Mural reveals ancient connection to Uzbekistan

A replica of an ancient mural that is part of an exhibition at the National Museum of Korea shows the connections between Korea and Uzbekistan. Provided by the National Museum of Korea






In most cases, replicas of ancient treasures or great works of art are treated with contempt. But with relics that are at risk of aging or disintegration, replicas can play an integral role in our understanding of the original works and the time in which they were made.

In 1965, a mural was discovered in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, when local authorities decided to build a road in the middle of the Afrasiab tepe. A tepe is a mound marking an ancient site, in this case pre-Mongol Samarkand.

When it was found, the mural was weathered and its images obscured. But those who discovered it had the foresight to make a drawing of it, from which replicas have been made.

A replica of this mural is now being shown as part of the exhibit ¡°The Crossroads of Civilizations: The Asian Culture of Uzbekistan¡± until September of next year at the National Museum of Korea¡¯s Asian Arts Gallery. The relics in the exhibition show the historical connection between ancient Korea and Uzbekistan through the Silk Road. Considering the distance and the travel routes in place at the time, the history of the relationship that developed between the two countries is indeed remarkable.

The mural is significant because it could prove that Korea sent envoys to Uzbekistan via the Silk Road as early as the 7th century.

In the 7th century, the mural covered all four walls of a room in Afrasiab Palace in Samarkand, with each wall depicting a different scene. The western wall depicts what are believed to be two Korean men from the Goguryeo Dynasty (37 B.C.-668) having an audience with the king.

¡°The faces of the delegates are difficult to see, but the painting features a clear image of a jougwan,¡± the press release said. A jougwan is a hat that was worn by the men of Goguryeo and is decorated with a bird¡¯s feather.

The actual nationality of the two men in the painting was long debated by specialists, with some saying that their clothing shows they are from the Silla (57 B.C.-935) or Balhae (698-926) eras. With the revelation of the jougwan, however, many have concluded that the men are from the Goguryeo era.

The exhibition also displays 150 other relics from the prehistoric age to the 8th century in Uzbekistan, ranging from a Buddha with western features to a machine used by followers of Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion, used to cremate the dead.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.museum.go.kr.


By Yim Seung-hye Contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

Source:joongangdaily.joins.com

Uzbekistan suffer Geynrikh blow

Uzbekistan will have to do without Alexander Geynrikh when they face Malaysia looking to strengthen their place in qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup.

The Pakhtakor striker came off the bench on Saturday to grab a brace at the Uzbeks secured a 3-1 win over a resilient Malaysia side in Tashkent.

But Geynrikh did not travel to Kuala Lumpur after suffering a recurrence of the injury that restricted him to the bench at the weekend.

"He is a little injured and that is why we have decided not to bring him to Kuala Lumpur," said Uzbekistan assistant coach Vadim Abramov.

"I don't think that it will be too much of a problem as we still have other players like Bakhodir Nasimov who can take over."

Malaysia, meanwhile, will have revenge on their mind after slumping to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan at the 2007 Asian Cup.

K. Rajagobal's side sit bottom of the standings having lost both their games in the group so far.

"We have to be positive considering we will be playing the game in the heat as compared to last week, which was in freezing conditions," said Rajagobal.

"I hope that we can find the spark for us to complete the qualifiers on a respectable note when we play Uzbekistan next and then the UAE in early January."

Source:espnstar.com

Jailed Uzbek Dissident's Daughter Being Harrassed By Police

The daughter of jailed Uzbek dissident writer Yusuf Juma says police are visiting her home every day and night and interrogating her, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.

Feruza Jumaeva told RFE/RL that in the last several days police have visited her house -- sometimes in the middle of the night -- to ask her questions about her passport and intentions she might have to travel to the United States.

Jumaeva said she does not plan to leave Uzbekistan and believes the police actions are designed to keep her from visiting her father in jail.

Juma, 50, was arrested along with one of his sons in December after staging a two-man protest against the reelection of President Islam Karimov.

