From Samarkand to Failaka... When the Earth Speaks the Language of Civilization
Cities millennia old reveal a striking resemblance between Uzbekistan’s memory and Kuwait’s story
Kuwait was not at the heart of the continent, but it stood at the head of the Gulf, turning the sea into a pathway to the world.
Beneath our soil lies a history dating back to the end of the sixth millennium BCE, more than 7,000 years ago.
Excavations in Sabiyah have uncovered settlements linked to the Ubaid culture and shell-bead workshops.
Samarkand and Kuwait were both stops for ships, and each forged something greater than mere wealth through trade.
In Kuwait and the Gulf, one does not need a history book to understand the innate hospitality that is second nature here.
Kuwait’s markets were not merely shops; they were places for gathering, meeting, and welcoming new cultures.
Caravans and ships were not necessarily a direct route connecting Kuwait to Samarkand; rather, they were the most important tools of communication.
What remains most vivid from the forum is that the discourse on civilization is not confined to museums and books.
I participated in the International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: A New Perspective – New Discoveries,” which brought together approximately 300 experts and media figures from nearly 50 countries in August 2026. Between the forum’s sessions and visits, something else imposed itself: history, still present in the landscape.
I delivered a speech at the forum, stating that the real challenge facing media today is not merely preserving the memory of Islamic civilization, but re-presenting it to new generations in a language that makes them feel this history is part of their own story and heritage, rather than just pages in an old book. I noted that the idea of cultural and civilizational similarities between Tashkent and Samarkand is not distant; I see it in the buildings, markets, mosques, roads, and even in the way people welcome guests. It was from there that I began comparing with Kuwait.
Thus, I looked at Kuwaiti land in the same way I view Samarkand, discovering in many sites that Kuwait’s story also shares a similar historical trajectory within the broader context of civilization.
Today, Samarkand stands as one of the oldest historical cities in Central Asia. UNESCO indicates that evidence of settlement in the region dates back to around 1500 BCE, while the city of Afrasiab (historical Samarkand) was founded in the seventh century BCE. Samarkand did not become great merely due to its antiquity; rather, the secret of its greatness lay in its location. It stood at the crossroads of caravans carrying goods, ideas, and cultures between China, Central Asia, Persia, and the Middle East. By the early centuries of the Common Era, it had become a key center on the Silk Road, before reaching the zenith of its glory during the Timurid era in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. For this reason, UNESCO has described it as a “meeting place of cultures.”
When standing before the history of Samarkand—its scholars, jurists, mosques, and architecture—it is difficult to view these figures and structures merely as relics. They are remnants of an era when architecture, science, astronomy, trade, and politics were part of a single civilizational project.
Tashkent: Another story that began before its name
In Tashkent, the narrative leads me to the region of Chach and the ancient city of Kanaka. UNESCO notes that Kanaka was the first capital of Chach, a massive fortified city through which the Silk Road network passed. In the same region, agriculture developed since the centuries preceding the Common Era, with water, agriculture, and trade becoming fundamental factors in the growth of urban settlements.
Here, a point emerges that deserves reflection for us in the Gulf: ancient civilizations did not wait for ideal conditions; instead, they turned geography into opportunity. Uzbekistan had no sea, but it was at the heart of Asia, so it turned caravan routes into lifelines. Kuwait was not at the heart of the continent, but it was at the head of the Gulf, so it turned the sea into a pathway to the world.
Kuwait: A Story Beginning Over 7,000 Years Ago
The Kuwait we know today, with its modern cities, ports, roads, and markets, hides beneath its soil a history dating back to the end of the sixth millennium BCE, or more than 7,000 years ago. Specifically, in the Subayya area north of Kuwait, excavations have uncovered settlements linked to the Ubaid culture and workshops for manufacturing shell beads. There is also evidence of maritime activity, including a clay model of the oldest known seafaring vessel.
