Inside Uzbekistan’s New Center of Islamic Civilization
After eight years of planning and construction, the Center of Islamic Civilization (CISC) in Tashkent is finally preparing to open its doors in early 2026. Conceived as both a museum and a research institution, the center is designed to celebrate, preserve, and revive Uzbekistan’s deep legacy of Islamic scholarship a legacy shaped by figures like Ibn Sina, Al Biruni, Al Khwarizmi, and countless artisans, astronomers, mathematicians, and historians who emerged from the region.
The Grand Entrance Hall
A vast marble atrium welcomes visitors beneath a 65 meter dome, decorated with geometric tile patterns inspired by Samarkand and Bukhara. Four monumental portals echo traditional madrasa façades, creating a symbolic gateway into centuries of learning.
Four times taller than the Hollywood sign and around seven times larger than the White House, Uzbekistan’s newest cultural center is a monument of epic proportions. Part museum, part academic research facility, the three-story, $150 million Center for Islamic Civilization (CISC) in Tashkent will be open to the public in March 2026, and is intended to celebrate and revive Uzbekistan’s historical role as a center of Islamic scholarship. “This region has been home to many ancestors who influenced world civilization,” said Firdavs Abdukhalikov, director of CISC.
“The big question was how to present their influence to the world, to younger generations, in an engaging and modern way.”
The Manuscript Treasury One of the center’s crown jewels is its climate controlled manuscript vault 7th 13th century Qurans, including pages traditionally attributed to the era of Uthman Illuminated manuscripts from the Timurid courts Rare works in astronomy, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy Recovered artifacts returned from international auctions and private collections Interactive displays allow visitors to zoom in on calligraphy, pigments, and notes made by scholars
Restoration Laboratories
CISC houses Uzbekistan’s most advanced restoration labs, where experts treat.
- Ancient paper and bindings
- Textiles and prayer rugs
- Metalwork and ceramics
- Archival documents
What’s inside: Museums, Libraries & High-Tech Exhibits
- The building features four grand portals rising 34 m high and a central dome reaching 65 m a striking blend of traditional Islamic architecture with modern museum design.
- There's an interactive educational zone using virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI, where visitors including children can “talk to” living portrait renditions of historic scholars and thinkers.
- On the second floor sits a library/research wing housing over 200,000 books, providing scholars (local and international) a space to study Islam, history, science, theology, and cultural heritage.
- Among exhibits ancient Qurans (including a 7th century manuscript often described as the “Quran of Uthman”), rare handwritten manuscripts produced over centuries by rulers and calligraphers, and artifacts highlighting contributions to astronomy, medicine, literature, and art.
Reviving the past
While Uzbekistan is a secular nation, Islam is a key part of its history and cultural identity. Arab conquests brought Islam to Central Asia in the 7th century, replacing earlier Zoroastrian and Buddhist traditions, and between the 9th and 12th centuries, the region experienced a golden age of science, literature, and architecture. Medieval Uzbekistan, and the wider Central Asian region, was “a globalized world before globalization,” said historian Farhan Ahmad Nizami, founding director of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford, who’s not connected to the CISC. Uzbek cities like Bukhara and Samarkand were important stops on the Silk Road, a cross continental trade route that stretched from Venice to Xi’an for 1,500 years (130 BCE to 1453 CE), and became a confluence of culture and ideas from both the East and West.
Tremendous potential
While Nizami said the center has “tremendous potential,” he cautioned that “the building is a platform what happens on the platform is entirely different,” stressing that its success depends on long term research, education and cultural engagement.There are criticisms of the center, relating to its cost, the sources of its funding, and the limited religious freedom in the country.