Ubaydulla Uvatov (February 23, 1940, Guzar district,

Qashqadaryo region Qashqadaryo Region is one of the regions of Uzbekistan, located in the south-eastern part of the country in the basin of the river Qashqadaryo (river), Qashqadaryo and on the western slopes of the Pamir-Alay mountains. It borders with Tajikistan, ...

Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

– November 3, 2020,

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

) was a renowned Uzbek Orientalist, historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and professor. He extensively researched the history of the Timurid era, Central Asian cultural heritage, scientific studies in manuscriptology, and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

. He was also the author of many documentary films and theater scripts. Throughout various periods, he served as a translator, director of the Advisory Department of the President of the

Republic of Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

(1991—1992), first deputy chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers (1992—1995), leading scientific officer of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Academy of Sciences of the

(1995—1997), head of the "Amir Temur" international charity foundation (1997—1999), and the first chairman of the "Oltin Meros" international charity foundation (1999—2000). He also held positions such as head of the Center for Islamic Studies at

Islamic University and later the Department of Manuscripts of the University (1999—2008), director of the Imam Bukhari International Center (2008—2013), and until his passing, the director of the Imam Termez International Scientific Research Center (2013—2020). He was honored with the honorary title " "Oʻzbekiston Respublikasida xizmat koʻrsatgan yoshlar murabbiysi, as well as the orders "Mehnat shuhrati" and "Fidokorona xizmatlari uchun". Additionally, a special scholarship in the name of the scholar was established for academy students by the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. Following Ubaydulla Uvatov's passing, a secondary school in the Guzar district and two streets in the same region were named in his honor. Academic sessions, memorial events, and knowledge-sharing gatherings have been organized at the International Islamic Academy of

to commemorate his legacy and contributions.

Early life

Ubaydulla Uvatov was born on February 23, 1940, in the Chuchuk ota hamlet of Pachkamar village, Guzar district,

. From 1958 to 1964, he studied Arabic Philology at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Tashkent State University and began working as a teacher at the university in 1964. Between 1967 and 1970, he pursued postgraduate studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the

. He passed away on November 3, 2020, at the age of 80 and was buried at the Said Vaqqos father's cemetery in

Career

Uvatov initially worked as an

Arabic language Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

interpreter in the Arab Republic of Egypt from 1962 to 1963, followed by a teaching position at Tashkent State University from 1964 to 1966. He also served as an interpreter in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1975 to 1978. Additionally, he carried out his duties as an interpreter in the Libyan People's Republic from 1982 to 1985. Between 1991 and 1992, he held the position of Director of the Consultative Sector of the Office of the President of the

, and from 1992 to 1995, he served as the first Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the

. From 1995 to 1997, he worked as a leading scientific officer at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the

, later becoming the first chairman of the "Amir Temur" international charity foundation from 1997 to 1999 and the "Oltin Meros" international charity foundation from 1999 to 2000. Between 1999 and 2008, he served as the director of the Center for Islamic Studies at

Islamic University, and later as the head of the Department of Manuscripts of the university. From 2008 to 2013, he was the leader of the Imam Bukhari International Center. Subsequently, from 2014 to 2020, he was the head of the

Society of Scholars and from 2017 to 2020, the director of the Imam Termez International Scientific Research Center. Furthermore, he held the position of a professor at the "Islamic Civilization Studies ICESCO" department of the International Islamic Academy of

. Moreover, he was a permanent member of the specialized council of the International Islamic Academy of

and a member of the editorial board of the "Islom nuri" newspaper and the editorial board of the "Imom Buxoriy saboqlari" journal.

Scientific activity

His scholarly activity primarily focused on the history of the Timurid era, the scientific assembly of Central Asian scholars, orientalism, and

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

studies. Uvatov was proficient in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, and French languages. In 1974, on April 12, he defended his candidacy dissertation in philological sciences, supporting the translation and scholarly analysis of Ibn Arabshah's work "Ajoib al-maqdur fi tarixi Taymur" ("Marvels of Destiny in Timur's History"), earning him a candidate of philological sciences degree. On June 16, 2002, at

Islamic University, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the development of hadith studies in

Transoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...

and

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

scholars (Bukhari, Muslim, Termizi), obtaining a doctorate in historical sciences. He was awarded the title of professor in 2008. Throughout his academic career, Ubaydulla Uvatov authored over 300 articles, nearly 50 books, and monographs. The majority of his scholarly works have been published in

, Turkish, and

Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...

in countries such as

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

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Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Scenarios

Ubaydulla Uvatov is the author of the script for the documentary film "''Fasohat ilmining sultoni''" about Mahmud al-Zamakhshari (2014), the documentary film "''Hakim Termiziy''" (2017), and the play "''Allomai zamon''" (2019).

Awards

* Order of "Mehnat shuhrati" (2009) * Honorary title of "Oʻzbekiston Respublikasida xizmat koʻrsatgan yoshlar murabbiysi" (September 27) * Order "Fidokorona xizmatlari uchun" (2020).

Memory

In February 2021, on the occasion of Ubaydulla Uvatov's 81st birthday, a commemorative event and a spiritual-enlightening gathering were organized at the 1st Secondary School in Guzor district under the theme "Living with Memory, Walking with Respect." During the event, it was announced that the school where the scholar received his education and the streets Elhaqi and Chorvadorlar in the district would be named after Ubaydulla Uvatov. On February 23, 2021, a scientific-practical conference titled "Ubaydulla Uvatov - Luminary in Oriental Studies and Hadith Studies" was held at the

International Islamic Academy. Additionally, the

International Islamic Academy established a special scholarship named after Ubaydulla Uvatov for academy students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uvatov, Ubaydulla 1940 births 2020 deaths Uzbekistani scientists Uzbekistani historians People from Qashqadaryo Region