Academy of Sciences Denies Reports of Literature Museum Closure

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan has issued an official statement following an appeal on social networks by writer Shukur Jabbor, who, on behalf of representatives of the Uzbek intelligentsia, called on the president to preserve the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature.

The appeal was prompted by reports that the museum was closed, vacating its historical building, and had not yet received a new facility. According to the writer, the lack of major repairs since 1968 and improper storage conditions had already put about 70,000 unique exhibits at risk, and the current situation amplified these dangers. He called for preventing the liquidation of the museum.

The Academy of Sciences emphasized that the ongoing work is not related to the termination of the museum's activities or the loss of cultural heritage. As stated by the agency, the museum will be transferred to a new building being constructed in New Tashkent, and all measures are aimed at creating more reliable conditions for storing museum valuables, digitizing them, and preserving them for future generations.

According to information from the academy, until construction is completed, the exhibits and the museum fund will be temporarily placed in other cultural institutions. Manuscripts, lithographic publications, and the "Archive of Writers and Poets of Uzbekistan" fund are being transferred for temporary storage to the Center of Islamic Civilization under the Cabinet of Ministers, while the remaining museum items are going to the Institute of Anthropology of the Academy of Sciences.

The Academy of Sciences reported that this procedure is provided for by government decree No. 234-F dated 20 May 2026. However, the document is absent from the open legislative database Lex.uz.

According to the agency, 847 rare manuscripts had already been transported to special storage facilities at the Center of Islamic Civilization by 9 June. In addition, an initial inventory has been conducted for 1,491 lithographic publications, 439 folders with photocopies, 145 folders with photographic films and negatives, as well as the "Archive of Writers and Poets of Uzbekistan" fund, which includes more than 1.4 million documents. The inventory of the remaining museum items is ongoing.

The academy also noted that the museum is temporarily closed to visitors and researchers, but its employees continue to perform their duties. After the completion of construction, all collections are planned to be moved to the new building of the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature.

Earlier, in April, the head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva, visited the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature, where the process of digitizing unique manuscripts was discussed. At that time, she announced that she had taken personal control of the situation regarding cultural objects.

The project for the new museum building has been under discussion for several years. While it was initially planned to build it next to the Alley of Literateurs in the National Park, an updated concept for the complex in New Tashkent was presented to the president in September 2024.

It will include the Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Center, the Museum of Literature, and the National Maqom Center. The project was developed by the architectural bureau Zaha Hadid Architects.