Dozens of rare manuscripts in NUU library confirmed missing. Criminal case opened against officials

The PGO has completed an investigation, in the course of which dozens of rare manuscripts are believed to have been lost at the National University of Uzbekistan. The PGO spokesman Khayot Shamsutdinov told Kun.uz that during the investigation, it was identified that 56 manuscripts and 6 lithographs of historical-artistic significance of the XIII-XIX centuries worth 2.6 billion soums, stored in the fund of the Information Resource Center of the National University of Uzbekistan, were looted.

“On February 19, 2022, a criminal case has been initiated in relation to university officials and financially responsible persons, in particular the Director of the Information Resource Center (I.K.) and others, under Paragraph “а” of Article 167-3 (robbery by misappropriation or extortion), Article 207-1 (official cold-bloodedness) and Article 227-1 (destroying, damaging or concealing documents). The case documents have been sent to the Tashkent city prosecutor’s office for investigation,” the department said in a statement.

On December 23, 2021, Kun.uz reported that after the 2019renovation, the activity of NUU Museum of Rare Manuscripts has not been restored and and more than 100 books, which are considered valuable and extremely rare, may have been sold there.

The books worth a million dollars have been lost at the National University of Uzbekistan. The rector’s office is refraining from commenting.

On December 24, 2021, the Prosecutor General's Office began investigating the library-related case.

At first, the NUU administration, which was reluctant to comment on the situation, invited representatives of TV and online publications, presented a few books and tried to convince the mass media that the rare books were not “lost or sold”.

Also, on December 24, the rector of the National University of Uzbekistan Inomjon Majidov met with the mass media and said that the books were not lost, but could not provide any convincing evidence.

“It simply came to our notice then. We even took out the books today, then we were scared and took them into a cabinet. Later, officials of the prosecutor’s office came and shut it down.

I mean I was also provided information about the same books. I can read neither Arabic nor Persian. But experts tell us: “Yes, these are the same books,” Inomjon Majidov said.

The whereabouts of the manuscript of the 13th century by Abu Bakr Sobuni, Sharafiddin Ali Yazdi’s 15th-century manuscript “Muqaddimai Zafarnoma”, Alisher Navoi’s epic “Khamsa” with golden water and dozens of other rare manuscripts worth millions of dollars on the world market, which are believed to be missing in the article published by Kun.uz, remain unknown.

Kun.uz monitors the situation and informs the public about the criminal case consequences.