The Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit of the University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Graduate School of Development has organized a presentation of three unique books, published as a part of the “Cultural Heritage Book Series.” The book presentation took place at Ismaili Center in Dushanbe on February 29.
The first book is a republication of the research, titled “The Tajiks of the Khuf Valley” by a renown ethnographer, orientalist and scholar of Central Asia culture Mikhail Stepanovich Andreev (1873-1948). This is practically the only available ethnographic research on the everyday life and culture of Tajiks from the upper streams of Amu-Darya River. It remains a relevant source of anthropological data on the lifestyle of sedentary peoples of Central Asia.
The second book (“Andrei Evlampievich Madji: Half a Century of Research in Central Asia”) is written by Victor Dubovitskii, historian, publicist and writer. The book tells about the life and the work of the orientalist Andrei Maji, who made a great contribution to world science. This bibliographic work contains unique archival documents and previously unknown works of the scientist, reflecting the most important events of Russia and Central Asia. The valuable materials that are featured in the book may be interesting for scientists, researchers and all people who are interested in the development of science and the history of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The third book is titled “Architectural Odyssey. ‘Safarnama’ by Nasir Khusraw”. It is written by Munavar Mamadnazarov and introduces the reader to medieval Islamic architecture. The author draws on medieval written sources, studies and the book “Safarnama” (Travel Book) by Nasir Khusraw (Persian-Tajik poet, philosopher, traveler and preacher who lived in the 11th century). The book features religious shrines of the Islamic East, buildings of ancient Egypt, Rome and Byzantine, Badakhshan's architectural environment, more than 300 photographs, pictures and drawings, allowing the reader to make an exciting and insightful journey into the past. The book is intended for architects, art historians, historians, orientalists, ethnographers, as well as to people who are interested in Islamic culture.
The “Cultural Heritage Book Series” of the UCA’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit makes an important contribution to the preservation and promotion of the rich and diverse historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of Central Asia. Over the last 12 years, the Unit has prepared and published 20 books to provide readers with the finding of studies dedicated to architectural and archaeological sites, the musical and oral arts and traditions of the peoples from the Pamirs and Tien Shan.
