Uzbekistan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Islamic Civilization Center

Uzbekistan’s Islamic Civilization Center Enters Guinness World Records as Largest Museum

The Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan has been officially recognized as the world’s largest museum dedicated to Islamic civilization, receiving a Guinness World Records title on April 13. The recognition was confirmed by Guinness World Records adjudicator Şeyda Subaşı Gemici, who attended the ceremony alongside project architects, designers, and members of the Center’s Scientific Council. The award followed a detailed verification process. The recognition comes as Uzbekistan continues to invest in large-scale cultural infrastructure as part of a broader effort to present its historical narrative and reshape its international image. “As an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, I can state that every corner of the museum and every exhibit possesses its own uniqueness and cultural value,” Gemici said. “The evaluation process strictly followed established procedures… every exhibit was recorded and verified by specialists in Islamic archaeology, art, and science.” She added that the scale and depth of the project left a strong impression, describing it as “an outstanding achievement” and, in Guinness terminology, “Officially Amazing.” The Center is a large-scale scientific, educational, and museum complex initiated in 2017 under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and completed on March 17, 2026. It was conceived as a platform combining research, cultural heritage, and modern technologies, aimed at showcasing the history and contributions of Islamic civilization. The project reflects a wider policy under Mirziyoyev of positioning Uzbekistan not only as a historical center of Islamic scholarship but as a modern platform for its study and interpretation. Chief architect, Abdukakhor Turdiev, said the project reflects Uzbekistan’s historical and cultural legacy. “The uniqueness of the Center lies in the fact that its architecture reflects the rich culture and heritage of Uzbekistan,” he said, adding that the country is increasingly positioning itself as an active participant in global cultural dialogue. Across Central Asia, governments have increasingly used large cultural projects to reinforce national identity and attract international attention, but Uzbekistan has placed particular emphasis on linking heritage with scholarship and global engagement. According to officials, the complex has quickly become one of the most visited cultural sites in the region, receiving up to 5,000 visitors daily, including both locals and international tourists. That scale suggests the Center is intended not only as a museum, but as a flagship institution shaping how both domestic and international audiences understand the region’s intellectual and cultural history. Director Firdavs Abdukhalikov described the award as recognition of years of work by hundreds of specialists. He said the Center’s primary goal is to support scientific and educational projects while preserving and promoting Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage. Beyond its record-setting size, the Center reflects Uzbekistan’s broader effort to reclaim and reinterpret its place in the history of Islamic civilization. By combining scholarship, state backing, and public accessibility, it positions cultural heritage as both a foundation of national identity and a tool of international engagement.

Chess

Sindarov and Asaubayeva: Two Top Chess Players from Central Asia Form Friendship

He’s from Uzbekistan, and she’s from Kazakhstan. They’re elite chess players and good friends accustomed to the high-pressure environment of international tournaments. They went horse-riding together during downtime in South Africa and, on another occasion, played a game in which they had to guess each other’s character quirks. Both are competing right now in Cyprus, where Uzbekistani Javokhir Sindarov is the frontrunner in the eight-player FIDE Candidates Tournament that will determine who challenges the world champion later this year. On the women’s side, Kazakhstani Bibisara Asaubayeva was tied for first place in the early stages of the event but has since slipped further down in the field. Sindarov, 20, became a grandmaster at the age of 12, won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, and has impressed the chess community with his commanding performance in Cyprus so far. Asaubayeva, 22, won the Women’s World Blitz Championship in 2021, 2022, and 2025, and achieved grandmaster status last year as well. Sindarov and Asaubayeva talk with each other about chess, and the player from Kazakhstan said her friend from Uzbekistan wrote to her when he won last year’s World Cup, which led to his qualification for this year’s candidates tournament. In an interview with the TimesofIndia.com, Asaubayeva said she was delighted when her “closest friend” won in Goa. FIDE, the international governing body of chess, described the pair as “2 Happy Winners!” after they won their round three games in Cyprus and left the venue together. In December, Sindarov and Asaubayeva took a horse-riding break together during the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals, which was held at the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Cape Town in South Africa. They took a selfie together. Predictably, the friendship has led to social media chatter about whether there is a romance, as well as speculation about whether chess might one day have a “king” and “queen” if they become world champions or eventually reach the top of the rankings. One thing seems sure: They don’t mind poking fun at each other and themselves. A Freestyle Chess video short shows them answering questions, including “Who is more likely to blunder the queen in time trouble?” and “Who gets angry more quickly?” and “Who has the better haircut?” and “Who would survive longer in a zombie apocalypse?” The answer to the last one: Asaubayeva thinks she would do better against the zombies, but Sindarov believes he’d last longer.

