Jasur Sulaymanov
	Scientific degree and title:	Doctor of philosophy (PhD)
	Position:	Acting head of the Department
	Receptional timetable:	Monday-Friday (14:00-16:00)
	Tel.:	+99871 233-34-24
	E-mail:	info@tsuos.uz

1. History and Development of the Department

The Department of Oriental Philosophy and Hermeneutics is coeval with Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies: the history of its establishment is inextricably linked with the history of the university. The department originally operated under the name “Philosophy”; from 20 September 2015 it was renamed the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Culture, and from 30 August 2024 it acquired its present name, the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Hermeneutics. Since the department’s founding in 1991, prominent philosophers and members of the professorial-teaching staff well known throughout the republic — T.A. Jurayev, M.A. Akhmedova, B.A. Abdukhalimov, Kh.A. Alikulov, U.Y. Idirov, R.M. Imamalieva, B.T. Tuychiyev, M.N. Abdullayeva, E.S. Khoshimova, E.J. Baboyeva, and R.R. Karimov — have carried out productive scholarly and pedagogical work here.

The department’s fields of training have developed consistently over the years: from 2001, a bachelor’s programme in “Philosophy (Oriental Philosophy and Culture)”; from 2005, a specialisation in “Modern Oriental Philosophy and History” (later renamed “History of Philosophy”); from 2015, a master’s specialisation in “Oriental Philosophy and Culture”; and from 2023, training was also launched in the bachelor’s field of “Philosophy” together with the master’s specialisations “Oriental Philosophy and Culture” and “Hermeneutics of Tasawwuf.” As a result, the department trains distinctive specialists with a deep command of Oriental languages, philosophy, and culture. Our graduates go on to work in various centres of learning and enlightenment throughout the republic.

In the educational and upbringing process conducted at the department, particular attention is devoted to cultivating in students and master’s candidates the skills needed to plan and organise spiritual and educational work; to drawing on the progressive ideas found in the history of Oriental philosophy to instil the idea of national independence in their minds; to understanding the nature of contemporary spiritual and ideological threats and countering them; to building immunity against ideological and informational attacks; and, in the context of globalisation, to developing professional competence in the study of Oriental philosophy and culture and of cultural ties with foreign Eastern countries, drawing on the moral values embedded in the spiritual heritage of Central Asian thinkers.

At present, the department’s scholarly and pedagogical staff comprises 2 Doctors of Science and professors, 1 Candidate of Science and professor, 1 Candidate of Science and associate professor, 6 PhD associate professors, 2 PhD senior lecturers, 1 senior lecturer, 1 PhD lecturer, 1 PhD trainee-lecturer, and 4 trainee-lecturers. Notably, most of the younger faculty members are themselves graduates of this university and this department.

Over the years the department has been headed by the following scholars: from 1991 to 1993 by T.A. Jurayev, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences and Professor; from 1994 to 2004 by M.A. Akhmedova, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor, and Honoured Scientist of Uzbekistan; from 2004 to 2023 by D.A. Pulatova, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Professor, and Excellence in Higher Education awardee; and from August 2023 to the present by J.B. Sulaymonov, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Associate Professor.

Faculty of the Department

• Jasur Bakhtiyorovich Sulaymonov — Associate Professor.
• Emine Mustafayevna Izzetova — Professor.
• Muhammadjon Kadirov — Professor.
• Nigora Zaynitdinovna Saydalieva — Associate Professor.
• Iroda Rikhsivoyevna Ikramova — Associate Professor.
• M. Omonova — Associate Professor.
• Laziz Abdivali ogli Turayev — Associate Professor.
• Malokhat Rikhsiboyevna Pulatova — Associate Professor.
• Komiljon Rakhmatovich Rakhimov — Professor, Associate Professor.
• Kakhramon Gulyamjonovich Narimanov — Associate Professor.
• Sherali Soyibnazar ogli Jurayev — Senior Lecturer.
• Shakhnoza Nodirovna Sulaymonova — Lecturer.
• Javlon Murod ogli Abdazimov — Lecturer.
• Nilufar Yuldashevna Nasirova — Senior Lecturer.
• Lutfullo Rustam ogli Shomukimov — Trainee-Lecturer.
• Raykhona Abdulazisovna Kholboyeva — Trainee-Lecturer.
• Ozod Payzillayevich Khamutaliyev — Senior Lecturer.
• Shokhrukh Shukhrat ogli Ismoilov — Trainee-Lecturer.

