Mai Anati - TASHKENT — The second day of Media Forum 2026 focused on how Uzbekistan’s Islamic intellectual heritage can reach global audiences through film, books and digital media, with participants highlighting the power of storytelling in preserving a shared human legacy.

The programme centred on the second plenary session, "Figures of Islamic Civilization Who Changed the World: Great Biographies in Film, Books, and Digital Media.” The session explored how the lives and achievements of major figures can be presented through modern media while preserving their historical significance.

The discussion shifted the focus from Uzbekistan’s historic sites to the people behind its intellectual legacy. Their ideas and contributions have influenced the wider Islamic civilisation and continue to offer material for contemporary storytelling.

Munira Aminova, Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, said the heritage presented through the Centre of Islamic Civilisation should not be viewed as belonging to Uzbekistan alone.

"It not only belongs to Uzbekistan. It belongs to our general intellectual heritage of humanity,” Aminova said.

She said the centre represents more than Uzbekistan’s past. It connects the country’s historical legacy with its present and future, while providing a platform for international engagement.

Aminova described the centre as part of Uzbekistan’s cultural diplomacy. She said cultural exchange can help build trust between countries, alongside political dialogue and economic cooperation.

"Building trust between countries is, of course, related to culture,” she said.

She also highlighted the role of international media in bringing lesser-known stories about Uzbekistan to wider audiences. Many of those stories, she said, have yet to be fully told.

The focus on biographies reflects the changing way audiences consume history. Film and television can bring historical figures to wider audiences, while books provide deeper context and digital platforms allow stories to reach younger generations.

The challenge is to make these stories accessible without reducing their historical and intellectual significance. That places greater responsibility on journalists, filmmakers and digital storytellers to combine accuracy with compelling narratives.

For Uzbekistan, the effort has a wider cultural and diplomatic dimension. The country’s historic cities, religious centres and scholars form part of a broader intellectual heritage that extends across the Muslim world.

Presenting that heritage internationally can strengthen cultural links while offering global audiences a broader understanding of Uzbekistan’s contribution to Islamic civilisation.

The forum’s second day therefore reinforced a wider message: heritage is not simply a record of the past. It can also serve as a platform for dialogue and understanding in the present.

For Uzbekistan, the challenge is now to take a centuries-old intellectual legacy beyond its historic sites and into a global media conversation.

The Jordan Times