BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. On August 20, as
part of a press tour to Uzbekistan, Azerbaijani journalists visited
the Imam al-Bukhari tourist complex, located near Samarkand.
Twenty representatives from Azerbaijan’s leading media outlets
are participating in the press tour. Among the participants is Emin
Aliyev, editor-in-chief of the Trend International News Agency.
The press tour participants toured the modern complex, created
to study and promote the scholarly legacy of the outstanding
Islamic scholar and one of the most renowned hadith scholars, Imam
Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (810–870).
The journalists paid particular attention to the architectural
features and modern infrastructure of the complex, which was built
to accommodate pilgrims and foreign tourists. Specifically, the
complex includes a mosque with a capacity of up to 10,000
worshippers, four minarets 75 meters high, and a museum complex
consisting of nine pavilions.
During the tour, representatives of the Azerbaijani media
received information about the life and scholarly work of Imam
al-Bukhari, his contribution to Islamic theology, and the
significance of his seminal work, ”Sahih al-Bukhari”, considered
one of the most authoritative collections of hadiths in the Sunni
Islamic tradition.
At the meeting, it was noted that following a large-scale
renovation, the complex has become a major spiritual, educational,
and tourist center. The complex now offers facilities not only for
pilgrimage but also for the study of Islamic cultural and
scientific heritage.
As part of the project, hotels, family guesthouses, service
areas, and parking lots have also been built. The complex’s
capacity has been increased to 65,000 visitors per day.
A visit to the Imam al-Bukhari Complex was one of the stops on a
press tour aimed at familiarizing representatives of the
Azerbaijani media with Uzbekistan’s historical, cultural, tourist,
and modern potential.
