The Abu Dhabi institution deepens bilateral ties through academic lectures, archival gifts, and mosque diplomacy under the UAE’s ‘Jusoor’ initiative.
ASTANA —The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has widened its international outreach in Kazakhstan under the “Minarets of the Two Capitals” initiative, rolling out academic lectures, architectural exchanges, and institutional partnerships designed to anchor bilateral cultural ties.
Organised as part of the UAE’s broader “Jusoor” cultural diplomacy programme, the multi-day mission in Astana was coordinated alongside the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy in Kazakhstan. The effort builds on eight years of ongoing institutional collaboration between the two nations, tracing back to the presentation of an architectural scale model of the Abu Dhabi landmark to Astana’s Museum of Peace and Reconciliation.
The delegation gifted an archival collection of specialised works on Islamic architecture, conservation, and decorative arts from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Library to the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The gift supplies regional scholars and state archivists with authoritative references covering centuries of Islamic building techniques and design traditions.
“The Centre’s presence in Kazakhstan reflects the Mosque’s founding mission to foster civilisational dialogue between cultures worldwide,” said Dr Yousif Al Obaidli, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre.
Dr Al Obaidli highlighted that this deployment expands a global outreach campaign running since 2012, which has placed more than 21 scale models of the Abu Dhabi complex in major cultural institutions globally.
On the academic front, Dr Al Obaidli delivered an address at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana before university leadership, faculty, students, and foreign diplomatic envoys. His lecture examined how the mosque’s architectural design, cross-cultural artisan collaborations, and civic programming embody the state-building vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Diplomatic officials framed the cultural mission as a concrete pillar of diplomatic engagement rather than symbolic statecraft.
“From handing over library publications to the Presidential Archive to delivering university lectures, the Centre’s work offers practical proof of our deepening bilateral relationship,” said Dr Mohammed Saeed Al Ariqi, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan.
Ambassador Al Ariqi noted that the delegation’s visit to the Grand Mosque of Astana highlighted shared architectural and religious heritage, noting that constructive cross-cultural dialogue relies on sustained institutional exchanges over spoken platitudes.
The initiative in Astana marks the latest chapter in the Centre’s global calendar, reinforcing the Emirates’ strategy of deploying cultural assets, archival preservation, and public lectures to advance moderate religious discourse across Central Asia.