Chess

Big Names in Chess Praise Sindarov, Now Candidates Frontrunner

The chess world knew Javokhir Sindarov was dangerous heading into the FIDE Candidates Tournament this year, even though he was making his debut at the prestigious event and, at 20 years old, is the youngest of the eight elite contenders. But few people expected the Uzbekistani phenomenon to tear through the field in the first week of the event, racking up five wins and two draws so far in the 14-round tournament. Sindarov has six points out of a possible total of seven, and a 1.5 point lead over second-placed Fabiano Caruana of the United States. He is the strong frontrunner to win the event and earn the right to challenge the current world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, later this year. Monday was a rest day and there are still seven games to go at the candidates tournament being played this year in Cyprus. But some of the biggest names in chess are in awe over Sindarov’s aggressive, resourceful performance. “Incredible result so far!” former world champion Garry Kasparov said on X on April 3 after Sindarov’s wins over second-ranked Caruana and third-ranked Hikaru Nakamura. “Do not underestimate the boost that confidence plays after a strong start. You trust your instincts more, a positive cycle of intuition and performance. Meanwhile, your opponents doubt themselves against you.” Judit Polgár, often described as the best female chess player of all time, said that Sindarov will be at the top of the game for many years regardless of what happens at this year’s candidates tournament. “He is 20 years old, a fearless player, a genius in management,” said Polgár, who is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled Queen of Chess. “Can he keep calm and stay focused until the very end of the tournament? Will he be able to handle the pressure of being so close to becoming the next World Championship challenger?” Nigel Short of Britain, who rose to third in the world in the late 1980s and is currently FIDE director of chess development, compared Sindarov to a young Boris Spassky, the former world champion from Russia who died in 2025. Sindarov, Short said on Facebook, is “a classical player with an excellent feeling for the initiative, who stays calm and trusts his own judgement in dynamic positions.” Sindarov, who won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, was one of Uzbekistan’s youngest national champions in history, achieving that goal at the age of 13. Still, right now, compatriot Nodirbek Abdusattorov is the higher-ranked player. Abdusattorov didn’t qualify for this year’s candidates tournament, though he recently won several consecutive tournaments. Magnus Carlsen of Norway currently doesn’t play in the candidates tournament format even though he is the top-ranked classical chess player in the world. But he is also keeping an eye on Sindarov, saying “nobody” expected such a strong start to the event.

Chess

Uzbekistan’s Sindarov Beats American Nakamura, Stays in Lead at FIDE Candidates

Playing with the black pieces, Javokhir Sindarov defeated Hikaru Nakamura at the FIDE Candidates Tournament on Friday and maintained his lead at the elite chess event underway on the shores of the Mediterranean. The 20-year-old Uzbekistani grandmaster has won four games after five rounds at the tournament near Paphos, Cyprus, in what some commentators have described as the best start seen at the tournament in many years. Sindarov now has 4.5 points, one point ahead of Fabiano Caruana in second place. The winner of the eight-player, 14-round tournament will challenge the current world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, later this year. Sindarov’s win over Nakamura of the United States came after he defeated Caruana, who is also American, on Wednesday. Nakamura spent about one hour considering one move, and Caruana had also got into time trouble against Sindarov. “Interesting opening choice from Sindarov,” American grandmaster Hans Niemann, who is not playing in the candidates tournament, tweeted during the Sindarov-Nakamura game. “Slight surprise and betting that Hikaru won't have a dangerous counter-surprise prepared. If Sindarov remembers the line, it seems like it will end in a perpetual. Sindarov continues to impress.” In chess, a perpetual is a situation where one player can endlessly check the other player’s king, leading to a draw. Sindarov, however, turned expectations of a perpetual into a victory. Sindarov won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, but his wins over Nakamura, ranked second in the world, and third-ranked Caruana indicate that the Uzbekistani is a consistent contender at the very top of men’s chess. After defeating Nakamura, he signed autographs for children at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, where the candidates tournament is being held. While Sindarov is ranked just outside the top ten in classical chess, his performance in Cyprus is expected to boost his ranking. Another player from Uzbekistan, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, has moved up to fourth place in the classical ratings list. Abdusattorov is currently playing in the Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe, Germany. Top-ranked Magnus Carlsen is also playing there.