He was found guilty in April of organizing an illegal gathering and sentenced to five years in jail.

Juma is serving his jail term in Uzbekistan's notorious Jaslyk prison.

His daughter last visited him in October.

Source:rferl.org

Blogger Junket to Uzbekistan: Torture chambers likely not among tour stops

A short while back I noted here that Gulnara Karimova, daughter and henchwoman of Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov, had recently hosted rock star Sting in Tashkent, the nation’s capital. Sting took in a fashion show and other events with Gulnara, whose father’s regime killed one prisoner by immersion in boiling water, and in 2005 slaughtered hundreds of protesters in the town of Andijan. “The scale of this killing was so extensive, and its nature was so indiscriminate and disproportionate, that it can best be described as a massacre,” Human Rights Watch said in a study of the events at Andijan.

Now Gulnara has hired an American firm to bring bloggers to “a gala event in Tashkent,” to quote an email that Chris Stone, vice president at Atlas International Partners, has been sending to invitees. The email says that the event will “showcase the work of young Uzbek artists” and is being sponsored by the Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Foundation, which is chaired by Gulnara Karimova. Here’s an excerpt from the email:

The Foundation wants to bring a couple of well-known bloggers over to Tashkent to live-blog the event — and it would like at least one to be a public policy or foreign affairs blogger, undoubtedly because Ms. Karimova is a political figure in Uzbekistan in her own right. That said, the live blogging would involve talking about the cultural and artistic aspects of the event, and your touristic impressions of Uzbekistan; it should not be overtly political…We believe that the Foundation’s primary aim is to get people talking about Uzbekistan as a cultural destination, like Egypt, rather than a place people think about only when there is a crisis in Central Asia.

We can offer you $1,000 in compensation, and would cover business-class airfare from the US to Tashkent (you would probably leave on the 14th or 15th and return the 18th or 19th, although you’re welcome to extend your visit if you want), your stay in the Intercontinental Hotel in Tashkent, and incidentals such as meals and visa fees.

Finally, I should emphasize that I am making this inquiry on a preliminary basis; the Foundation has to approve our proposal. I understand that Ms. Karimova is reviewing the proposal personally and will get back to us within the next 24 hours, which would be necessary to get your visa processed on Friday. Our feeling is that she is likely to give us a green light, so I am assembling a team of bloggers now.

If you are interested, it would be helpful if you can let me know as soon possible. It would also be helpful to know how many hits per day your blog receives and whether you would be interested in writing about the event in any of the print media to which you contribute.

I’m not sure who is on Gulnara’s “team” of bloggers, but if you start reading posts later this month about the exciting arts world of Tashkent, it’s a safe bet that it will be the handiwork of one of the junketeers. And for those who want to go, you can suck up to Stone by telling him that you’re a big fan of Gulnara’s music. Just don’t say anything about Andijan.

I called Stone and he tells me that his firm offers “strategic advisory” services and that Gulnara is “trying to position herself as a patron of the arts.” He asked if I was interested in going and I said I was not. I asked if he didn’t think it was unethical for journalists to accept an offer of money and travel to a place like Uzbekistan, especially when it was clearly expected that nothing unfavorable would be written. “I guess it would depend on whether the blogger was a journalist or not,” he said. “Travel writers get paid to go to places all the time.”

Stone would not disclose which bloggers were going on the junket but he told me that he had approached Abovethelaw.com and suggested strongly that a blogger there had agreed to go on the Uzbek trip. However, he refused to answer a direct question about that.

I emailed the blog’s editor, Elie Mystal, and associate editor, Kashmir Hill, to see if they could clarify the matter. They have not yet replied to my email; if they do, I’ll update this post immediately.

Update: Hill emailed back now to say: “This comes as news to me. i don’t know anything about it.”

Managing editor David Lat says: “As far as I know, neither I nor anyone at Above the Law is going to Uzbekistan!”

So the list of junketeers remains entirely unknown.

