The Customs Committee handed over the historical heritage to its rightful owner

 

Today, a ceremony was held at the Customs Committee to hand over historical and cultural treasures seized by customs officers to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. The event was attended by the Chairman of the Customs Committee, Akmalkhoja Mavlonov, and the Director of the Center of Islamic Civilization, Firdavs Abdukhalikov.

 

It should be noted that, according to Presidential Resolution No. PQ-3080 of June 23, 2017, the Chairman of the Customs Committee is also a member of the Board of Trustees established under the Cabinet of Ministers to support and coordinate the activities of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan.

 

At the event, it was emphasized that customs authorities are carrying out extensive measures to safeguard the nation’s unique historical and cultural heritage. In particular, preventing the illegal export of rare cultural treasures has become the duty of every customs officer.

 

According to statistics, in 2024 and during the first six months of the current year, customs authorities detected 299 violations and prevented the illegal transfer of 5,981 cultural assets.

 

Chairman Akmalkhoja Mavlonov stressed that cultural heritage items seized during the course of customs operations must now be delivered to their rightful place and true owner.

 

“Great efforts are being made to enrich the content of the Center of Islamic Civilization being built at the initiative of our President. All this work is aimed at increasing Uzbekistan’s prestige. Furthermore, this Center will become a major institution contributing to our people’s knowledge of their history, a grand academy of learning. It will present to the people of Uzbekistan and to the entire world Islam, Islamic civilization, and the role of Uzbekistan in it an immense complex that is difficult to fully describe in words.

 

In the course of our service, we strive to prevent any attempts to illegally remove cultural heritage items from the country. Until now, confiscated items have been transferred to various museums in accordance with existing regulations. However, together with the Customs Committee team, we have come to the conclusion that such treasures should be handed over directly to their rightful home. In the past, some seized artifacts were given to museums but not displayed as exhibits some were even kept in basements or storage chests. Behind every cultural and historical treasure that has been preserved is the tireless effort of customs officers. For this reason, we want these cultural treasures not to remain in museum storerooms but to be displayed in exhibitions for our citizens to see”.

 

If we look at the exact figures, in just the past year and a half, customs authorities have prevented the illegal export of 5,981 cultural assets listed on the “red list” across 299 cases.

 

These included:

 

• 3,055 ancient coins,
• 706 withdrawn banknotes,
• 1,212 orders and medals,
• 118 works of art,
• 46 sculptures,
• 29 ancient books and manuscripts,
• 3 archaeological artifacts,
• 14 ancient musical instruments,
• 424 handicraft items,
• 358 pieces of ancient jewelry,
• 14 photographic materials,
• 1 architectural monument fragment, and
• 1 ancient weapon.

 

This is by no means a small number. Admittedly, we are not specialists in this field, but I am convinced that there is no such thing as “minor” or “major” cultural heritage items each has its own value and importance. Every single piece can be considered priceless.

 

In connection with these illegal cases, customs authorities have initiated four criminal proceedings, while 295 cases were processed administratively and referred to the courts.

 

The purpose of today’s meeting is to ensure that cultural heritage items seized by customs services are transferred directly to their rightful owners.

 

At present, we are reviewing all cultural and historical assets that have previously been handed over to museums by customs authorities across the republic. We are investigating what has become of them whether they are being displayed in exhibitions or not. Based on this, we are working to select the most unique of these artifacts and transfer them to the Museum of the Center of Islamic Civilization.

 

Let me also mention another recent case: customs officers at the “Sariosiyo” border post of Surkhandarya region intercepted an attempt to smuggle 267 ancient coins and jewelry parts out of the country.

 

According to an artistic expert examination carried out to determine their antiquity and value, 39 silver coins in the form of pendants were minted in the Bukhara Emirate in the 19th century, while 228 jewelry pieces were identified as belonging to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

“We decided that these items should be handed over directly to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan”, said the Chairman of the Customs Committee.

 

The Director of the Center of Islamic Civilization, Firdavs Abdukhalikov, supported the initiative and proposal of the Chairman of the Customs Committee. He noted that many of our nation’s cultural treasures had once left the country, and thanks to the initiative and practical support of the Head of State, these priceless artifacts are now being returned to Uzbekistan.

 

“The construction of the Center of Islamic Civilization, initiated by our President, is now in its final stage. At present, large-scale work is being carried out to enrich the content of this institution. Recently, a delegation from the Center traveled to London on a working visit. There, by participating in world-renowned auctions such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, 83 unique artifacts belonging to our homeland and people were returned. These include various cultural treasures of our nation, including collections that had been taken abroad in the 1960s and 70s. To ensure even greater success in future processes, cooperation has also been established with foreign dealers.

 

In this regard, the timely proposal of support from the Customs Committee is a valuable initiative, as we are currently in the process of shaping the content of the Center. We welcome this initiative”.

 

He further emphasized that cooperation with many museums has revealed that numerous artifacts remain stored away in boxes rather than displayed. If, in line with the proposal of the Committee, these items are transferred to enrich the exhibitions of the Center of Islamic Civilization, they will be showcased to our people and visitors, which would be a highly beneficial and effective endeavor. To this end, a special Working Group will be established by the Center to prepare and study a catalog of the items and artifacts being proposed by the Customs Committee.

 

“Behind every single artifact there is history, and behind history there may lie great discoveries” Abdukhalikov stressed.

 

Academician Akbar Hakimov praised the initiative of the Customs Committee, noting that the items being handed over are a great gift to Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan. He also highlighted the process of returning rare samples of our cultural heritage from abroad through auctions at prestigious London houses, emphasizing how highly valued they are internationally. He described the Customs Committee’s initiative to prevent cultural heritage from leaving the country and to deliver it specifically to the Center of Islamic Civilization as a new stage in this endeavor.

 

 

On this occasion, the heads of both institutions signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on “Transferring cultural assets seized by customs authorities to the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan”.