The Abdulla Oripov Poetry and Memory Center, dedicated to the national poet and author of the state anthem of Uzbekistan, was opened in Houston, USA. This center is located in the home of the poet's daughter, Mavlyuda Oripova, where he spent his final months. The poet's personal belongings, manuscripts, books, and photographs were neatly gathered in two rooms.
Hanifa Mustafayeva, Abdulla Oripov's wife, initially did not imagine a museum or memorial center for the poet in America. She noted that fate led him to spend his last days precisely here. In 2015, the family moved Abdulla Oripov to a clinic in Texas for treatment, where a special room was set up for him on the second floor of the house where his fourth daughter, Mavlyuda, lived. Over two years, he visited this place multiple times for treatment and stayed there for about six months in total. It was in this location that about 200 poems and the drama 'Celestial Wedding' were created, which, according to Hanifa Mustafayeva, reflect the experiences related to Houston.
After the poet's death, his body was transported to Uzbekistan. However, a year later, his wife returned to Houston and began contemplating the role the city played in Abdulla Oripov's life. Hanifa Mustafayeva emphasized that three places are important in the biography of any outstanding person: the birthplace, places of residence, and the place where life concluded. She recalled that Abdulla was born in Kashkadarya and lived in Tashkent, while Houston became his last city. At that time, she realized the need to create a place to preserve his memory and took on the responsibility of safeguarding his belongings, books, and mementos. Her daughter Mavlyuda supported this initiative, and thus, using available resources, they created a small but significant memorial center.
The poet's wife is convinced that Abdulla Oripov's contributions to Uzbekistan, especially as the author of the state anthem text, will remain in the memory of the people forever. She believes that preserving the memory of such individuals is a shared duty. Hanifa Mustafayeva also mentioned that the Uzbek community in Houston provided great support to the family in a foreign country. She expresses hope that the center will serve future generations, allowing them to learn about their history, homeland, and great compatriots, thereby realizing the goal of making this place a 'little Uzbekistan in Houston.'
The poet's daughter, Mavlyuda Oripova, stated that the idea of creating the center was discussed over two to three years, and work on its realization began in 2025. She registered the center as a non-profit organization in the state of Texas. The center houses the poet's personal belongings, clothing, and work materials, as well as photographs illustrating his life journey. For Mavlyuda Oripova, the house in Houston is associated with one of the most productive periods of her father's creativity, when numerous poems were written there.
Mavlyuda Oripova recalls that their house effectively turned into a small publishing house because she helped her father publish new works that he wrote by hand, and she typed them on the computer. The poet showed exceptional attention to every word and punctuation mark, often demanding revisions even after material was published on the website AbdullaOripov.com. The time spent in the USA allowed her to see in her father not only a loving parent but also a poet extremely demanding of his work, which is very different from the image of the father she knew in Tashkent.
The poet's daughter hopes that the center will become not only a memorial to Abdulla Oripov but also a platform for promoting Uzbek and Turkic literature. She believes that the center could feature poems by Alisher Navoi and discuss the heritage of Turkic peoples, thereby forming a complete literary environment. The main thing, in her opinion, that visitors should feel is her father's boundless love for Uzbekistan, which he constantly spoke of, even to doctors, and sought in Texas anything that reminded him of his homeland, such as cotton fields or familiar products.
Khudoer Ortikov, head of the Houston Uzbek community, reported that local activists, about fifteen people, participated in preparing the center and tidied up the area. The organizers opened the center on June 21, two days before the Uzbekistan national team match against Portugal. Ortikov noted that the community's main task is the preservation of national culture for future generations, and the poet's house is not just a building for them, but a place that preserves his memory, as Abdulla Oripov regularly met with community members during his treatment.
Ortikov also expressed admiration for the poet's encyclopedic knowledge and his ability to vividly describe historical figures such as Ibn Sina, Beruni, Alisher Navoi, and Husayn Baykare, as if he were their contemporary. He concluded that the new center will help preserve the poet's memory not only for the family but also for all compatriots living in the USA.
