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Background
Born in Uzbekistan, Timur Tillyaev completed his studies in the USA, graduating from Midlands University, Nebraska. He is currently a successful businessman in the international transport industry. But like his wife Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, Timur Tillyaev always makes time for his family, and together they have three children who are now active young adults themselves.
Charitable Foundations
This concern for the welfare of children spreads beyond their own close family circle; in 2002, Lola Tillyaeva founded the You Are Not Alone Foundation, a charity that works with orphaned and abandoned children in her native land to give them a loving home and a good education, something both she and Timur Tillyaev want for every child. Two years later, in 2004, Lola founded a second charity, the National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children, that provides not only educational support but also medical and adaptive training, helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds grow into confident young adults ready to play an active part in society. Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva sees this as her calling, and her husband Timur Tillyaev is with her every step of the way.
Ulugh Beg: A man the world should know
In 2017, Lola and Timur Tillyaev co-produced an award-winning documentary about a visionary ruler-cum-scientist from their native land, Ulugh Beg, Tamerlane’s grandson. During his brief reign as Timurid ruler in the fifteenth century, Ulugh Beg transformed the city of Samarkand (today Uzbekistan’s second city after the capital Tashkent) into the epicenter of science, the arts and learning. Ruler, scientist, astronomer and mathematician, Ulugh Beg built an impressively large observatory from which he mapped out the stars with astounding accuracy. He left behind a wealth of writings, including his famous star charts that were later studied by astronomers as far away as Oxford University.
Ulugh Beg: The Man Who Unlocked the Universe follows the life of this little-known but significant man from his birth as a royal prince to his untimely death. Meticulously researched and with a star cast, the documentary was filmed on-site in Uzbekistan but also features interviews with Western astronauts, scientist and historian as well as presenting real-life artifacts once used by Ulugh Beg and now held in prestigious world museums. Lola and Timur Tillyaev headed up a great creative team for this documentary, and it is no wonder that it took the Cineo Award for Best Foreign Documentary at the 74th Venice International Film Festival as well as Best Documentary Award at the Ischia Film Festival at the film’s 2017 debut.
The Harmonist
The couple’s most recent project – The Harmonist – is Lola Tillyaeva’s brainchild, a unique perfume house launched in 2016. But true to the Tillyaevs’ vision, The Harmonist is no ordinary brand. Based on the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, The Harmonist offers a range of 10 signature scents that embody the subtle characteristics of each of the five fundamental elements that form the building blocks of the whole Universe and all life within it. Using top-quality natural ingredients prized for their unique properties, The Harmonist team have crafted a gorgeous collection of sophisticated scents that can help balance inner and outer energies by harmonizing the five elements (earth, fire, water, wind, metal) through the powerful medium of smell.
The Droplet
With respect for nature at the heart of all The Harmonist does, Timur Tillyaev and Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva embarked on an inspired project to highlight the plight of one our planet’s most precious resources: water. As one of the five fundamental elements, water plays a vital role in all aspects of life on Earth, and so The Droplet was born, a multi-sensory innovative art installation that provides a venue to stimulate discussion and help find solutions to some of the most pressing water-related issues facing the world today. Like Lola, Timur Tillyaev is a staunch advocate for our planet’s fragile environment.
Together, Lola and Timur Tillyaev form a strong husband and wife team that embodies the harmony they seek to create, standing side by side to champion philanthropic causes and build a better future for children in need.
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