300 SCHOLARS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ADOPTED THE SAMARKAND DECLARATION AND ADDRESSED THE PRESIDENT OF UZBEKISTAN SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV

The closing ceremony of the 8^th International Congress of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) was held in the Samarkand Congress Center. More than 300 participants from 35 countries adopted the Samarkand Declaration and made a traditional address to the President of Uzbekistan. The researchers thanked President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the congratulations he addressed to the participants of the 8^th International Congress “The Legacy of the Great Ancestors - the Foundation of the Third Renaissance” on August 24, 2024 and noted that the warm attitude of the President of Uzbekistan “inspires them to new discoveries and achievements”.

The address highly praised the unique author's mega-project of the head of Uzbekistan - the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. The participants visited cultural sites and got acquainted with the majestic buildings of the Center of Islamic Civilization and the Imam al-Bukhari Spiritual Center. During the Congress, more than 300 reports, proposals, interviews, statements and presentations were presented, aimed at developing joint projects to fill the Center of  Islamic Civilization with high-quality content.
During the plenary session, the participants summed up the results of the 8^th  WOSCU Congress, approved the Roadmap of joint projects of the Center of Islamic Civilization, which will serve as the foundation for the substantive part of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. Among the current applications are the creation of facsimile copies of manuscripts, innovative developments in museology, new archaeological and ethnographic expeditions, and even the introduction of artificial intelligence in science.

The adopted Samarkand Declaration finalized the four-day work of the Congress and confirmed the commitment of the Congress participants to the ideas of progress and enlightenment. On behalf of more than 300 participants from 35 countries, including the heads of 10 major international organizations such as IRCICA, TURKSOY, the Al Furqan Foundation, the Institute of the Arab World, the International Turkic Academy, the League of Arab States and other international organizations, 15 academicians, 40 professors, directors of 5 publishing houses, 103 doctors of science, 54 directors of museums and libraries and others, it was read by the director of the Al-Furqan Foundation Sali Shakhsivari.

At the final session of the congress, the WOSCU International Golden Book Award was presented, which this year went to 10 orientalists from Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Turkiye, Great Britain and other countries.

Journalists from 20 foreign media outlets, including CNN, Euronews, Russia-Culture, Mir, and TV channels of Central Asian countries have also been invited.