tradition

Uzbek and Saudi creative communities gathered in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter to mark the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence through a unique celebration of shared artistic heritage.

Titled The Art of Al-Mounamnamat: From Bukhara to Arabia — Stories Along the Routes of the Sacred, the exhibition at The Space in Al-Mashtal brought together artists, academics, and diplomats to examine how Islamic miniature art serves as a living bridge between Central Asia and the Arab world.

The event featured panel discussions on how manuscript illustration, sacred geometry, and visual storytelling have documented spiritual and cultural practices across generations. Tracing the historic journey of miniature painting from Transoxiana to the modern Middle East, participants explored how the borderless medium continues to evolve.

Nodirjon Turgunov, ambassador of Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia, said: “Events like The Art of Al-Mounamnamat strengthen ties between Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan by bringing people together through Islamic art and our shared cultural heritage. They offer an opportunity to learn about one another’s traditions, exchange ideas and build friendships that deepen the relationship between our countries.

“Holding this event in Riyadh is particularly meaningful. Saudi Arabia has great potential in the field of Islamic art, and we see opportunities for closer cooperation between our artists and cultural institutions. We want to develop cultural diplomacy as a way to bring our peoples closer together, encouraging exhibitions, creative exchanges and joint initiatives. Through these connections, we can celebrate our shared heritage while creating new opportunities for future generations.”

Turgunov added: “As a next step, we plan to organize a similar exhibition featuring Saudi artists in Uzbekistan in the coming years, giving Uzbek audiences an opportunity to discover and appreciate Saudi artistic traditions. We also hope to expand these exchanges to other art forms that reflect the rich cultural heritage of our two nations, building a lasting dialogue between our artists and communities.”

In a session titled From Bukhara to Arabia: Contemporary Practice and Artistic Dialogue, contemporary miniature painter Firuz Kurbanov from Bukhara joined Fahad Al-Jebreen, a Saudi visual artist and assistant professor of art education at King Saud University, to discuss how traditional techniques inform modern creative education.

Highlighting the diplomatic weight of cultural programming, Mirzohid Eshonkulov, first secretary at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Riyadh, highlighted the role of creative engagement in deepening bilateral ties.

“It’s a very important part of bilateral and multilateral relations, because we also call this ‘people-to-people’ diplomacy, because when people love each other, the governments strengthen bilateral relations,” Eshonkulov said. “That’s why we are, as an embassy, ready to boost these cultural ties in Mounamnamat.”

The personal resonance of the art form was highlighted during a joint presentation by Kurbanov and Saudi artist Afnan Tash, founder of Al-Mihrab.

Tash recalled how her journey into miniature painting began following her experience during the Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah in 2018.

“Once I went to this journey and I came back, I was unable to talk; I was unable to express my feelings,” Tash said, adding that she subsequently discovered miniature art as an expressive outlet. She said that her recent works draw inspiration from historic Hajj certificates, created to honor her parents who completed the pilgrimage seven decades ago.

Responding to her narrative, Kurbanov said that while Tash’s work echoes the pattern work of his own Central Asian cultural tradition, his individual practice approaches miniatures through mathematical algorithms and a structured scientific lens.

The evening illustrated how Islamic storytelling continues to serve as an effective mechanism for soft diplomacy, uniting artists across regions through a shared aesthetic tradition.

There are so many boys, girls, men and women with the name Rex living in Southern California that they could form their own football team.

“We have like 28 cousins,” said San Clemente High strong safety/receiver Jaxson Rex.

Every Christmas, the Rex adults and their children, ranging in age from 4 to 28, come together but the family football games have been put on hold.

“We don’t play football anymore because everyone will get hurt and the dads try too hard,” Jaxson said.

There were eight Rex siblings who grew up first in Hawaii, then Bellflower. All are married. The most famous is Bryon, who was an All-American tight end at Brigham Young and is Jaxson’s uncle. Byron’s son, Isaac, played tight end at San Clemente and BYU, and another son, Preston, is a senior running back at BYU.

Jaxson will follow the family tradition of playing at Brigham Young, committing during the summer despite a strong bid by UCLA’s new coaching staff to pull him away. “I loved how UCLA’s new coaching staff is,” he said.

Jaxson is so talented there isn’t a position he can’t play in emergency except on the line. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior was recruited by several schools to be a receiver but sees himself as a strong safety.

“What I’ve enjoyed is the physicality in football,” he said. “I grew up playing basketball and football and realized I wasn’t going to be 7-foot tall, so I tried to focus on football once I hit eighth grade.”

A motivational moment came when he was in sixth grade and moved from Long Beach to San Clemente. He ended up playing against seventh- and eight-graders, which meant he hardly played.

“I never want to be not on the field,” he told himself.

Jaxson doesn’t leave the field for San Clemente (2-0), returning punts and kickoffs besides catching passes and making tackles and interceptions on defense. If you like someone who creates turnovers, that’s Jaxson. He’s always trying to take the ball away from running backs, quarterbacks and receivers.

Last season he had five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and 68 tackles. He also caught 10 touchdown passes. He averaged close to 30 yards on kickoff returns. He had 12 solo tackles in the Southern Section Division 2 final loss to Los Alamitos.

“He does everything and then some,” coach Jaime Ortiz said. “He has a high football IQ. He’s tenacious.”

Former NFL tight end Dennis Pitta, an assistant coach with the Tritons, said, “He’s as hard of a worker and as good as an athlete you could ask for.”

Jaxson calls living in San Clemente “paradise.”

“We always have an ocean breeze, not too hot, not too cold,” he said. “I can always work out any time of the day.”

The end of the summer practices for San Clemente involves jogging from campus 1.8 miles to the San Clemente Pier.

“Everyone is honking their horn while we’re going,” Jaxson said.

Imagine if 28 Rex cousins were participating. The noise would be so loud the town might think a parade was taking place.

Jaxson has an 11-year-old brother learning to play safety.

As long as players named Rex keep coming through San Clemente, the football team will be more than fine.