ISLAMABAD, September 26 (APP): Uzbekistan is undertaking wide-ranging reforms to strengthen its tourism industry, with a special focus on pilgrimage tourism, as part of its national development strategy.
According to the Uzbek embassy in Islamabad on Friday, tourism has been identified as one of the most promising sectors of the modern economy, and the government has launched strategic initiatives to expand infrastructure, encourage private sector participation, and diversify tourism services. Measures include the promotion of low-cost airlines, development of high-speed rail services, and modernization of logistics to facilitate international visitors.
Strategically located in the heart of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is gaining recognition as a major destination for pilgrimage tourism within the Islamic world. The country’s ancient cities – Samarkand, Bukhara, and Termez – have for centuries attracted pilgrims and scholars alike, and today they continue to draw visitors with their unique blend of spiritual heritage, history, and hospitality.
One of the most significant sites is the mausoleum of Imam al-Bukhari near Samarkand, revered globally as the compiler of Sahih al-Bukhari, the most authentic collection of hadith after the Holy Quran. Under a presidential initiative, the Imam Bukhari Complex is being expanded to include a mosque with a capacity for 10,000 worshippers and four 75-meter minarets, with construction now in the final decoration phase. Restoration of the Imam Maturidi Memorial Complex is also underway to transform it into a major spiritual center.
In Bukhara, the mausoleum of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband, founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, continues to attract visitors from across the Muslim world. Uzbekistan is also home to the resting places of other eminent Islamic scholars, including Imam at-Termizi, Imam al-Maturidi, and Imam al-Margani.
To enhance global outreach, Uzbekistan has launched the multilingual ‘Imam Bukhari’ Pilgrimage Tourism Companion TV channel and the ‘Tabarruk Ziyorat’ online platform. The latter, hosted on the Organization of Turkic States’ official portal, provides detailed information on nearly 260 pilgrimage sites and sacred landmarks across the country, translated into seven languages. It also hosts cultural resources, including the ‘Treasury of Turkic Literature’ series and a database of heritage sites and scholars from Turkic states.
The government’s efforts are yielding results. In the first half of 2025, 57 percent of Uzbekistan’s inbound tourists came from member and observer states of the Organization of Turkic States. Visitors included over 1.5 million from the Kyrgyz Republic, 1.1 million from Kazakhstan, and tens of thousands from Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Hungary.
A decree issued by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in July 2022 titled ‘Measures to Accelerate Cooperation in the Field of Tourism with the Turkic States’ has further strengthened regional collaboration in this field.
With comprehensive reforms and growing international interest, Uzbekistan is positioning itself not only as a popular travel destination but also as a global center of Islamic spirituality and cultural revival.