Two Exhibitions from Uzbekistan to Become Main Museum Attraction of Paris for next Six Months

During the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to France, at the invitation of the President of France Emmanuel Macron, the heads of the two states opened two major exhibitions: 'The Splendours of Uzbekistan’s Oases. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes' in the Louvre and 'The Road to Samarkand. Miracles of Silk and Gold' at the Arab World Institute, writes Ravshan Mamatov, Minister-Counselor, Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Kingdom of Belgium.

Both exhibitions are dedicated to Uzbekistan’s history and culture. The exhibition in the Louvre covers the 5th-6th centuries BC to the reign of the Timurids, and the Arab World Institute presents exhibits of the 19th – mid-20th centuries, as well as paintings of the Turkestan avant-garde from the collection of Uzbekistan state museums.

How it all began

In October 2018, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to France for the first time. As part of the cultural program, an excursion to the Louvre took place. By that time, the idea of holding a large-scale exhibition in this museum dedicated to the rich historical and cultural heritage of Uzbekistan was already taking shape, and the Head of the state warmly supported it.

It should be noted that this was preceded by several very important events.

In 2009, archaeologist and researcher Rocco Rante led an archaeological mission in Bukhara in collaboration with the team of Samarkand Archeology Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. From the Uzbek side, it was headed by Jamal Mirzaakhmedov, and later by Abdisabur Raimkulov. In 2011, Rante invited Henri Loyrette, the former Director of the Louvre, to Uzbekistan. After assessing the available historical material, a decision is made to start planning a possible exhibition, which took on a concrete shape in 2017.

Sometime later, already in Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, a unique Zoroastrian carved panel was discovered during other excavations, which were also carried out jointly with French specialists. The find claimed to be a world-class discovery.

It is assumed that the country palace of the rulers of pre-Islamic times (until the 8th century) was located at the excavation site. A front room was discovered in the citadel, most of which was occupied by a three-tiered podium, where, according to scientists, the ruler sat on the throne, and the panel just adorned the walls of the hall.

Along with these, other unique finds were discovered. It became clear that Uzbekistan would be able to show the world something very valuable from a historical and cultural point of view.

The Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan, represented by Executive Director Gayane Umerova, and the Louvre Museum signed a Partnership Agreement, and preparatory work began, which was led by the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Foundation Saida Mirziyoyeva.

The exhibition at the Louvre was planned to be held in 2020-2021, but COVID-19 disrupted these plans, and it had to be postponed to 2022. During this period, it became clear that it would be logical to present an excursion not only into the ancient history of Uzbekistan, ending with the 15th century, but also to tell about the following periods up to modern times, which would make this work comprehensive and complete. Based on this, it was decided to hold two exhibitions: one at the Louvre, and the second at the Arab World Institute.