An International School of Calligraphy and Book Art is being established in Uzbekistan

Students aged 6 to 60 will be admitted to the school through a selection process. Each group is expected to have up to 12 students. In addition to practicing calligraphy, students will study subjects such as the history of writing, the Uzbek, Arabic, and Persian languages and scripts, penmanship, Western calligraphy (Latin script), Eastern calligraphy (Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic scripts), and an introduction to the art of bookmaking. A presentation on the establishment and activities of this school was held at a meeting of the academic council of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan.

The art of bookmaking has developed in a unique direction in Eastern countries, particularly in our region, as an ancient and priceless art form. The manuscript works copied by our ancestors distinguished by their exceptional penmanship, Islamic ornaments, and gilded embellishments astonished connoisseurs nearly a thousand years ago.

Today, even though books can be printed in thousands or millions of copies at once in printing houses, the value of manual work especially the art of calligraphy remains incomparable. Fortunately, alongside preserving the heritage of our ancestors, opportunities are being created to train young apprentices in this field.

To restore cultural heritage, nurture the younger generation with moral and spiritual values, promote the art of calligraphy internationally, and develop Uzbekistan as one of the world’s cultural centers, an International School of Calligraphy and Book Art is being established under the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. The school’s activities will be carried out in cooperation with organizations such as the School of Traditional Arts under the Prince’s Foundation (UK), UNESCO, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, IRCICA (Turkey), the Tehran Calligraphy Center (Iran), the Mohammed bin Salman Center (Saudi Arabia), and the Sharjah Center (UAE).

Students aged 6 to 60 will be admitted through a selection process and divided by age into groups: 6–12 years (basic level), 13–24 years (intermediate), and over 25 (mastery level, training future masters in the field). Each group will have up to 12 students. Besides calligraphy practice, they will study writing history, the Uzbek, Arabic, and Persian languages and scripts, penmanship, Western calligraphy (Latin script), Eastern calligraphy (Arabic, Latin, Cyrillic scripts), and an introduction to bookmaking art. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical application of lessons.

At the most recent meeting of the academic council of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, presentations were made on the establishment and activities of this school.