Uzbekistan: More About the Exhibition

Uzbekistan is a nation whose identity in the modern world is reaching maturity. Having gained independence in the 1990s, its borders encompass lands that have long been home to a rich diversity of civilisations.

Conquest of these lands by Muslim armies in the 1st–2nd centuries AH / 7th–8th centuries CE, shortly after the revelation of Islam, brought their various populations permanently into the fold of a new cultural power that blended Arabic, Persian and Turkic influences with nomadic traditions. This fusion created a distinctive cultural identity that continues to shape the nation today.

Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion explores the Islamic history of Uzbekistan. through its visual and material culture from the eve of the Islamic conquest to the present day. As modern Uzbekistan looks to its Islamic past, it draws upon this legacy to guide and inspire the direction of its future.

Beyond the River

For millennia, Uzbekistan has been a cosmopolitan crossroads of cultures. The rule of diverse civilisations had led to the creation of oasis cities through its steppes (semi-arid grasslands) amid nomadic pastoralists. This chain of settlements formed a key segment of the Silk Road out of China, enriching the region through caravan trade and creating a wealth of opportunities for cultural exchange.

Viewed from the Arabic-speaking west, the territory was known as Ma wara’ an-nahr: the land beyond the river Oxus (Transoxiana). On the eve of the Islamic conquest in the 1st century AH / 7th century CE, it was ruled by Sogdian city-states under the influence of the surrounding empires of Sasanian Iran (4th c. BH–1st c. AH / 3rd–7th c. CE), the Western Turkic Khaganate (1st c. BH–1st c. AH / 6th–7th c. CE), and Tang China (1st–4th c. AH / 7th–10th c. CE). Afrasiab (later Samarqand) was its centuries-old capital.

Building Earth and Empire

For many cities and settlements that surrendered peacefully, the Islamic conquest was marked by generous terms, allowing them to retain property and continue practising their culture and religion. By the 4th century AH / 10th century CE, most of the settled population had embraced Islam. The transition led to the rise of successive empires and dynasties, each contributing to the development of the region. New administrative systems necessitated the construction of new kinds of monumental buildings: mosques, madrasas and mausolea. These new spaces not only symbolised the shift in governance but also transformed the urban and architectural fabric of the region.

Earthenware architecture dominated Uzbekistan’s historical built environment and continues to impress visitors today. These Islamic architectural principles inspired Modernist design in the 20th century.

Conquerors and Patrons

Historians consider that the lands within Uzbekistan twice experienced an ‘Islamic Renaissance': first under the Samanid dynasty of the 4th century AH / 10th century CE, then again in the 8th–10th centuries AH / 14th–15th centuries CE under the Timurids. The Samanids, ruling on behalf of the caliphate in Baghdad, transformed the cities of Bukhara and Samarqand into thriving centres of trade, scholarship and culture, attracting poets, scientists and intellectuals. In the wake of the crumbling Mongol empire (7th–8th c. AH / 13th–14th c. CE) rose Timur (or Tamerlane), who turned these cities into the glittering symbols of Islamic power and cultural achievement known in Transoxiana today.

Cities of the Earth

Earthenware was the dominant building material for monumental architecture in Uzbekistan, as stone and timber were scarce in the region. Buildings with an earthen core were faced with brick and tiles. Limited materials fostered creative ingenuity: glazed and unglazed bricks formed a surprising variety of intricate patterns through variations in grouping, rotation and spacing. Bricks also formed calligraphic messages imparting Quranic passages, declarations of faith and allegiances to rulers. Established under the Samanids, these architectural traditions continued through the Timurid period and into early modernity, with the same techniques still emphasised today. Many iconic historical buildings remain standing, restored to splendour by government-led reconstructive efforts in the late 20th century. Among these are the mausoleum of the Samanid dynasty in Bukhara and the Bibi Khanym Mosque in Samarqand.

Funereal Architecture

Of all the new architectural forms developed under Islam, the mausoleum is most emblematic of Islamic Central Asia. Mausolea frequently contain cenotaphs (‘empty tombs’) to serve as symbolic grave markers, while the deceased rests in the ground beneath. The Shah-i Zinda (‘living king’) necropolis in Samarqand, containing more than twenty buildings, was constructed over eight centuries and is the final resting place of relatives of Timur, among others.

Modernist Architecture

Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1966. The reconstruction of the city conceived Tashkent as an exemplary Central Asian capital – a convergence of socialist ideology and local traditions. Modernist architects leant on Islamic principles of design established in centuries prior to shape administrative buildings, arts venues and institutions, a hotel and even some of Tashkent’s metro stations. In July 2026, UNESCO inscribed ten of these monumental structures on the World Heritage List under the title ‘Tashkent Modernist Architecture: Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia’.

Architects of Thought and Image

Many key figures in Islamic intellectual history hailed from the area now within Uzbekistan, their work fostered by the patronage of the land’s various Muslim rulers. Writing mostly in Arabic, the primary language of Islamic science, their scholarship became foundational, copied widely and later translated into European languages, shaping Medieval scientific education. Persian, ever-present across Central Asia, remained the language of courtly contexts and literature. Turkic languages, spoken by nomadic pastoralists, were formalised under the Mongols and their Timurid descendants. Of these, the Chagatai language especially became prominent in literature.

