A documentary film about the legendary Quran of Usman was filmed in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The documentary film "The Return of the Quran Usman" was presented on the days of the holy month of Ramadan.

In the documentary "Return of the Quran Usman", which was filmed jointly by the Film Agency of Uzbekistan, the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan, NAEMM as part of the media program "New Uzbekistan. A New Look”, BBC Uzbek Service and Sevimli TV channel, tells the unique story of the ancient Muskhaf Usman.

– It is symbolic that this kind of project was created during the holy month of Ramadan. The more people in Uzbekistan and around the world see this film, the more we will be happy. This will definitely be a key factor in our joint work with the Film Agency of Uzbekistan on the next major projects, - said Khairullo Faiz, Editor-in-Chief of the BBC Uzbek Service.

The proposal to make a film about the Quran of Usman was put forward in 2019 during the visit of the Director General of the Film Agency Firdavs Abdukhalikov to the Uzbek service of the BBC.

– In September 2017, during the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward a special resolution entitled “Enlightenment and religious tolerance”, where the establishment of tolerance and mutual respect, ensuring freedom of religion are recognized as one of the most important issues. Based on the words of the head of state, in the film "The Return of the Quran Usman", a special emphasis is placed on the principles of religious tolerance. I will not be mistaken if I say that not only our compatriots, but also all Muslims will like the film. The film "Return of the Quran Usman" is planned to be shown on the country’s TV channels on the eve of the Ramadan Hayit holiday. In addition to a special presentation of the film, programs dedicated to the film and creative talks will be organized. I believe that the premiere of the film in the holy month of Ramadan will be an excellent gift for the holiday,” said Furkat Usmanov, director of the State Unitary Enterprise Documentary and Newsreel Film Studio.

The author of the idea and project manager Firdavs Abdukhalikov, scriptwriter and presenter Luiza Iskandariy, director Mekhrubon Alizoda, director of photography Azizbek Normatov, artist Alisher Umrzakov. Filming took place in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kashkadarya regions and St. Petersburg.

The film examines for the first time the circumstances of sending this rare sacred manuscript to Russia at the end of the 19th century, as well as its being in the Imperial Library in St. Petersburg, and its subsequent transfer to the Muftiate in Ufa. On the basis of archival documents, the circumstances of the return of the Quran Usman to Uzbekistan in 1923 are restored. The film also uses eyewitness accounts of the transmission of the Quran by Usman to the Muslim Board of Central Asia and Kazakhstan in 1989.

As you know, hundreds of thousands of Muslims and tourists from all over the world come to Tashkent every year to see the Quran, which is included in the UNESCO "Memory of the World" list. The Qur’an of Uthman is the oldest surviving copy of the Qur’an.

According to world experts, Uzbekistan is a unique country in its kind, which has two rare Qurans of Usman. The creative team told about the first Quran two years ago in a joint film with BBC Uzbek - “Facts and Myths of the Kattalangar Quran”.