It’s hard to imagine a more inspiring classroom than the one which housed the first group of students at the Naqsh School of Crafts in Samarkand. Nestled in a room beside the awesome entrance iwan of the Ulugh Beg Madrasa at The Registan, the students found themselves not just learning from history but a very part of it.
A few days earlier at the Center for Islamic Civilization in Tashkent, I had the honour of signing the official partnership agreement between the Uzbekistan Art and Cultural Development Foundation and The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA), with whose support we will preserve, enhance and promote Uzbekistan’s traditional arts and crafts. We were joined by Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, who said: “It is gratifying to know that ancient crafts are gaining a future and that artisans are being inspired to pass them on.”
Later, as the first group of 14 students became immersed in the splendour of The Registan, they received a visit from Prime Minister, Abdulla Aripov, further underlining Uzbekistan’s commitment to the Naqsh School and its mission. It was made more memorable because Samarkand at the time was hosting the 43rd UNESCO General Conference, the first occasion in 40 years that the event had taken place away from Paris.
The emotion of the experience for the students at The Registan was summed up by one who had been moved to tears by the stirring words of one of KFSTA’s teachers. “He made me cry because he explained that we need to remember why we are here, what we are doing who we are,” she recalled. It was a moment that crystallised what we hope to achieve: connecting our young people emotionally and intellectually to their inspirational cultural inheritance.
The course – the first of five modules scheduled for Naqsh School’s pilot year – provided students with an introduction into architectural proportion, calligraphic banna’i patterns, geometric designs and biomorphic ornamentation. Having learned the theory about the complex order of the exquisite designs created by craftspeople between the 15th and 17th centuries, the students could step a few paces outside the classroom to study and sketch the real thing. Marzieh Kaviani, a KFSTA graduate and another teacher on the course, later reflected: “It’s so magical to teach patterns from an old building while you are in it and instead of showing some slides on computer, to learn directly from the patterns on the building.”
The KFSTA is part of The King’s Foundation established by the British monarch King Charles III in 1990 when he was the Prince of Wales to encourage and foster traditional arts around the world. Joining the students at The Registan, Dr. Khaled Azzam – who has been director of the KFSTA for a quarter of a century – said: “Our work is very much based on the balance of the head, the heart and the hand … The course brings alive to the students that this is not just about surface decoration, it is about something profound. It is about a cosmic order manifesting itself.”
Preparations are now underway for the next four exciting modules, beginning with a three-week “Introduction to Geometry and Ornament” from January 26 which will explore a family of patterns governed by the Golden Ratio and investigate how it has been incorporated into the beautiful monuments of Registan. Applications for this module are open until January 4th. The third module, “Introduction to Proportion and Composition”, will examine how proportional and and harmonious principles govern and unify every aspect of architectural composition. The fourth, “Monumental Masonry Ornament”, will look at the interplay between architecture, brickwork patterning and kufic script;the fifth, “Essential Principles of Biomorphic Ornamentation”, will highlight the importance of the stylised floral ornament that beautifies Uzbekistan’s monuments and its various regional and historical contexts. More details are available on the Naqsh School website for those interested in applying for this remarkable opportunity.
The ambition of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation is to start a full-time, two-year course at the Naqsh School later in 2026, establishing it as a place in Tashkent where future generations of artists and craftspeople are nurtured. With the support of the KFSTA and given the remarkable experiences of the first module, I’ve no doubt the Naqsh School will become a beacon for traditional arts education in Central Asia and globally.