The opening ceremony for the declaration of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as the “2025 Islamic World Capital of Culture” by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) was held on May 27, 2025. Samarkand is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB).
The ceremony was organized in honor of Samarkand, one of the oldest cities of the Central Asian Turkic civilization with a history of nearly 2,800 years. Attending the event were ISESCO Director General Salim bin Mohammed Al-Malik, senior officials from the culture ministries of member countries, and many distinguished guests.
In his speech, Al-Malik stated that celebrations related to Samarkand being named the Islamic World Capital of Culture would continue throughout the year with various programs and events. He emphasized that during this period, the cultural heritage of this ancient city would be highlighted, and its role in Islamic civilization would be underlined.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Culture, Azadbek Nazarbekov, expressed pride in the designation of ancient Samarkand as the Islamic World Capital of Culture. He noted that various events such as exhibitions, fairs, cultural festivals, and cultural days would be held in Samarkand and Rabat, Morocco, within this framework.
During the event, Al-Malik presented the official certificate granting Samarkand the status of “2025 Islamic World Capital of Culture” to the Governor of Samarkand, Adiz Babayev.
A memorandum outlining the calendar of events to be jointly organized by ISESCO and the Government of Uzbekistan was signed. It is also planned for ISESCO to open an office in Uzbekistan, which will serve as a regional research center for Central Asia.
Samarkand was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2001 and celebrated its 2,750th anniversary in 2007 under UNESCO auspices. The city was declared “Capital of Turkic World Civilization” at the 2022 Turkic States Organization Summit held in Samarkand, then named the “World Tourism Capital” in 2023, and selected as the “CIS Cultural Capital” by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2024. On May 24, 2025, ISESCO officially announced Samarkand as the “2025 Islamic World Capital of Culture.”
Additionally, on April 26, 2025, Samarkand was elected as a member of the Board of Directors during the 7th Ordinary General Assembly of TDBB.
