Kokand – the ancient city of craftsmen


Asia

Kokand – the ancient city of craftsmen


Part 1

Kokand, located in the western part of the Ferghana Valley, is the oldest city on the Great Silk Road.

The first written evidence about the city of Khukand, Havokand are found in the annals of the 10th century. The city was an important trading center on the Great Silk Road. In the XIII century, like most Central Asian cities, it was destroyed by the Mongols. World-wide fame came to the city in the 18th century, when it became the capital of the richest and most developed Kokand Khanate. In the first half of the 18th century, not far from the present city (then the territory of the Emirate of Bukhara), the founder of the dynasty of Kokand khans founded the Eski-Kurgan fortress (1732), from which the new Kokand actually began. Initially, it was a small possession, separated from the Bukhara Emirate.

The khanate reached its power in the first half of the 19th century, when its territory included most of modern Uzbekistan, part of southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China. The Kokand Khanate also included Tashkent and Chimkent. It was a large, powerful state – a promising trade and religious center.

The greatness and prosperity of Kokand is still visible in its luxurious architectural heritage of those times - tiled mosques, tombs, madrasahs. And this is not surprising, because Kokand was the center of education and development of sciences. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 660 mosques, 67 madrasas, 26 sanctuaries, more than a hundred khanakas, 6 central and dozens of specialized bazaars, about 30 caravanserais.

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Palace of Khudoyar Khan

Palace of Khudoyar Khan, Дворец Худояр-хана

The real pearl of Kokand and one of the main historical sights of the city is the palace of Khudoyar Khan, also called "Kokand Urda" by the people.

It is known from history that more than 29 khans changed in the Kokand Khanate, but the most powerful was Khudoyar Khan, who ascended the throne in 1845 at the age of 12 and became famous as a fierce and tenacious ruler.

The complex was erected in 1871 and became the seventh khan's palace. It is a real magnificent oriental palace, as if from the Thousand and One Nights fairy tales.

Palace of Khudoyar Khan, Дворец Худояр-хана

The best masters of the khanate and neighboring possessions were involved in the construction of the palace. The talented architect of Kokand Mir Ubaydullo supervised the construction. The best artisans of Rishtan (the ancient center of ceramics) were engaged in finishing work in the palace.

Initially, the complex was located on an area of 4 hectares and consisted of 7 courtyards with various buildings. The palace building was raised at a three-meter level and was 138 meters long and 65 meters wide. A long ramp leads to the main entrance, at the foot of which iron and copper cannons used to be located. Above the huge carved doors there is an inscription in Arabic: "Great Seyid Muhammad Khudoyar Khan."

At the beginning, the palace had 119 rooms, which were decorated with openwork carvings on ganch and colorful ornaments. A special place was occupied by the throne room and the reception room of the khan. Nearby were the treasury, the royal treasury, the military arsenal, rooms for his children and the private chambers of the khan and his wives.

Unfortunately, only 2 courtyards and 19 rooms have survived to this day. Most of the Khan's property was looted or confiscated. Today you can find some artifacts of the Kokand Khanate in world museums. One of them – the throne of Khudoyar Khan adorned with precious stones – is kept in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg).

Nowadays, the palace itself houses a local museum of local lore, which tells about the former splendor of the powerful khanate.



Tomb of Dakhma-i-Shakhon

Tomb of Dakhma-i-Shakhon, Усыпальница Дахма-и-Шахон

A significant historical landmark can be considered the unique ensemble of Dakhma-i-Shakhon, the family tomb of the Kokand rulers.

It was founded in 1825. According to historical information, the idea of building this architectural monument and mausoleum belongs to the great Uzbek poetess Mokhlaroyim Nodira. She was the daughter of the ruler of Andijan and the wife of one of the last Kokand khans, Umar Khan. Nodira had an extraordinary mind and poetic gift. After the death of her husband in 1822, she became a just and wise ruler of a huge khanate. She decided to build a large architectural complex from the family tomb, where her husband and his ancestors were buried, which later became an important landmark of this region. Several tombs and sarcophagi appeared here, where the rulers of Kokand rest.

