Science in Uzbekistan

Science in Uzbekistan

In accordance with the high demand towards the quality of teaching, the teaching personnel are now trained to the Ph.D. level. The High Attestation Committee was created. Currently there are more than 4,000 post-graduate students in Uzbekistan. Approximately 45 percent of scientists and pedagogical staff are doctors or candidates of sciences.

In order to increase the qualifications of the teaching staff, 23 institutes, 16 colleges, 4 centers and 14 courses for raising the proficiency level of attendees were established in the country.

In the field of education, Uzbekistan actively develops cooperation with international organizations, such as ACCELS, IREX, Consortium of American Colleges, the Peace Corps, DAAD, the Conrad Adenauer Fund, the British Council, the Saud Al-Baltin Fund, and other non­governmental organizations.

The science in Uzbekistan ascends to very ancient times. It has deep and powerful roots and extends many centuries, as it served the Uzbek nation and the whole of mankind by providing great innovations in the secrets of nature, medicine, philosophy, law, geology, and literature. Many doctors, scientists, and philosophers from Central Asia have brought great innovations and provided a huge contribution to the world civilization.

In Uzbekistan the first centers of scientific innovation were created a long time ago. Central Asia was one of the centers of world knowledge in the 9-llth centuries. In Uzbek cities such as Bukhara, Samarkand, and Urgench, astronomical observatories and libraries emerged, known as the Houses of Wisdom,* where gatherings of scientists discussed questions of philosophy, math, medicine, etc.

In the 9th-15th centuries, significant developments were achieved in the field of natural sciences.

The importance of the encyclopedic labor of the great scientist, the mukhaddith Al Bukhary, is very significant.

Islamic scientists have agreed that his collection olakhadith (sayings, deeds, orders of the Prophet Muhammad) Al-Jamia as-Sakheekha is the second most important source of Islam after the holy book of Quran.

Without Muhammad Muso Al-Khorazmy it is impossible to imagine the development of modern math. He founded the bases of algebra, and named it. In the 12th century his works served as the basic manual on algebra in the countries of Europe. His name entered mathematics as the indication of arithmetic numbers trhough Indian numbers (Latin writing Algoritbmi), and later as algorithm.

In the same period, Akhmad Ferghany - astronomer, mathematician, and geographer - created the treatise Madkhal un-Nujum (Beginning of astronomy), which brought him a world-recognition, and rendered a significant influence on the development of trigonometry. In Europe, he was known by the name of Alfraganus. In Cordoba, Spain, he created a center for science and launched a university.

Deep traces in the history of civilization have left Abu Ali ibn Sino as a scientist, philosopher, doctor, and musician. In philosophy, he continued Eastern traditions of Arabic Aristotelian logic, and his treatises were extraordinarily popular in the East and West. He was the doctor and minister under various rulers. His famous multi-volume treatise Basics of Medical Science" has remainedas the desktop book for many doctors of the world for many centuries. His westernized name, Avicenna, is perceived as a symbol for a wise person of medicine.

Abu Nasr Muhammad Faraby - a progressive philosopher, scientist, representative of Oriental Aristotelian logic, and author of more than 160 treatises - created auniversal philosophical system of ontology, epistemology, logic and social sciences, based on the doctrines of Aristotle, while at the same time being under the strong influence of Islamic doctrines. A nickname - the Second teacher is derived after Aristotle, on whose doctrines Faraby is said to have commented.

A scientist in Central East, Abu Raikhan Beruny, was the first to claim that the Earth circles around the Sun. Beruny was also known for his fundamental research in the fields of geology, astronomy, mathematics, mineralogy, and pharmacology. The "Academy of Ma'mun" was established in the 10th century in Khorezm, where the leading scientists, led by Beamy, worked.

The outstanding scientific innovations in the field of natural sciences, especially in mathematics, are connected with the name of the state scientist, Mirzo Ulughbek (grandson of Amir Temur). As the brilliant organizer of a science, he attracted scientists from different countries around the world. Upon his initiative, an observatory was established in Samarkand, which embodied the uniqueness and prowess of the scientific ideas of the Middle Ages.

Many scientists such as Jamshid Kashy, Kazizade Rumy, Muin ad-din Kashany, Salakhiddin Musavy and Ali Kuschi took part in the creation of this outstanding observatory.

Ulughbek is known not only as an astronomer and mathematician, but also as a connoisseur of the classic Persian and Arabic literature, music, and history. The main work of Ulughbek, which brought him a worldwide recognition, is known as "Ziji Kuragony", a fine example of human geniality.

One of the significant writings of the early 16th century is "Bobumoma". This autobiography by Zakhiriddin Muhammad Bobur is full of detailed descriptions of flora and fauna of the Ferghana Valley.

At the beginning of the 10-llth centuries, Sufism became widely popular in Maveranakhr. The founder of one of the paths in Sufism was the Central Asian poet and missionary, the author of spiritual poems, entitled "Khikmat", Akhmad Yassavy.

The founder of sophist honor, Khakiki, Khakim at-Termizy, was the author of more than 30 compositions of mystic-philosophical poems and the first historic-biographic work about Sufism and sophists.