Meeting with the President
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April 10
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
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The morning was spent at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meeting with Minister Abdul Azizi Kamilov and his aides. |  |
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Gifts are presented to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim prays on the Minister for his health and well-being. |
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Timurid Museum |
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That afternoon, the Minister of Tourism escorted the ISCA delegation on a tour of the Timurid State Museum, near the Uzbekistan Hotel in downtown Tashkent. |  |
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The newly-built vast domed structure is decorated lavishly in typical traditional Uzbek style. From its massive sky-blue dome hangs a lovely chandelier, and the dome interior is a near replica of that of Timur's Tomb in Samarqand. |  |
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The walls of the museum are lavishly
decorated with copies of Persian illustrations of Amir Timur's life
story.
An ancient Quranic mushaf figures prominently in the displays on the main floor, in a traditional Uzbek carved-stone Quran stand |
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Mawlana Shaykh Nazim explored the second floor of the museum with avid attention. Here he examines manuscripts. |  |
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Here the tour guide explains some of the
details of Amir Timur's dynasty, displayed as a family tree. Branches
include the Babur Moghul Dynasty which ruled India for several
centuries.
The shaykhs examine scale replicas of various mosques built by Amir Timur. |
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Weapons of war and courtier's cloaks round out the displays. |  |
| At the request of the Museum Director, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim wrote an elegant Arabic inscription in the museum guest ledger. |  |
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President Islam Karimov |
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The entourage was then whisked swiftly to the Presidential Palace.... |  |
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where the President's Chief of Staff greeted the shaykhs. |  |
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In the President's anteroom, Mawlana Shaykh invokes Allah for a successful visit and for blessings to be bestowed on the President of Uzbekistan and his nation.. | |
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His Excellency President Karimov greets Mawlana Shaykh Nazim with affection... |  |
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and then greets Shaykh Hisham.
The delegation sits at the main meeting table with the President and several aides. |
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The meeting, scheduled to last 15 minutes,
goes on into the evening, exceeding two and a half hours.
During the meeting, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim informed His Excellency of his lineage from several great rulers of Bukhara. He praised the President's extensive programs for reviving Islam and Uzbek traditional culture. |
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Finally the shaykhs emerge from the private meeting, having observed Salat al-`Asr. They descended the stairs enclothed in distinguished robes, gifts of His Excellency President Islam Karimov. |  |
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That night the shaykhs were again guests of Dr. Fosilqari Sobirev. Here they observe Salat al-Maghrib. | |
 April
9 |
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April
11 |