Source:harpers.org

Opinion: Uzbekistan trip makes religious-liberty concerns real

ABP) -- On a typical day, the July 29 Associated Baptist Press headline I read, “Uzbekistan charges Baptist camp with crimes,” would catch my attention, but quickly give way to other matters. However, this particular July 29 was no typical day, as I was preparing for a 12-day journey that was to include seven days in Uzbekistan. The itinerary included a meeting with Pavel Peychev -- the president of the Baptist Union of Uzbekistan, and one of three charged with tax evasion and illegally teaching religion to children as detailed in the article.

I traveled to Uzbekistan with a group of pastors and mission leaders from the United States, as well as friends from Eastern Europe. During our trip we met with church leaders and heard their stories, while also searching for ways to collaborate on training in theological education.

As you might expect, we were impressed with the commitment and character of the Uzbek church leaders we met. Several of these leaders had received a call to ministry from a local church, and soon realized the need for theological training.

I’m reluctant to respond to friends who are clergy in mainline denominations when they ask me of Baptist “requirements” for ordination. In the Baptist tradition, one needs simply a call from God and a call from a local church. It isn’t long, though, before the need for education and training is apparent to the newly called minister. The church leaders in Uzbekistan are no different. Pastors and church leaders travel great distances and put themselves and family members in danger in order to pursue the training necessary to live out their call effectively.

The major hurdle standing in the way of theological education and training is Uzbekistan’s ever-increasing intolerance of religious minorities and restriction on its citizens’ religious freedom. The Uzbek people with whom we met say the intolerance toward faith communities began in 2005 when the Uzbek government put down an uprising, led by religious extremists, in the Fergana Valley region of the country.

Since 2005, the Uzbek government has put limitations on government-registered Baptist churches as well as making it nearly impossible to register new churches. A group of church leaders told us of their attempt to register with the government. The attempt was futile and ended in frustration. Many churches are now operating without government authorization.

I must admit that, prior to my trip to Uzbekistan, I was skeptical of “underground churches” and the cloak-and-dagger style of mission. I had witnessed this style of mission used in manipulative ways by some mission organizations in order to invite support and sympathy. I’m grateful for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s philosophy of working in the open, giving witness to church and government alike. However, visiting with my Uzbek brothers and sisters, I’ve now traveled to a place where the practice of the Christian faith really is dangerous and must be carried out with extreme caution.

Thankfully, it appears that the world is paying attention to the lack of religious liberty and freedom in Uzbekistan. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and the U.S. State Department have labeled Uzbekistan as a “country of particular concern” for its government’s violations of religious liberty. What remains to be seen is what can be done to provide religious freedom for all the Uzbek people, no matter their faith commitment.

Which brings me to the question, “What am I to do?”

A few months ago, Uzbekistan was just a faraway place on the map, with a people I did not know. Not anymore. The faith of the Uzbek people I met this summer helps me appreciate the religious freedom I take for granted here in the United States. Their faith inspires and challenges me to act on their behalf. I am telling the story of their courageous faith to whoever will listen. I invite friends to offer prayers for the Uzbek people and for the leaders of their government.

Finally, I am speaking with elected officials in the United States government, as well as world Baptist leaders, about Uzbekistan. How can we challenge the Uzbek government to live up to its constitutional provision for freedom of religion and the principle of separation of church and state?

I’ve been there. I must do something.

Source:abpnews.com

Uzbekistan Twitter

Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south. Once part of the Persian Samanid and later Timurid empires, the region was conquered in the early 16th century by Uzbek nomads, who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. Most of Uzbekistan’s population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak the Uzbek language, one of the family of Turkic languages. Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). It has been an independent republic since December 1991.

Uzbekistan's economy relies mainly on commodity production, including cotton, gold, uranium, and natural gas. Despite the declared objective of transition to a market economy, Uzbekistan continues to maintain rigid economic controls, which often repel foreign investors. The policy of gradual, strictly controlled transition has nevertheless produced beneficial results in the form of economic recovery after 1995. Uzbekistan's domestic policies of human rights and individual freedoms are often criticized by international organizations. In Uzbekistan about 45% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day