Samarkand and Kuwait: Caravans and Merchant Ships
I have not found evidence of a direct ancient route linking Samarkand to Kuwait. However, the similarity in the roles these places played is striking. Samarkand served as a station for caravans, while Failaka and Kuwait served as stations for ships. Samarkand opened its doors to arrivals from the East and West, while Kuwait opened its shores to arrivals from the north, east, and south of the Gulf. Both transformed trade into something greater than mere profit, forging societies that knew the “other,” interacted with them, and benefited from their differences.
The Guest Comes First: Parallels Between Kuwaiti and Uzbek Homes
In Kuwait and the Gulf, one does not need a history book to understand the meaning of hospitality. The majlis (gathering place), coffee, dates, food, inquiries about the guest, and the host’s insistence on honoring him are details that Kuwaitis and Gulf residents know by instinct.
In Uzbekistan, I felt a similar sense of warmth. Generosity expressed through serving tea, bread, and shared family meals, along with welcoming guests, is not merely a tourist custom but part of a social culture deeply rooted in the Uzbek people.
Even the market holds a similar presence. The old markets of Samarkand and Tashkent were not merely places for buying and selling, just as Kuwait’s old markets were not just shops. They were places for meeting, exchanging news, getting to know one another, and introducing new cultures into society.
The same applies to respect for knowledge. If Samarkand is associated with astronomers, mathematicians, physicians, and religious scholars, Kuwait has long been known for its traditional schools (kuttab), religious education, and scholarly councils, before transitioning to modern formal education. While the details may differ, the value of knowledge and the status of learning appear familiar in both experiences.
The Story of Modern Kuwait and Uzbekistan
The most beautiful aspect of the story of Kuwait and Uzbekistan is that it does not stop at the past. On February 17 and 18, 2025, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Kuwait, opening a new chapter in relations between the two countries. Both nations announced the development of their ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership. The declared value of the package of agreements and economic projects agreed upon reached approximately $4.9 billion.
The cooperation covers multiple sectors, including industry, aviation, labor, smart cities, health, tourism, culture, and arts, as well as collaboration with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
In the past, caravans and ships were not necessarily a direct route connecting Kuwait to Samarkand, but they were among the most important tools for commercial and cultural communication in both regions. Today, communication is facilitated through investment, aviation, technology, artificial intelligence, education, and development projects.
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development represents one of the most practical and visible aspects of the relationship between Kuwait and other countries. Established in 1961, the Fund was not merely a financing tool but one of the faces through which Kuwait was known in the developing world. The Fund has financed development projects in Uzbekistan, including a rural housing infrastructure project with a loan of 9 million Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $30 million USD). It also contributed to a project for equipping specialized medical institutions for urology, kidney diseases, dialysis, and kidney transplantation.
Today, building on the progress and developmental vision of modern Uzbekistan, I see the talks expanding into broader fields, including infrastructure, logistics, agriculture, green energy, health, industry, services, and investment. This is the pathway through which political relations can be transformed into developmental partnership projects that foster civilization.
From the Memory of Civilization to the Future of Cooperation
Perhaps the most enduring impression from the forum in Tashkent for me was the realization that the discourse on civilization should not be confined to museums and books. True civilization is that which can move from memory into the future. Thus, when I now think of Samarkand, I do not see it as a distant, separate city in Central Asia, but rather as a city akin to Kuwait, in that both recognized early on that openness to the world can be a source of strength rather than a threat to identity. The caravans of Samarkand carried silk and ideas, while Kuwaiti ships carried pearls, goods, and news.
Indeed, today, airplanes, investments, universities, media, and culture can carry something even greater: the partnership between our two peoples. Both nations possess a deep history and both look toward the future. The goal is not to live in the past, but to understand it well, so that we do not build the future without roots.
From Samarkand to Failaka, and from the Silk Road to the Gulf routes, times and means change, but humanity continues to seek communication, learning, and trade, discovering the other and returning home enriched by what it has learned from the world. While there may not be a single ancient route connecting Kuwait and Samarkand that we can draw on a map, there is an ancient idea shared between them: that civilization begins when geography transforms from boundaries into bridges of cooperation and partnership.
