Turkistan Institute of Oriental Studies was founded  in Tashkent, in November, 1918. This Institute was the first and only Oriental Higher Educational Institution  in Central Asia, that began to prepare qualified specialists for various branches of Oriental Studies  both for Turkistan and neighboring countries.

    Teaching of History, Ethnography, Geography, Study of local lore, history and economy of  Turkistan and neighboring foreign East countries, History and Law of Islam, Languages and Literature of East peoples. 234 first year students were accepted in 1918. There were taught Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Pushtu, Urdu, Turkish; local languages- Uzbek, Tadzhik, Kirghiz, Turkmen, Tatar; European languages – English, German and French. There were also teaching of Geography of Afghanistan, India, Iran, East and West Turkistan, Bokhara; ethnography of Uzbek, Kirghiz, Persian, Tadzhik, Kazakh, Afghan, Karakalpak peoples; History of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, India and ancient ages, History of Islam.