Proceedings of the International Workshop Manuscript Funds of Uzbekistan: Preservation, Cataloguing and Personnel Training, June 2019, Samarkand

This is a collection of specializedresearch papers addressingdiverse aspectsof thepreservation, management andutilization of the fundsof manuscripts of Uzbekistan. These funds of manuscripts are the products of scientific, philosophical and literary activities that have taken place in Uzbekistan and its region over thepast centuries. They are sources of information for researchers who are workingon various aspects of the history of culture of the region. Their conservation, cataloguingandvalorization engagea widerangeof specializations. The workshop which wasorganizedby IRCICA andImam Bukhari International Scientific-Research Center (IBISRC) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in June 2019 aimedat encouragingresearch work andfosteringexchanges of information between relevantexpert circleson diverseaspectsof the managementof the manuscript heritage.Theparticipants werean inter-disciplinary group of scholars and specialists involved with theoretical and practical, scientific and technical aspects of the preservation and treatment of funds of manuscripts. Theirpapers collectedin thisbook focus on current issues andchallenges involvedin this field, communicate experiences, recommendbest practices, evaluate availability of training facilities, and explore avenues of sectoral and inter-country cooperation. IRCICA’s activities on the history of culture in the Islamic world involve frequent references to collections of Islamic manuscripts, both as sources for research and works of science and scholarship. IRCICA’s long-term research program of “Studies on Manuscripts” already bore fruit in various of bibliographies and catalogues of manuscripts compiled with varying regional and/or thematic focuses. These publications facilitate researchers access to collections that carry importance for academic study or as cultural heritage assets. They cover various funds including archives of official, institutional or personaldocuments and manuscripts authoredas worksof scienceor letters. They helpthe aimsof appraisingthe contentsof the collections andraising