THE PLACES WHERE ORIENTAL MANUSCRIPT SOURCES ARE PRESERVED IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

The written heritage created by scholars, theologians, jurists, historians, mystics, linguists, and thinkers born and educated in the territory of present-day Uzbekistan constitutes an invaluable part of world civilization. These scholars produced fundamental works that shaped intellectual traditions in theology, law, philosophy, science, and literature across the Islamic world and beyond. Today, their manuscripts and lithographic works are dispersed across libraries, museums, archives, and private collections on all continents.

This article provides an overview of the major manuscript repositories in Uzbekistan that preserve and study this rich heritage. Special attention is given to four principal institutions: the Fund of Oriental Manuscripts of the Abu Rayhan Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies, the Library of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, the Source Treasury of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, and the Alisher Navoi State Literary Museum. The article highlights the historical formation of these collections, their thematic scope, and their significance for contemporary scholarship. By introducing these major repositories, the study aims to encourage further academic engagement with Uzbekistan’s manuscript heritage and to emphasize its importance for global intellectual history.