2. Our Graduates — Our Pride!

Graduates of the bachelor’s programme in Oriental Philosophy and Culture and of the master’s specialisation work successfully in the country’s institutions of higher and specialised secondary education and in various state and non-state organisations; some continue their studies at prestigious institutions at home and abroad.

In particular, Aziza Shonazarova, a graduate of the department’s Philosophy programme and a gifted master’s candidate in Oriental Philosophy and Culture, continued her education abroad, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in 2019, and was elected professor at Columbia University (USA). In 2020 she was awarded the Order of Dustlik by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sh.M. Mirziyoyev. Today Aziza Shonazarova maintains close cooperation with the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Culture at TSUOS and also serves as adviser to the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Kakhramon Kakhkharovich Dolimov, a graduate of the Philosophy programme, served as Consul General of the Republic of Uzbekistan in New York. Another graduate, Jasur Akhmedov, serves as assistant to the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the People’s Republic of China. Sherzod Rasulov works at the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Jamshid Mukhsin ogli Niyazbekov, a graduate of the master’s specialisation in Oriental Philosophy and Culture, serves as adviser on spirituality and state-language affairs to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

3. Instructional and Methodological Activity

The training of highly qualified specialists depends critically on linking the pedagogical work of the department’s faculty inseparably with scholarly-theoretical and scholarly-methodological research. One outcome of this work was the 1998 publication of the textbook Fundamentals of Philosophy, edited by Professor M.A. Akhmedova and Associate Professor V.S. Khan. An expanded second edition appeared in 2004, and in 2006, under the general editorship of Professor M.A. Akhmedova, the textbook Falsafa was published in Uzbek (Latin script). These publications were recommended by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan for students at all higher education institutions in the republic and continue to serve as core references not only for students and master’s candidates but also for research scholars and philosophy instructors. Department faculty members D.A. Pulatova, R.M. Imamalieva, M. Kodirov, Kh. Alikulov, E.J. Baboyeva, and R.R. Karimov took part as co-authors in their creation.

It is well known that, following Uzbekistan’s independence, considerable opportunities opened up for the development of scholarship, and of philosophy in particular. The new textbooks, teaching aids, monographic studies, and encyclopaedic publications that appeared during this period are vivid evidence of this. Faculty members of our department were active participants in this process: D.A. Pulatova, M. Kodirov, R.M. Imamalieva, Kh. Alikulov, and G.M. Ruzmatova became known as authors of a number of entries included in Philosophy: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary (Tashkent, 2004), edited by K. Nazarov, Philosophy: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary (Tashkent, 2010), the textbook Philosophy (Tashkent, 2005), and the popular-science reference Independent Uzbekistan (Tashkent, 2007).

Between 2020 and 2026, department faculty members M. Kodirov, E. Izzetova, S. Akhmedova, J. Sulaymonov, I. Ikramova, N. Saydalieva, L. Turayev, M. Omonova, K. Narimanov, and Sh. Jurayev jointly prepared for publication, and secured publication clearance for, textbooks and teaching aids meeting contemporary pedagogical standards, including: History of Oriental Philosophy and Culture; Philosophy of Culture and Axiology; Philosophy and Methodology of Science; Philosophy of Religion; Methods of Teaching Philosophy; Ethics and Aesthetics; History of World Culture; Cultural Monuments of Uzbekistan; History of Oriental Philosophy (Japanese Philosophy); Globalisation and Ideological Threats; Principal Trends in Modern Oriental Philosophy; and Anthropological Problems in Eastern and Western Philosophy.

The Department Trains Specialists in the Following Bachelor’s Field and Master’s Specialisations

Bachelor’s field

5120800 — Oriental Philosophy and Culture;

from the 2021–2022 academic year: 60220500 — Philosophy (Oriental Philosophy and Culture)

Master’s specialisations

70220502 — Oriental Philosophy and Culture

70220503 — Hermeneutics of Tasawwuf

Disciplines Taught at the Department:

4. Research Activity

From 2003 to 2007, the department carried out state-grant-funded research on the theme “Oriental Philosophy and Its Reflection in the Idea of National Independence.” Within this grant the following monographs were published: Japanese Philosophy by M.A. Akhmedova; Religious and Philosophical Views of the Ancient Turkic Peoples by K. Sodikov; Korean Philosophy by M.A. Akhmedova and V.S. Khan; and Indian Philosophy by M.A. Akhmedova, S. Yuldashev, and O. Shomatov. On this basis, a two-volume scholarly compendium, Oriental Philosophy, was published in Russian and Uzbek.