After recent independence, Uzbekistan's identity was built on its Turkic, Timurid and Islamic legacies, in reaction to religious repression of the 20th century. Monuments and statues of key intellectual figures were raised throughout Uzbekistan’s cities and continue to stand, affirming their enduring relevance.

Abu’l-Khayrid Dynasty

Manuscripts produced under Abu'l-Khayrid (previously known as Shaybanid) patronage (905–1007 AH / 1500–1598 CE) blend Turkic and Persian traditions. The Abu’l-Khayrids emerged at the end of the 9th century AH / 15th century CE, pushing the Timurids out of Central Asia. Named for Abu al-Khayr Khan, who had united the nomads of the steppe under the name ‘Uzbek’ in the middle of the 9th century AH / 15th century CE, this dynasty asserted its legitimacy through the familial line of Genghis Khan. They sought to distance themselves from their Timurid predecessors but perpetuated both Persian and Turkic literary traditions established earlier. These works, produced in Samarqand and Bukhara, reflect a period of political centralisation and complex cultural exchange. Over time, their production assumed distinct characteristics, which differentiated their arts from those of the surrounding Safavid, Mughal and Ottoman empires.

Modern Miniatures

After flourishing in the 16th and 17th centuries, the practice of manuscript illumination declined and was ultimately replaced by lithographic illustration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Revival of the miniature tradition in the later 20th century transformed the historical practice – which was originally limited to works on paper – into a distinctive type of decorative art applied also to vases, dishes, lacquer boxes, household furniture and other objects used in daily life. Modern miniaturists follow the style and subject matter of the original masters in innovative compositions.

Legacies of Clay and Thread

Craft and artistic production in the early modern and modern periods bridge the past and future. After centuries of development, traditional crafts in Uzbekistan flourished under the three Khanates that succeeded Abu’l-Khayrid rule.

However, Russian rule shifted artisans away from cottage industry to factory production, disrupting family lineage and knowledge transmission in craft practice. Russian imports further diluted the output of local artisans. Trade cooperatives, artists’ collectives and associations of national artisans established by both the state and individuals helped preserve traditions amid mass production. Through these and other efforts, traditional craft remains vital to Uzbekistan’s vivid cultural fabric, a living legacy preserving practices and principles of an ancient past and looking forward into a prosperous future.

Ceramics

Ceramics are among the earliest mass-produced goods. Their decoration not only reflects shared customs and tastes but also bears evidence of the external influences that intrigued local markets. From the epigraphic Samanid wares that are a local expression of trends occurring elsewhere in the Islamic world, to the Timurid pieces that highlight a long-term fascination with products out of China, the ceramics of Uzbekistan demonstrate how everyday life was connected to a wide cultural sphere. Despite Soviet efforts to curtail production, these traditions are experiencing a vibrant resurgence today.

Dress

Across the steppes of Central Asia, tunics, trousers and coats have been worn for millennia as base garments by both nomads and urban dwellers regardless of wealth, age or gender. Social status was marked by the material and ornamentation of clothing rather than the garment itself. Sumptuous fabrics were reserved for royalty and nobility, while people of simpler status dressed in plainer clothes. Despite modernisation and Western influence, traditional dress remains prevalent in daily life across Uzbekistan. Emerging couturiers are introducing Uzbek attire into high fashion at home and abroad.

Jewellery

Many pieces of jewellery are preserved from the early modern period in Uzbekistan, under the Khanates, reflecting techniques unique to specific production centres. Base metals were sourced locally, while gemstones were imported from across the world, a testament to the strong inter-cultural and diplomatic relations that had been maintained since Antiquity. Jewellers were often Tajik, Persian or Indian, and their work bears evidence of the techniques of their respective cultures. Uzbek jewellery was not designed as individual pieces but as part of an ensemble, adorning many parts of the head and body.

Textile Arts

The lands of Uzbekistan have always been renowned for the production of luxurious finished fabrics. Textiles are not only functional, but also played a vital role in social and cultural life, used to indicate wealth and status and to mark important life events. Under Russian rule in the late 19th century, industrialisation policies forcibly redirected labour to the manufacture of raw materials (especially cotton) for export, leading to a decline in textile industries and practices. Nonetheless, weaving and embroidery using wool, cotton and silk in painstaking, long processes have seen a modern resurgence.

Silk-weaving

Silk fabric is made from fibres produced by mulberry-eating silkworms for their cocoons. Originating in China, silk production was introduced to Central Asia in the 2nd century BH / 5th century CE. Legend says a Chinese princess smuggled silkworm eggs in her hair during her journey westward for marriage. Already luxurious in Uzbekistan, silk was woven with other materials to create even more sumptuous fabrics. Ikat is the most iconic Uzbek textile, known as abr or ‘cloud’ in Uzbek as its distinctive binding and dyeing process creates patterns with blurry contours. Today, factories in Margilan produce most of Uzbekistan's silk.