The delegation of Uzbekistan, currently visiting the United Kingdom, attended the auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London.
During the visit, Sarah Plumbly, Head of the Islamic and Indian Art Department at Christie’s, gave a brief overview of the history and activities of the organization. She provided information about several rare artifacts and works of art housed at the auction house. Among them, Plumbly presented some manuscripts. One of them is the manuscript of Khamsa, copied in 1524 by the representative of Eastern classical literature, Khwaja Kirmani. Another is the poem Shams and Mushtari, copied in Tabriz in 1494 by Shamsuddin Muhammad Assar. Both manuscripts were created under the influence of the book art of the Timurid era.
Following this, representatives of the Center for Islamic Civilization visited another auction house in London — Sotheby’s. The delegation was received by Benedict Carter, Head of the Auction Sales Department. The auction house staff provided the representatives of the Center for Islamic Civilization with information about cultural artifacts related to Central Asian heritage that are currently in the possession of the house.
In particular, they spoke about an 8th-century Sogdian costume, ceramic vessels from the Samanid period, ceramic tiles from ancient buildings, and Quran manuscripts, presumed to have been copied during the Mamluk and Timurid eras.
The Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization proposed collaboration with the Center to the auction house representatives. Additionally, representatives of the auction houses were invited to the International Week of Islamic Cultural Heritage, scheduled to take place in March 2025 in Tashkent.