From 2009 to 2011, department members conducted research within a project of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, “Development and Implementation of Improved Instructional and Methodological Provision for Teaching Philosophy within the Education System.” Within this project, teaching aids without parallel in either the region or the world were published for pre-school children in Uzbek (Latin script) and Russian — Alphabet of Wisdom and Azbuka Mudrosti — together with methodological recommendations for educators and parents, Alphabet of Wisdom: Methodological Recommendations and Azbuka Mudrosti: Metodicheskiye Rekomendatsii. In 2011, teaching aids based on contemporary pedagogical technologies were published for the disciplines Logic, Western Philosophy, Oriental Philosophy, Oriental Philosophy of the Modern and Contemporary Period, Philosophy, Philosophy: A Structural-Practical Course in the Fundamentals of Philosophy, A Model of Educational Technology for the Subject “Philosophy and Methodology of Science,” Ethics, and Ethical Studies; in 2013, a certificate of publication was obtained pursuant to Order No. 128 of 19 April issued by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Department members also conducted research within a fundamental project of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2012–2016, “The Values of Oriental Philosophy and Their Place in the Spiritual Life of Uzbekistan.” In 2009, 2010, and 2012, republic-wide scholarly-practical conferences under the same title were held on the department’s initiative, and collections of articles by participating scholars and researchers were published following each conference. Since 2019, republic-wide scholarly-practical conferences on the theme “The Place of the Written Heritage of Eastern Scholars in Scholarly, Philosophical, and Spiritual Thought” have been held on a regular, traditional basis.

Over the past ten years, members of the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Hermeneutics have published more than 450 printer’s sheets, comprising over 250 titles of scholarly and instructional-methodological works and articles.

Since 2018, the department has operated a base doctoral programme in the specialisation “History of Philosophy.” During this period, 5 graduates of the base doctoral programme and 7 independent researchers have successfully defended dissertations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on topics within the history of Oriental philosophy. At present, 3 base doctoral candidates and 4 independent researchers are conducting research on their respective scholarly topics at the department.

Another important facet of the department’s scholarly activity is the discussion of candidate and doctoral dissertations submitted to the specialised council in philosophical sciences and their recommendation for defence. In addition to serving as the lead organisation providing formal reviews for a number of candidate and doctoral dissertations, the department also organises, at a high level, scholarly seminars devoted to their discussion.

5. Our Students’ Achievements — A Step Toward the Future!

The department pays particular attention to work with gifted students. To identify and cultivate such students, a “Young Philosophers’ Club” has been established at the department, whose sessions — conducted with the participation of the department’s leading faculty — feature engaging discussions and debates on pressing topics in philosophy. Here students and master’s candidates not only listen to fascinating scholarly presentations but also acquire the skills needed to prepare scholarly articles, essays, and reports and to defend their own points of view.

Since 1997 the department has held an annual traditional student scholarly conference on the theme “Oriental Philosophy: History and the Present.” Authors of the best presentations heard at the conference are recommended to take part in the university-wide scholarly conference, and their articles are published in the scholarly compendiums of students and master’s candidates. The purpose of engaging young people in such activity is to awaken their interest in scholarly inquiry and to cultivate the relevant aptitudes and skills.

Gifted students in the Philosophy (Oriental Philosophy and Culture) bachelor’s field and the Oriental Philosophy and Culture master’s specialisation have won the country’s prestigious scholarships — the Scholarship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the scholarships named after Alisher Navoi, Ogahiy, and Suima Ganiyeva. They have also studied under student-exchange programmes at the University of Delhi (India) and Hanmun University (Republic of Korea). More than 30 of our graduates, drawn precisely from the ranks of such gifted students, have gone on to earn PhD and DSc degrees and continue to contribute to the development of the country’s scholarly potential.

6. International Cooperation

Since 2022 the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Hermeneutics has taken its international ties to a new level. Under a memorandum signed in October 2022 between TSUOS and Istanbul University, department faculty and doctoral candidates completed traineeships at the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University. This cooperation continued from 21 to 30 December 2025, when department faculty members I. Ikramova and G. Abduvakhabova undertook a further traineeship at Istanbul University.

