 9-10 regarding the tasks on widening the scope of Ziyarat Tourism. He, Mr. O.Yusupov, noted that in order to attract tourists to Bukhara and Samarkand from Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Islamic countries, a number of working groups were organized which work on particular directions.
During the meeting Mr. Akmal Qosimov, a specialist from “Azia tour” firm suggested to pay attention to “Silsilai Alia” (Shrines of 12 Saints), to introduce special packages such as “Umra Plus” to Malaysian and Indonesian tourists.
The participants proposed to sign memorandum among participating parties in the process: The Committee on Religious Affairs, Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Tashkent Islamic University, The Center for Islamic Civilization, Charity on Shrine Protection and “Uzbektourism”.
News portal “see.news” and the leading Egyptian newspaper “Al-Ahram” have published articles about the upcoming International Sister Cities Forum in Samarkand and the Imam al-Bukhari Complex near Samarkand, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.
According to the “see.news” portal, International Sister Cities Forum will be held in Samarkand on July 24-25th, 2026, aimed at expanding Uzbekistan's international cooperation, strengthening partnerships between cities, and developing public diplomacy. The forum's program will include an international scientific and practical conference on urban cooperation, panel sessions and roundtables, ceremonies for signing memorandums and agreements between sister cities, presentations on public diplomacy and interregional interaction, cultural and educational events for foreign delegations, study tours of Samarkand's historical monuments, as well as exhibitions showcasing the investment, tourism and cultural potential of Uzbekistan's regions.
“Al-Ahram” correspondent, Muhammad Abdulsalam Sabrin, dedicated a report to the Imam al-Bukhari Complex near Samarkand, having visited it as part of the international scientific conference “The Mosque of the Authentic Musnad of Imam Bukhari: The Book of the Nation”. The author describes the complex as an integrated scientific and spiritual city spanning an area of about 450,000 square meters, featuring a mosque with four 75-meter minarets, an interactive museum consisting of nine pavilions with rare manuscripts and maps of Imam al-Bukhari’s travels, as well as an infrastructure designed to receive delegations from across the Muslim world. According to the journalist, the complex's capacity after reconstruction has increased from 12,000 to nearly 65,000 visitors per day and he described the site not merely as an architectural monument, but as a message of tolerance and the values of coexistence among peoples.