BY FATIHAH MANAF

Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan ,

the country refers to Islamic Tourism as ‘ ziarah ’ tourism .

“ The term encompasses Buddhism , Christianity , Hinduism and Islam . Uzbekistan , for 3000 years , has been home to various heritage sites , namely Buddhist temples , Christian churches , Jewish synagogues , etc . Eighty per cent of the cultural heritage sites here are Muslim-related . They are from the Islamic enlightenment or Renaissance period , from the 12th century to the 19th century ,” Temur explained .

He shared that scholars worldwide cherished the unique artefacts , books and manuscripts from that period . The oldest manuscript of the Quran can also be

found in Tashkent .

Recognising the importance of academia in tourism , the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan has 13 cultural heritage colleges , a think tank institution and separate tourism and cultural heritage-related education coordinated by the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage , Samarkand .

ISLAMIC CIVILISATION CENTRE

“ The government is initiating a special project ,

Temur Mirzaev

the Islamic Civilisation Centre . It will be a one-stop centre for all relics , exhibits , books , manuscripts , paintings and Islamic miniatures . It will also highlight other art forms like calligraphy , textiles , ceramics , etc .,” shared Temur .

However , he emphasised that the real tourist magnets for the republic were its architecture and heritage , which are still intact and well-preserved . Some of these attractions are in Samarkand , Bukhara , Shiva and Fergana Valley .

“ Uzbekistan has been a hub for the Silk Road . We have an Islamic heritage . We are among the safest countries . It provides 93 countries with free visa entry and 57 countries with e-visa . The policy of openness is reintroducing Uzbekistan to the Muslim world .

“ Malaysia ’ s top authority as a Muslim-friendly destination gives us a chance to learn from its challenges and success stories . We can implement them right away in the right portion based on the level of awareness amongst the public and private sector about Muslim-friendly tourism and Muslim-friendly services .” — R & R

He said the participation of the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan at the event was unique as it also featured the signing of the memorandum of understanding ( MoU ) between the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents ( MATTA ) and the region .

“ The memorandum is to change the vision of people in the two countries about Islamic Tourism for the inbound and outbound ,

people from Uzbekistan to Malaysia and Malaysia to Uzbekistan .

“ The number of tourists in the Bukhara region was three million before the pandemic . After the pandemic , we had enough time to work on ourselves to give better service and

Anvar Bukhary

to focus on Islamic Tourism ,” explained Anvar .

Al Bukhary Travel & Tour planned to attract Malaysian tourists by introducing packages like Pilgrimage Tour through Uzbekistan and Umrah Plus Bukhara or Samarkand .

“ We ’ re happy to see the pilgrimages to come to Uzbekistan , especially Bukhara and Samarkand , to visit , first of all , the mausoleum of Imam Al-Bukhari , and many other touristic cities , which the President of Uzbekistan recently opened .

“ The main point is to attract people with the Umrah Plus ,” he highlighted .

Anvar said most people who went to perform umrah either go there directly or also visit other places like Turkey , Saudi Arabia and Egypt to learn more about the Islamic world . The Umrah Plus package will also be a good chance for Uzbekistan to welcome people to explore the beauty of Bukhara and Samarkand . — R & R