Uzbekistan will build the largest madrasa in Afghanistan

According to an agreement between the government of Uzbekistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the largest Islamic educational institution in Afghanistan will be built.

As reported by Afghan media, on August 20, 2024, a ceremony was held in the Shahri Naw area of Mazar-i-Sharif to launch the construction, where the first stone was laid for the foundation of this madrasa.

Farhad Nazarov, the Consul General of Uzbekistan in Afghanistan, informed journalists that the madrasa will be built on a plot of 0.6 hectares. A budget of 6 million dollars has been allocated for the construction. This educational institution will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 students for religious education.

The Consul General of Uzbekistan expressed hope that the construction will be completed within a year. The commissioning is expected next year.

The leadership of Balkh province expressed their joy that Uzbekistan is financing such a large project and stated that “the construction of the madrasa is considered an important step in strengthening relations between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan,” which will positively impact further cooperation between the countries.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, Tashkent, unlike Dushanbe, has been trying to establish trade and economic relations with Kabul.

Currently, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan over the past year amounted to about one billion dollars. The authorities of Uzbekistan expect that this figure will exceed 3 billion dollars next year.

In early August of this year, the authorities of Uzbekistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan signed 35 memoranda of understanding totaling 2.5 billion dollars.