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The time and the place were not chosen by chance, as the followers of Islam had been living in the territory of Odesa Oblast’ for centuries, but this pages of the history of the region "were being overwritten" purposefully, for a long time — first, by Russian imperial historians,  and then by Soviet historians.

 

Presenting the book, the head of the Ukrainian Center of Islamic Studies, the mufti  RAMU "Umma", Said Ismagilov,  notes that Ukraine has a special destiny:

"Our country is situated not only at the crossroads of all roads, on the border of Europe and Asia, where the story ends and the legend begins, but also at the meeting place of Christianity and Islam. [...] Islam is the deep-rooted traditional religion for Ukraine, which greatly influenced the development of our country, the formation of the mentality, character, culture and even language."

 

Presentation of the book was launched at the round work table, devoted to the 350th anniversary of the research mission travel throw the lands of the Crimea and southern regions of Ukraine, made by Turkish historian and geographer, Evliya Celebi.

 

The event was attended by leading scientists, as historians, regional ethnographers, archaeologists, religious scholars, public figures and representatives of religious organizations of Ukraine (Crimea, Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk) and Poland (Poznań), as well as officials, religious and community leaders. It was organized by the Ukrainian Center for Islamic Studies, All-Ukrainian Association of Social Organizations "Alraid" and the Odesa Regional State Administration. In the building of the latter, the event took place and the audience was discussing the scientific heritage of Evliya Çelebi.

 

The Bishop of Odesa and Balta, Mark (UOC-KP) noted in his speech that the representatives of many religions have been coexisting in our land, for centuries, so  such objective historical researches and the meetings of scientists contribute to the formation of a healthy society, in which the people respect the religious feelings of each other.