From 10 to 22 October 2025, department Associate Professor J. Sulaymonov, PhD, undertook professional development at the University of Pisa (Italy) as part of a faculty exchange under the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme. Between September and December 2025, department doctoral candidate Sherali Shavkatov took part in a student exchange at Leiden University (Netherlands) under the same programme. From 9 to 13 December 2025, department faculty took part in the practical sessions of a 144-hour professional development course at M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University (Republic of Kazakhstan).

In April 2026, department Senior Lecturer Sherali Jurayev, PhD, successfully completed a 144-hour professional development programme organised by INTI International University, one of Malaysia’s leading universities, and on 22 April was received by Dr Rabindra Dev Prasad, Dean of that university’s Faculty of Education and Social Sciences. On 29 April, department Associate Professor Laziz Turayev, PhD, undertook a scholarly visit to Istanbul, Turkey, holding meetings with representatives of leading academic institutions there.

The department’s ties with foreign partners are developing rapidly. On 22 December 2025, at the department’s initiative, Professor Douglas L. Berger of Leiden University delivered an online lecture entitled “Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: An Updated Historical Approach.” Douglas L. Berger has served since 2017 as Professor of Global and Comparative Philosophy and as Director of the Centre for Intercultural Philosophy at Leiden University (Netherlands).

On 20 April 2026, an international scholarly lecture was organised at the department for master’s candidates in the Oriental Philosophy and Culture and Hermeneutics of Tasawwuf specialisations. Professor Orif Navshohiy, PhD, of Rawalpindi College in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a member of the Iranian Academy of Language and Literature, spoke on “The Significance of Rashahat Ayn al-Hayat in the History of Tasawwuf in Uzbekistan.” On 14 May, Dr M. Junaid Kaya, representing Turkey, delivered a lecture to department students entitled “Fundamental Features of the Philosophy of Ibn Sina.”

On 10 June 2026, as part of the Erasmus programme and the internationalisation process, Dr Michele Pagano, Professor at the University of Pisa (Italy), visited Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies at the department’s initiative. The visitor was given a detailed briefing on TSUOS’s educational process, institutional structure, fields of training, master’s specialisations, and internationalisation efforts, and he also toured the university museum, learning about the university’s history and its distinguished scholars.

To ensure the systematic advancement of faculty members’ scholarly standing, the department regularly holds scholarly-theoretical and scholarly-methodological seminars. The topics discussed fall within the department’s overarching research direction, “The Values of Oriental Philosophy and Their Place in the Spiritual Life of Uzbekistan.”

Department faculty, master’s candidates, and students carry out activities within the framework of corporate cooperation agreements concluded with the Department of Philosophy at Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan, the Department of Social Sciences at Nizami Tashkent State Pedagogical University, the Department of Philosophy at Tashkent State University of Economics, the Department of Social Sciences at Tashkent State Transport University, and the Abu Rayhan Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies under the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The department has also established cooperative ties with the Department of Social Sciences at the Yunusabad Academic Lyceum of Foreign Languages under TSUOS.

In sum, the instructional-methodological, research, and spiritual-educational activity of the Department of Oriental Philosophy and Hermeneutics at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies is directed toward training spiritually mature, highly qualified, and authoritative Orientalist-philosophers, and, in the longer term, toward establishing a scholarly-educational centre and school for the study of Oriental philosophy and culture.

Partner Organisations

The department currently cooperates with the following organisations:

1. Abu Rayhan Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan
2. Coordination and Methodological Centre for Issues of the Contemporary History of Uzbekistan under the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan
3. Centre for Islamic Civilisation under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan
4. Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan
5. Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan, Faculty of Social Sciences
6. Nizami Tashkent State Pedagogical University, Department of Social Sciences
7. Tashkent State University of Economics, Department of Philosophy
8. Tashkent State Transport University, Department of Social Sciences
9. Yunusabad Academic Lyceum under Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies
10. Secondary School No. 202, Chilanzar District
11. Secondary School No. 193, Uchtepa District
12. Secondary School No. 322, Sergeli District
13. Rahimov School (private school)

International Cooperation:

1. Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Department of Social Sciences
2. Leiden University (Netherlands), Institute of Philosophy
3. University of Pisa (Italy), Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge
4. Istanbul University (Turkey), Department of Philosophy

10.08.2026, 10:40 7979 Print version