Oxford launches Uzbek Studies program, adding Uzbek and Chagatai languages to its curriculum

Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva attended the official opening ceremony of the Uzbek Studies program at the University of Oxford. The university has become the first and only institution in the United Kingdom to include Uzbek and Old Uzbek (Chagatai) languages in the curriculum of its Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Sir Tim Hitchens, President of Wolfson College; Lord Malcolm Bruce, Member of the UK House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee; Professor Nikolai Sinai, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; Oxford Lord Mayor Louise Upton; and other representatives of the university’s academic community.

As part of her visit, Saida Mirziyoyeva toured the Bodleian Library, which preserves several rare manuscripts related to the history of Uzbekistan. Among them are copies of Mirzo Ulugbek’s Zij-i Kuragoni (15th century), Alisher Navoi’s Khamsa (15th century), Husayn Bayqara’s Diwan-i Husayni (15th century), as well as Mughal-era miniatures and other valuable works.

Saida Mirziyoyeva was also presented with an award by the University of Oxford in recognition of her efforts to expand women’s access to education, her advocacy for criminal accountability for domestic violence, and her inspiring leadership in empowering women and advancing their rights and opportunities.