DECEMBER 4 – THE ELECTIONS OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN.. 1
Sarvar Otamuratov’s meeting with voters of Navoiy Region. 1
How Architectural Monuments Started ‘Talking’ 2
DECEMBER 4 – THE ELECTIONS OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Sarvar Otamuratov’s meeting with voters of Navoiy Region
The candidate for President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from the Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, Sarvar Otamuratov, met voters of Navoiy Region on 9 November.
The meeting, which was held in the format of video conference attended by voters of all the districts and towns of the region, was opened by the leader of Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party deputies’ group in the Navoiy Regional council of people’s deputies, B.Bozorov.
A.Bobomurodova, authorised representative of the candidate for President, familiarized those gathered with the candidate’s biography.
Candidate for President Sarvar Otamuratov made a speech setting out the main points of his electoral programme.
Navoiy Region has a special place in the country’s economy. The region accounts for 10 per cent of the country’s industrial output, and 45 per cent of its cement, 30 per cent of mineral fertilizers and 16 per cent of electricity. Such big production facilities as the Navoiy ore-extraction and metallurgy combine, Navoiazot, Kyzylkumtsement, Navoiy’s thermal power station and electrochemical plant are significant to the domestic economy. In the “Navoi” free economic zone, the first such a zone in the country, there are 19 enterprises producing more than 100 types of modern industrial goods.
In the electoral programme of the candidate, a number of tasks are specified on the basis of this noble idea: “From national revival to national prosperity”. These tasks relate to the economic, social, political, spiritual enlightenment, judicial, law, information, sport and foreign policy spheres. In the programme, the achievement of the people’s spiritual revival is defined as the basis of economic reforms.
Special attention is paid in the programme to expanding the transport and logistical infrastructure in the “Navoi” free economic zone and adopting systemic measures to promote goods tagged “made in Uzbekistan” on world markets by providing effective support for local production enterprises producing export-oriented products as well as those producing import-substituting products, including through easing the tax burden and providing customs privileges and preferences, subsidies and other forms of state support.
A deputy of the Navbahor district council of people’s deputies, F.Rajabov; the chief editor of the Uchquduq newspaper, R.Qodirova; and others said that processes relating to the elections were in progress on a multi-party and multi-candidate basis, conforming to democratic principles. They expressed their opinions on the electoral programme of the candidate and tasks specified in it and called on voters to take an active part in the forthcoming 4 December 2016 elections of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
(Source: UzA)
export
In September-October, Uzagroexport Company opened four new trading houses in Russia and two more in Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan has shipped there fruits, vegetables, melons and grapes for almost $500,000.
In order to promote exports of Uzbek fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products, seek and open new outlets, Uzagroexport delegated its representatives to South and South-East Asia and the Persian Gulf states.
They accentuated the expansion of cooperation with traditional partners, India and the UAE, as well as with new markets in Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. During business meetings with representatives of foreign companies interested in importing agricultural goods, the sides signed contracts for the supply of 10,000 tons of Uzbek products.
They also discussed opportunities of establishing long-term partnerships and joint trading houses in host countries.
The volume of export supplies of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables exceeded 543,000 tons for 9 months of 2016, increasing by 40.4% YOY owing to additional measures on promoting domestic horticultural products.
The way to such a progress was paved by targeted measures on optimization of the structure of sown areas by reducing cotton crops on 30,500 hectares, and replacing them by fruits and vegetables most marketable domestically and abroad. New intensive gardens were established on lands expanding to 8,200 hectares, and vineyards on 5,200 hectares. Gardens were reconstructed on 6,000 hectares, and vineyards on 3,500 hectares. In addition, 9,900 modern greenhouses were built on 532 hectares.
Since the beginning of the current year, despite bad weather conditions, Uzbekistan nurtured and harvested rich yields of agricultural products, including 2.3 million tons of potatoes, 8.2 million tons of vegetables, 1.5 million tons of melons, more than 1.2 million tons of grapes and 2 million tons of fruits and berries.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
BUSINESS CLIMATE
The government of Uzbekistan has exempted importers of seeds of high ripening varieties of vegetables, melons and legumes from customs duties by July 1, 2019
The preferential list of seeds that are allowed to be imported duty-free by farms, individual entrepreneurs and other organizations is composed of 32 items, including onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, corn, cabbage, bean, mung bean, chickpeas, peanuts, watermelons, melons and other crops.
