Discover Uzbekistan: A Historical and cultural gem of the Muslim world

[Deeq A.]

On February 5, 2025, Uzbekistan and Somalia established diplomatic relations, marking the beginning of bilateral ties between the two nations. Both parties affirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation within international organizations, including the United Nations and its specialized agencies. They also agreed to activate bilateral relations to identify mutually beneficial areas of cooperation in political, trade, economic, and cultural-humanitarian sectors. This article aims to introduce Uzbekistan to Somalians with the aim of further development in our bilateral relations.

Uzbekistan is a Turkic nation located in Central Asia bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. It is also one of the two double-landlocked countries in the world. In other words, Uzbekistan is surrounded by landlocked countries. If we break down the country’s name, “stan” means land. Therefore, Uzbekistan translates to “the land of Uzbeks.” Uzbekistan houses 37 million people, and Uzbek is the official language of the country. The Uzbek language belongs to Turkic linguistic family and is quite similar to other Turkic languages, including Uyghur, Azerbaijani, and Turkish. Although Uzbekistan got independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has over a 3000-year history of statehood. Islam is the main religion in Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the culture, architecture and history of the country was shaped with Islamic influence, which makes it similar to Somalia.

It is also important to highlight historical figures born in modern-day Uzbekistan, who contributed to the development of the world we live in today. Uzbekistan has a rich history of contributing to the world’s progress. One of the most famous and influential historical figures from Uzbekistan is Imam al-Bukhari. Imam al-Bukhari was born in the city of Bukhara, which is one of the most-visited cities in Uzbekistan today. He is the author of “Sahih al-Bukhari”, a collection of hadiths of Prophet Muhammad pbuh. This book is considered the second holiest and influential book in Islam by millions of Muslims around the world. It is also considered a very reliable source for those learning about the Prophet pbuh’s teachings. Bukhari had a strict process for recording hadiths. He performed ghusl (ritual purification) and prayed two rakats of salah before writing down each hadith. By the time he wrote Sahih al-Bukhari, he had memorized over 600,000 hadiths. From these, he selected 4,000 authentic hadiths for his book.

Another famous historical figure from the land of Uzbekistan is Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi, a famous mathematician, born in ancient Khorezm. Al-Khwarizmi invented algebra, a fundamental math concept that is taught all over the world today, with the name “algebra” originating from the name of his book “al-jabr” (al jabr w’al muqabala). He also invented algorithms, which would later lead to the invention of the computer and other modern technologies. Similarly, Ibn Sina also contributed to the development of scientific fields including the field of medicine. Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna, wrote “The Canon of Medicine,” a book that became a standard medical text in both the East and West for over a thousand years. Furthermore, he was one of the first to provide the correct explanation of pulsation. Al-Biruni is another important scientist born in Beruni, Uzbekistan. Biruni used trigonometry to calculate the radius of the Earth using measurements of the height of a hill and measurement of the dip in the horizon from the top of that hill. His calculated radius for the Earth is 6,340 kilometers. This was two percent higher than the actual mean radius of 6,371 km but was an achievement that bested many other contributions to science at the time. The list goes on as there are many other Uzbeks that contributed to the development of the world as we see it today.

Recent years, Uzbekistan has been developing as a key player in the region, deepening its relations with other countries. Furthermore, the country is becoming a top travel destination with its Silk Road heritage and fascinating Islamic architecture. Although Uzbekistan and Somalia established ties recently, both nations are historically and culturally connected which makes it easier for future cooperation.

Adkhamjon Janobiddinov is an Economics student from Uzbekistan and an independent researcher.