Organizers announced that on August 26, 2026, an international calligraphy competition will be announced at the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, aimed at creating a unique Quran. This will take place during the International Media Forum titled 'Islamic Civilization: A New Perspective—New Discoveries.'
The project, named 'Quran of the World: From Calligraphy Tradition to Future Heritage,' will be presented by Khabibullo Solikh, a calligrapher and head of the calligraphy school at the Center for Islamic Civilization. The competition aims to unite the traditions of various international calligraphy schools into a single handwritten manuscript.
Heritage Uniting Centuries: Spiritual Values of Islamic Civilization
The announcement will be made during the plenary session dedicated to the topic 'Heritage Uniting Centuries: Spiritual Values of Islamic Civilization.' The forum also plans a panel discussion on the role of mass media in overcoming stereotypes and Islamophobia. Delegates from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as representatives from the governments and media of Algeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Mali, and Uzbekistan, will participate.
Additional forum initiatives focus on manuscript preservation. These include the projects '114 Qurans: 114 Masterpieces of Islamic Calligraphy,' 'Quran Katta Langar: Truth and Legends,' and the initiative 'Artificial Intelligence—Digital Key to Reading Ancient Manuscripts.'
The development of calligraphy in Uzbekistan is supported by institutional measures, including the Calligraphy School established at the Center for Islamic Civilization at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This school teaches traditional scripts such as Thuluth, Naskh, Nastaliq, Ruq'ah, Diwani, and Kufic.
The art of calligraphy is also integrated into the new Imam Bukhari complex in Samarkand region, where portals and iwans are decorated with hadith inscriptions from 'Sahih al-Bukhari.' The complex includes the Bukhari International Scientific Research Center and the Hadith Studies School.
The Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan serves as the main venue for the International Media Forum, which gathers about 300 media executives, agency leaders, journalists, scientists, and creative industry specialists from nearly 50 countries.