Less than two months after the First International Forum on Islamic Civilization, Uzbekistan once again hosted a major event — this time with a media and technology focus: the International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: A New Perspective — New Discoveries,” held from August 24 to 29, 2026, in the cities of Samarkand and Tashkent.
From Academic Research to Media Storytelling
While the July forum brought together scholars, thinkers, and religious figures to discuss the intellectual and scientific legacy of Islamic civilization, the August forum was directed at an entirely different audience: media professionals and content creators. This shift carries meaning of its own — if the previous phase was one of “searching for heritage,” this phase is one of “retelling heritage” in a language that reaches a global public.
Numbers That Reflect the Scale of the Event
The Center for Islamic Civilization in Tashkent hosted the forum’s activities, with the participation of roughly 300 media professionals and experts from 50 countries around the world. Participants included representatives from:
- Media outlets, television, and radio companies.
- International publications and news agencies.
- Journalists, directors, producers, and publishers.
- Researchers and specialists in creative industries and modern technologies.
The Forum’s Focus: Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Heritage
The forum centered on deploying modern tools to present Islamic heritage to a global audience, specifically:
- Documentary filmmaking and international publishing.
- Artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
- Modern museum technologies for displaying manuscripts and historical artifacts.
The program included panel discussions, documentary screenings, joint media and publishing projects, as well as professional meetings and the signing of cooperation agreements between participating media institutions. Participants also had the opportunity to view the Center for Islamic Civilization’s collections and manuscripts firsthand — most notably the Uthman Quran, inscribed on UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” register — and to explore opportunities for producing joint media works on the contributions of Muslim scholars and thinkers.
Why Samarkand and Tashkent Together?
The choice of two host cities was not arbitrary. Tashkent represents the headquarters of the Center for Islamic Civilization and the hub of the new civilizational project, while Samarkand — with its Timurid monuments and memorial complexes linked to figures such as Imam al-Bukhari and Ulugh Beg — represents the living continuation of the heritage the forum sought to present to the world in a contemporary form.
The Forum’s Message
The philosophy behind this event can be summed up in a single idea: heritage is not enough to preserve in halls and libraries — it needs storytellers who can carry it to the world in the language of the present. By bringing together content creators, directors, and journalists from fifty countries at the heart of the Center for Islamic Civilization, Uzbekistan signaled that its civilizational project would not remain confined to museums, but would move onto screens and digital platforms to reach millions of people around the world.
