Uzbekistan unveils monumental Timurid-era miniature at Islamic Civilization museum

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV)  — A museum in Uzbekistan’s capital has unveiled a giant reconstruction of a rare Timurid-era miniature painting, offering visitors an unprecedented view of Central Asia’s dynastic history and its Mughal legacy.

The work, originally created in the mid-16th century by Mir Sayyid Ali Termizi — a court painter for Mughal emperor Humayun — depicts multiple rulers from the Timurid dynasty and their successors. 

Among them are Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and princes Sultan Parviz and Khusrau, alongside earlier figures such as Babur, Umar Sheikh Mirza, and Sultan Abu Sa’id Mirza.

Unlike typical literary illustrations of the time, the miniature served as a dynastic portrait, placing ancestors and descendants within a single composition. Against a backdrop of golden sky, greenery, and birds, the artist arranged rulers with courtiers and attendants in a celebratory scene. 

Crucially, the names of the figures were inscribed directly onto the painting, giving it both artistic and documentary value.

While fragments of the original remain in collections abroad, including the British Museum, Tashkent’s exhibition presents a complete reconstruction for the first time. Enlarged to several square meters — nearly one hundred times its original size — the work was recreated under the direction of art historian Behzod Khozhmetov, with contributions from about forty artists. 

Missing elements, including depictions of Bayonghur Mirza and Shahrukh Mirza, were reconstructed based on surviving references.

The exhibition is hosted at the Center for Islamic Civilization, a state-backed institution launched under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative to promote what he calls “enlightened Islam” rooted in values of peace and tolerance. The museum aims to present Islamic heritage as both a cultural and scholarly legacy for the modern era.