City of Bishkek – Capital of Islamic Culture in 2014

As part of the events "Bishkek – the capital of Islamic culture in 2014," an exhibition has opened at the State Historical Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The exhibition features models of the sacred mosques of Mecca and Medina, as well as unique samples of Arabic calligraphy from Kuwait. The exhibits arrived from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait.

According to the organizers, a fragment of the covering embroidered with golden threads containing verses from the Quran, which covers the Sacred Kaaba, could not be delivered to Bishkek on time, but representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia assured that it would be delivered soon.

FOR REFERENCE: It is worth noting that in the middle of this year, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) declared the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, as the "capital of Islamic culture," reports World Bulletin. Bishkek takes this title from Medina and will hold it from May 20 to September 18.

The awarding of the title "capital of Islamic culture" means that all cultural events during this period, organized under the auspices of the OIC from May 20 to September 18, will take place in Bishkek.

As part of this event, a series of activities (such as an art exhibition, film festival, and tourism fair) aimed at promoting and developing Islamic culture and strengthening cultural ties between OIC countries will take place in Kyrgyzstan until November. Responding to media objections that Bishkek is the capital of a secular state, the minister stated that cities such as Tashkent (2007), Baku (2009), and Dushanbe (2010) have previously received the status of capital of Islamic culture, and in 2015, this title will go to Almaty.