The decision fits into the overall strategy to bolster crop production. It would allow to fully provide farmers and private farms of the republic with seeds and additional funds for their development.
In the next five years, Uzbekistan intends to reduce cotton production by 350,000 tons and thereby release about 170,500 hectares of irrigated lands. They will be allocated for intensive gardens, greenhouses, vegetables, legumes, vines.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
HISTORY
How Architectural Monuments Started ‘Talking’
“One day a good friend of mine found out that I reengaged in epigraphy a few years in a while, and he joked: “So you’ve returned to your first love…”
The story of his biography, which he began with these words, Doctor of History, Professor, senior researcher at the Center of Oriental Manuscripts under the Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies, Professor Emeritus of Japan’s Kyoto University, Bakhtiyar Babadjanov told at the end of our conversation, which took place a few minutes after he was presented with author’s copies of 12 album books “Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan”. However, I decided to start my article about the researcher with this phrase, because it is the whole essence of our conversation.
“You have received the author’s copies of the first part of the project “Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan”, which is the result of many years of hard work. How did it all begin?”
“My first teacher was my grandmother Nuri Kamol, the daughter of Hodiy, a respected woman in the community who received education in madrassah. She taught me the Arabic alphabet, and reading poetry on the Old Turkic and Persian languages. I remember that this was a time when I, being too young, had no idea how I can use this knowledge. In school, I was also interested in history. After graduating from the ninth grade during the summer holidays I visited the expedition together with Edvard Vasilyevich Rtveladze, today a well-known academician. During the study of one of the monuments Edvard Rtveladze seeing the old tombstone, began cleaning it to copy the inscriptions. I began to help him, and suddenly, rather to myself, began to read the inscription on it. Edvard Rtveladze looked at me and said, “You have chosen your profession.” These words I remember for a lifetime. Although I did not even imagine that the reading of ancient inscriptions (what is called epigraphy) really become a part of my professional activity.
“A few years later, when I returned from the army, I had to make a decision where to continue my education. I remember the words of Edvard Rtveladze… and decided to enroll in the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the Tashkent State University. I failed, yet scored enough points to become a student of the Faculty of Archaeology. Arabic and Persian languages were also taught in this Faculty, and we also learnt to read the inscriptions on monuments and gravestones. My mentor in Arabic was Anzurat Ganievna Ganieva, who perfectly knew oats in epigraphy. I still keep warm memories on her lessons and edification. In those same years, I strengthened my knowledge of the Persian language.
“My first job after graduation was at the Uzbek Research Institute for Restoration of Architectural Monuments. Over the years of my work there I implemented projects for the restoration of epigraphy in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. It barely possible to call it a deep study, because my task and the group I led, was the restoration, pre-reading and translation of the inscriptions. The attempts to publish at least preliminary results were failed, as the publication required considerable funds. Some of my works of that period were published in the years of independence. Together with foreign colleagues we enabled to publish some samples of the funerary epigraphy of Samarkand and Bukhara. The books were published in Germany and the UK.”
“Nevertheless, if I understand correctly, the scope of your research interests were much wider…”
“Sure, I studied the history of Sufism, I worked as part of an international research team that was interested in different aspects of the history of Islam in the former Russian Empire, engaged in Islamic Studies, and was interested in cultural aspects. I studied and published several manuscript sources associated with the medieval history of our region.”
“What does it mean for you to study epigraphy? Can you say that your main accomplishments are associated with this area?”
“Yes and no… Exploring other areas and topics in the field of science, of course, helped to expand my scientific knowledge. On the other hand it contributed to a better understanding of the cultural identity and the development of civilization in Central Asia and, in particular, present-day Uzbekistan. But I could not miss out on the chance to participate in the project.”
“What features of Uzbekistan’s epigraphy would you note in the first place?”
“I begin with the fact that to the number of surviving epigraphic inscriptions Uzbekistan occupies one of the first places in the world. In addition, main feature of our monuments is their multilingual nature. Now and in those days there were no barriers for languages, calligraphers from different countries of the Islamic world worked together. Masters were multilingual. In the Arab world, for example, you could not encounter multilingual epigraphy.
“The uniqueness of our epigraphy is in elegance of its artistic and aesthetic performance. By the way, our region calligraphers were appreciated abroad. In particular, India’s famous monument, the Taj Mahal, has inscriptions created by masters of Samarkand and Bukhara. According to the manuscript sources, art masters from our region created numerous highly complex inscriptions of superb artistry in other regions of the Islamic world.