Sports

Khusanov Named Manchester City’s Player of the Month for March

Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukodir Khusanov has been named Manchester City’s Player of the Month for March, the club announced. In a statement, Manchester City said the 21-year-old “beat the challenges of team-mates Rodri and Jérémy Doku to overwhelmingly win the public vote,” highlighting his strong performances throughout the month. “Khusanov was outstanding during March and has become a firm favourite with the City fans for his committed, all-action defensive style,” the club added. This marks Khusanov’s third monthly award, after also receiving the honor in January. Last year, he made history by being named the club’s Etihad Player of the Month for February, just six weeks after joining. At the time, the club praised his composure and tactical discipline, particularly his decision-making under pressure across multiple appearances. Khusanov’s rapid rise has been one of the standout stories in Uzbek football in recent years. Earlier, he was named Asia’s Best Young Footballer of 2025 by Goalpost, reflecting his growing reputation on the international stage. The defender made history in January as the first player from Uzbekistan to play in the English Premier League. Since then, he has gradually secured more playing time, making several appearances for one of Europe’s top clubs this season. His performances have also drawn wider recognition. Analysts from The Athletic recently included Khusanov in a list of the world’s most underrated footballers, noting that while his debut against Chelsea was difficult, he has since shown clear improvement and strong defensive qualities.

Chess

Sindarov Ahead in Candidates, While Asaubayeva Shares Women’s Lead

Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan is leading after four rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, the elite chess contest that will determine the challenger to the world champion. In the women’s competition, Bibisara Asaubayeva of Kazakhstan is tied for first place. Sindarov, winner of the 2025 World Cup in Goa, India, played with the white pieces and defeated Fabiano Caruana on Wednesday for his third win of the candidates tournament at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos, Cyprus. Sindarov put early pressure on the American and built a sizeable advantage on the clock. The 20-year-old Uzbekistani player faces Hikaru Nakamura of the United States in the fifth round on Friday. Featuring eight players, the 14-round tournament began on March 28 and ends on April 16. The winner will challenge the current world champion, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, later this year. In an interview with the Lichess platform, Sindarov said preparation was the key to the win over Caruana and he hasn’t been focused on whether other players would catch his early lead in the tournament. He currently has 3.5 points, while Caruana is in second place with 2.5 points. “I don’t think about this a lot,” he said. “I was just playing chess.” Sindarov’s style of play often includes “bold sacrifices, energetic attacks, and creative solutions to difficult positions,” making him an unpredictable competitor in Cyprus, according to the candidates tournament website. It noted his strong results at the elite level, among them a gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in 2022 in Chennai, India, “where Uzbekistan sensationally won ahead of many traditional chess powers.” In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Asaubayeva, 22, drew in a game against China’s Tan Zhongyi on Wednesday. The Kazakhstani player and Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine are currently joint tournament leaders with 2.5 points. Asaubayeva plays against Kateryna Lagno of Russia in round five on Friday. The winner of the tournament will challenge the women’s world champion, Ju Wenjun of China. Asaubayeva won the Women’s World Blitz Championship in 2021, 2022 and again in 2025. FIDE, the Switzerland-based governing body of chess, awarded grandmaster status to Asaubayeva last year. “Unlike purely positional grinders, she thrives in active positions where initiative and momentum matter,” says the candidates tournament website, noting the Kazakhstani player’s standout composure in knockout and high-tempo formats.