Uzbekistan Culture Days in Saudi Arabia
On October 2-11, 2025, Saudi Arabia will host the Uzbekistan Culture Days. The event aims to promote Uzbekistan's cultural heritage, art, and national values on the international stage.
The program of the Uzbekistan Culture Days features concerts by renowned artists, demonstrations of traditional dishes, exhibitions showcasing handicrafts, rare manuscripts, and samples of national literature.
The event is held at the Riyadh International Book Fair Complex and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh.
As part of the Uzbekistan Culture Days in Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan is participating as an honorary guest in the Riyadh International Book Fair. More than 2,000 publishers are presenting their products at the festival.
During the event, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ozodbek Nazarbekov and Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, discussed the prospects for cultural enlightenment cooperation.
The Uzbekistan Culture Days continue.
Nazokat Usmanova, UzA
Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq at Masjid an-Nabawi Passes Away After 60 Years of Service
Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq, the senior Quran recitation teacher at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, passed away on October 1, 2025, after dedicating sixty years to teaching at the Prophet’s Mosque. His students include some of the most prominent reciters and Islamic scholars of recent generations, forming a legacy that extends across the Muslim world.
Among his notable students are former Holy Mosques Imams Sheikh Muhammad Ayyoub and Sheikh Ali Jaber, current An-Nabawi Imams Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Qasim and Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqiti of the Senior Scholars Council. These figures represent just a portion of the thousands who studied under Sheikh Bashir’s guidance at the Medina mosque.
Sheikh Bashir established himself as a pillar of Quranic education within the sacred premises of the Prophet’s Mosque. His teaching career spanned six decades, during which he maintained a consistent presence in the mosque’s educational circles.
Students traveled from various countries specifically to learn Quran recitation from him, drawn by his reputation for precision and deep knowledge of tajweed rules.
The Sheikh’s methodology combined traditional teaching techniques with deep scholarly insight, creating a learning environment that produced some of the most recognized voices in Islamic recitation.
His students now lead prayers at Islam’s holiest sites and hold positions on scholarly councils, continuing the traditions he preserved and taught.