“Dawn of our architectural epigraphy came in the epoch of Amir Temur and his successors. This was a vast territory from the Ottoman Empire to the borders of the Volga region. We were able to read the names of the architects, calligraphers, artists on ceramic tiles. And they scrambled their names, weaving their personal monograms in patterns and decorations of monuments. Sometimes you find that the name of the master from Azerbaijan woven in the pattern, in the others the names of masters from Khorezm, Samarkand and Bukhara. This gives us the right to say that the monuments can be seen as examples of unique cultural synthesis. It is possible to define different causes of such a unique phenomenon. For example, the fact that we were in the heart of the Great Silk Road, or the conditions that allowed the architects to find profitable orders, since in those years the town planning rapidly developed.”
“You have traveled a lot. Were you able to see and study the epigraphic monuments abroad?”
“Many of the monuments I studied within international expeditions. For example, I traveled to the Volga region and Kashgar (Xinjiang, China) within the Uzbek-Japanese expedition. I visited several cities of Iran with French colleagues, the specialists in Islamic architecture. There I managed to find works by Samarkand masters. I was lucky to visit Egypt together with experts from the University of Sorbonne.”
“What does it mean for you the reading of inscriptions and participation in the project ‘Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan’?”
“When studying the monuments I frequently listened to the answers of guides when foreign tourists asked them: “What is written here?” Some of them honestly admitted that did not know, others started imagining and inventing the legends… If they have these books-albums they could enrich their stories with true facts, and it could be more interesting. The guides themselves could acquire more knowledge and share it with others who visit Uzbekistan from distant countries to enjoy these masterpieces… Do not think that it is vaunt, but it is worth to initiate this major project and participate in it in order to make the history of our country, and wise words of our forefathers written in epigraphy turn available for us and our guests.
“It is not by chance the project got the governmental status. My colleagues said that in 1997 when Samarkand was busy with preparations to host the first Sharq Taronalari Music Festival, President Islam Karimov seeing the Registan Square asked the specialists accompanying him: “What is written on these walls? Will they ever be read and published?” This was the impetus for the beginning of works on the creation of series of books ‘Architectural Epigraphy of Uzbekistan’.
“Questions of the first President of Uzbekistan inspired the chairman of the Editorial Board of Uzbekistan Today News Agency Firdavs Abdukhalikov, and he decided to combine the efforts of scientists and experts in one creative team, establishing the conditions for the creation of such books. Now we can say that the monuments finally started ‘talking.’
“We were able to open the thick layers of our culture, to enrich the understanding of the political or ideological contexts of our history, urbanism and art. This is about the cultural contexts in the broadest sense of the definition.
“It is noteworthy that in some volumes, we paid special attention to modern samples of epigraphy. This is done in order to support the revival of the tradition, which was interrupted. And it is preserved largely due to the fact that the masters secretly transfer their knowledge to their children, grandchildren, students. But they even now in need of sources, on which they could study, comparing the best examples of the past years with their own work.”
“The albums include the best samples of architectural epigraphy, and what is left undone?”
“25 volumes are planned for publication. Now, only 12 of them come out. The collections of Karakalpakstan, as well as Navoi and Surkhandarya regions are fully published, and concerning other regions we have the work to do.
“On the monuments, which are covered in the pages of albums, we tried to choose out and display the best. Many of the inscriptions, unfortunately, has been lost, during the incorrect restoration, which was done not only today and yesterday, but in the far past, the Middle Ages. If we talk about the inscriptions, the restorers not always faithfully restored the original texts. There are inscriptions that have no the whole stanza, because the restorers did not considered the meaning of the written, and did not compare with the original. We did not publish these fragments, of course.”
“The work is ahead on the rest of volumes. What about your creative mood?”
“The creative team will continue this good and necessary work. Much of the work at a high professional level was performed by the young scientist Komiljon Rahimov who, I should say, chained his heart to this project. I think he will continue to lead the scientific editorship of albums.
“I also intend to provide full support to the team. I will try to continue my work on the epigraphy at a higher scientific level, I will offer not just reading and translation of texts, I try to imagine a deeper and more extensive understanding of epigraphy as proclamation, form of suggestion of social and personal ethics, aesthetic pleasure, etc. Precisely this is a monograph I plan to publish in Vienna next year. I suppose this will to be a worthy continuation of the project and an important contribution to the dissemination of our achievements outside of Uzbekistan.”
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
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