Fajarasia.co – During her working visit to Uzbekistan, the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, took the time to visit the grave of a great Islamic figure, Imam Al-Bhukari in Samarkand City. Grandfather Puan, the first President of Indonesia Soekarno had a great influence on the discovery and restoration of the tomb of Imam Al-Bhukari.
Puan’s visit to Imam Al-Bhukari’s grave was on the sidelines of attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) 14th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament (14SWSP) which was held in the capital city of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
From Tashkent, Puan took the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand for 2 hours 10 minutes, Friday (9/9/2022). He was accompanied by the Indonesian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Sunaryo Kartadinata.
Arriving at the train station, Puan was greeted by the Governor of Samarkand, Turdimov Erkinjon Okbotaevich and his staff. Puan and Turdimov Erkinjon then had a brief meeting at the VIP Lounge of Samarkand Station.
“Samarkand reminds me of the story of my grandfather, the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir Soekarno or Bung Karno, who admired Imam Al-Bukhori, as one of the most prominent narrators of the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad SAW,” said Puan at the meeting.
Bung Karno had received an invitation from the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushcev, to come in 1956. As a pioneer of the non-aligned movement, Bung Karno then carried out peaceful diplomacy when he came to Uzbekistan, which at that time was still part of the Soviet Union as an effective way to strengthen relations. between countries considering the polarization of the blocs of major powers at that time.
“Bung Karno was pleased to accept the invitation to the Soviet Union if Krushchev could show him the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari. And thank God, this can be realized, until finally the tomb can be restored, “said Puan.
“I see this as one of Bung Karno’s contributions to the Muslim world,” continued the first woman who served as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
On that occasion, Puan expressed her pleasure to come to Samarkand. He also praised the leadership of Governor Turdimov Erkinjon.
“I feel very happy to meet the governor in the city of Samarkand, the city of priests, which is very beautiful. The city of Samarkand has strong historical roots for Islamic civilization, because this city is one of the centers for the spread of Islam to the Central Asian region,” said Puan.
The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture then mentioned Indonesia’s cooperation with Uzbekistan, particularly in the tourism sector. Currently, the two countries have cooperation in managing a hotel in the Imam al-Bukhari mausoleum area in Samarkand.
Puan said, Samarkand is a city that is very rich in historical stories about world civilization, religion, and culture.
“As countries that both have a Muslim majority population, Indonesia and Uzbekistan have the potential for religious tourism that can be developed, one of which is pilgrimage tourism at the tombs of the Imams in Samarkand,” he explained.
“I appreciate this as a positive effort to respond to the needs of the people of the two countries in the field of religious tourism,” continued Puan.
Meanwhile, Governor Samarkand expressed his gratitude for the presence of Puan, especially as the family of Bung Karno. He talked about Bung Karno’s role in the history of Samarkand.
“And Bung Karno was the first leader to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari in the modern history of Samarkand. Because of Bung Karno’s services, now foreigners can visit the tomb,” said Erkinjon.
For information, Bung Karno at that time gave the Soviet Union a condition to find and restore the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari when asked to visit Tashkent and Samarkand. The request was made when Bung Karno was visiting Moscow, Russia, which at that time was still both part of the Soviet Union.
Finally the Soviet Union managed to find the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari and restore it. Soekarno then came and made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari on September 6, 1956, the same date as Puan’s birth date.
“For the services of Bung Karno, Imam Al-Bukhari’s tomb can be found and treated afterwards,” said Governor Samarkand.
Governor Erkinjon then invited Puan to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari. Puan’s arrival on September 9, 2022, is almost the same as the date of Bung Karno’s visit to the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari 66 years ago.
Puan’s presence was welcomed by the Imam and Caretaker of Imam Al-Bukhari’s Tomb named Mufti Zainiddin who had visited Indonesia. To Puan, Mufti Zainiddin thanked Bung Karno for his urging the discovery and maintenance of Imam Bukhari’s tomb.
“Every time Uzbeks make a pilgrimage to Imam Bukhari’s grave, they also always pray for Bung Karno and will never forget his good service,” said Mufti Zainiddin.
The Imam Al-Bukhari tomb complex is actually not open to the public because renovations are being carried out in preparation for the celebration of Imam Bukhari’s 1250th Hijri birthday which will fall in May 2023. However, Puan has special access to enter the tomb area.
At this time the construction of the building is almost complete and will continue with decorative work. Later there will be 27 hotels around the complex so that pilgrims can stay, one of which is an investor from Indonesia. The Governor of Samarkand invited Puan in person to attend the celebration.
Not only that, Governor Erkinjon also expressed his gratitude to the family and all Indonesian people for the services of President Soekarno. He also showed several historical photos of President Soekarno’s visit from the private archive collection of the Special Staff (advisor) of the Minister of Tourism which will be reproduced to be submitted to Puan.
Ladies Visit Silk Road International University
In addition to the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari, Puan also visited Silk Road International University during her visit to Samarkand. His presence was welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism of Uzbekistan, who is also the rector of Silk Road International University, Aziz Abduhakimov.
“I appreciate Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, as an educational institution that is able to become a forum for various innovative ideas, and potential investments related to Uzbekistan’s history,” said Puan.
Silk Road International University is a leading international university in the field of tourism in the city of Samarkand. The university also has a mission to promote the culture of Uzbekistan and other cultures along the Silk Road.
Not only that, Silk Road International University carries the concept of a smart university by utilizing the latest technology and has collaborated with many world-renowned hotel chains.
“I hope that there can be closer relations between Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage and relevant institutions in Indonesia,” said Puan.
To note, Indonesia and Uzbekistan have an MoU regarding cooperation in the field of tourism which was signed in Tashkent on April 8, 1995 which became the basis for cooperation in the tourism sector. Puan also regrets that there has been a decline in the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Uzbekistan (Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On the contrary, I also pay attention to the decline in the number of Uzbek tourists coming to Indonesia during the pandemic. For this reason, I think it is necessary for the two countries to encourage tourism promotion missions between the two countries in order to increase the number of tourist visits,” appealed the grandson of the Indonesian Proclaimer Bung Karno.
“And of course as part of the post-pandemic recovery efforts, especially to reactivate the economic nodes of the people of the two countries who depend on the tourism sector,” added Puan.
During this visit, Puan had the opportunity to tour the campus building which was inaugurated in 2018. The university said it would provide scholarships for 5 Indonesian students to study at Silk Road International University.
When she saw the exhibition of traditional clothing from various Asian countries at the Silk Road International University campus area, Puan suggested that there should also be an appearance of Indonesian traditional clothing. He stated that he would seek this in cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy in Taskent.
Likewise, when she visited the library and saw a collection of books from various countries in various languages and international cuisines, Puan promised to send Bung Karno’s Favorite Recipes to become a collection of the Silk Road International University library.
The lady was then asked to leave a note via hand note for Silk Road International University. This is because Bung Karno left a handwritten note during his visit to Tashkent in 1956.
The following is a handwritten note written by Mrs.
“As the chairman of the DPR RI and as the grandson of Ir. Soekarno, I hope that the relationship between Uzbekistan and Indonesia will be stronger and closer and bring progress to both countries. RED JAS (Never forget HISTORY).
Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia
September 9, 2022
Signed
Mrs Maharani.”.*****
