One of the unique architectural monuments of the XV-XVI centuries - the "Langar ota" mosque, located in the mountainous village of Langar in Kashkadarya region, has been restored.
The restoration work was carried out with the support of the U.S. Ambassadors' Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation (AFCP) and under the scientific guidance of the University of Chicago. Restoration work with the participation of international specialists covered decorative patterns, columns, mosaics, and calligraphic inscriptions, the Fund for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan reports.
For a long time, the oldest manuscript of the Quran - the "Katta Langar Quran" - was kept in this mosque. According to scientific research, its creation dates back to the last quarter of the 8th century. Moreover, this Quran is associated with the personality of the third caliph Uthman, under whose hand the holy book was written.
The total volume of the Quran can be 206 pages. Currently, only 98 pages of the manuscript written by an unknown calligrapher have been preserved. In 1936, 81 pages of the Quran were transferred to the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts in St. Petersburg. The remaining 17 pages are stored in Uzbekistan.
In 2018, the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan successfully returned to Uzbekistan the facsimile manuscript of the "Katta Langar Quran," which is kept in St. Petersburg.
