A recent CNN report referring to the scholar Ibn Sina as an Uzbek scientist has ignited controversy in Central Asia, particularly in Tajikistan. Tajikistan’s Minister of Culture, Matlubakhon Sattoriyon, strongly criticized the report, calling it a “distortion of reality.”
Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath who made groundbreaking contributions to medicine, logic, physics, mathematics, and other sciences. Born in 980 in the village of Afshona near Bukhara, an area now part of Uzbekistan, he died in 1037. Over his lifetime, he authored more than 450 works, with about 240 surviving to this day. His most renowned book, The Canon of Medicine (Tib qonunlari), served as a standard medical text in Europe and the Islamic world for centuries.
While the Ibn Sina segment was actually created not by CNN itself but by the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, Sattoriyon accused CNN of disregarding historical facts and described the report as another example of what she called the “appropriation” of Tajik’s scientific and literary heritage. “This is an insult not only to the Tajik people but also to the history and culture of Persian literature worldwide,” she said. The minister urged Tajik scientists and intellectuals to counter such claims with evidence, though she also dismissed CNN’s report as “just a TV channel’s material with no historical basis,” pointing out that it does not reflect Uzbekistan’s official stance.
In Uzbekistan, reactions to the controversy varied. Sherzodkhon Kudratkhuja, Rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications, acknowledged the shared history of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and called for moderation. “At a time when Central Asia is strengthening its unity, we must all approach such issues carefully,” Kudratkhuja said. He emphasized that Ibn Sina is commonly described as a scholar born in Bukhara, a region now within Uzbekistan’s borders, but suggested that he should be seen as a figure representing the entire Central Asian region.
Bobur Bekmurodov, Chairman of Uzbekistan’s “Yuksalish” movement, expressed disappointment with Tajikistan’s criticism. “The legacy of figures like Ibn Sina belongs to the entire region and the world,” Bekmurodov said. He urged Central Asian nations to focus on shared challenges such as climate change, economic growth, and security rather than divisive historical disputes.
Azamat Ziyo, Director of the Institute of History at Uzbekistan’s Academy of Sciences, echoed calls for regional unity. “There is no written evidence about the nationality of many historical figures in Central Asia, including Ibn Sina. What matters is their contribution to science and humanity, not their nationality,” he stated.
Ziyo also appealed to politicians to avoid interfering in historical scholarship. “The science of history is the business of historians. We should rely on objective, source-based research rather than political interpretations,” he said. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among historians from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan to address shared historical legacies.
Drawing on his 40 years of research into the history of Central Asian statehood, Ziyo explained the complexity of national identities in the region. “During the reign of the Timurids, when our region reached its peak of development, historical sources often referred to the people of [Central Asia] and Iran as a mix of ‘Turks and Tajiks.’ For many iconic figures, such as Abdurahman Jami, Abu Nasr Farabi, Mahmud Kashgari, Zakhiriddin Muhammad Babur, or Alisher Navoi, there are no definitive records about their nationalities. The same is true for Ibn Sina.”
Ziyo invited the region’s historians to convene in Uzbekistan to foster dialogue and cooperation. “Our ancestors often stood together against invaders and shared a common history. Let us, as scholars, come together to address our shared challenges instead of arguing over nationality,” he urged.