The ensemble consists of three parts: a domed building with a portal, a mosque-aivan with two columns and a family cemetery.

Every detail, from doors and casement windows to stone slabs, has a special artistic value. Prominent ustos (craftsmen) carving wood and ganch worked on the construction and decoration of this mausoleum.

The low building of the mausoleum with a beautifully finished facade is decorated with ornaments and wooden carved elements, on which you can read the surahs of the Koran in Arabic and lines of poetry of the ruler Umar Khan. The entrance portal is decorated with mosaic patterns of glazed tiles, which make up an artistic harmony of blue and light blue. The upper part of the portal is decorated with a frame and patterns from the compositions that can be seen on the Fergana fabrics.

During the existence of the memorial complex, numerous mazars (burial places for local citizens) were formed around it, which grew into an independent cemetery.

In 1971, the tomb was restored by local craftsmen.



Mausoleum of Modari Khan

Mausoleum of Modari Khan, Мавзолей Модари-хана

Another building of the same kind is the beautiful Modari Khan mausoleum with a central turquoise dome. It was also built in 1825.

Unlike the family tomb of Dakhma-i-Shakhon, this one was intended exclusively for one burial: for the mother of the Kokand ruler Umar Khan (from Tajik modar – mother). The construction of this mausoleum is also associated with the name of the poetess Nodira.

The Mausoleum of Modari Khan is a small-sized portal-domed tomb with small faceted minarets, behind which there is a cemetery. The tiled portal differs somewhat from other samples of Kokand architecture in its color scheme: not only the traditional colors of white and blue, but also yellow-red and green patterns are used here.

The masters shifted their main attention to the decorative decoration of buildings. That is why the tombs are perceived not so much as works of architectural skill, but rather as works of art by the hands of folk ceramists.

Not far from the mausoleum you can see a monument made of white marble and bronze. It was erected in honor of Nodira herself, whose fate was very tragic. She was executed by order of the Emir of Bukhara Nasrullah, when he seized the Kokand lands after a protracted internecine war.

Her remains also found peace in the Mausoleum of Modari Khan, and later this tomb became the burial place for all women of the khan's family.

By order of Nodira, many beautiful buildings were built in Kokand, including the Chalpak madrasah.



Jami Mosque

Jami Mosque, Мечеть Джами

The heritage of Kokand as a Muslim center is reflected in the many surviving religious buildings, some of which amaze with their appearance.

And one of them is the beautiful and elegant Jami Mosque on Chorsu Square.

In the historical chronicles of the 9th–12th centuries there is a mention of the cathedral mosque in Kokand, which stood on Chorsu square. But in the 13th century, during the Mongol conquests, it, like the entire city, was destroyed and rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century by Umar Khan.

In 1805, the ruler of Kokand, Olim Khan, began the construction of a cathedral mosque, but the construction was stopped. And only in 1814 the brother of Olim Khan – Umar Khan – again begins the construction of the mosque. He invited a talented architect from Ura-Tyube to supervise the construction. At least 200 talented builders worked under his supervision. Two years later, the Jami mosque was built, and the fame of its beauty spread far beyond the borders of Kokand.

Jami Mosque, Мечеть Джами

To this day, one can admire the skillful columns of the iwan painted with colors with the addition of gold and the khanaka with a richly decorated vault. Fine ganch carvings have been preserved on the walls of the mosque, and in the center of the courtyard there is a slender, solitary minaret 22.5 meters high with a faceted dome, from where the muezzin called the faithful to prayer. From here, according to legend, criminals, traitors and wives convicted of infidelity were thrown off.

From the top of the minaret one could see the whole of Kokand.

Along the perimeter of the courtyard there were hujras, classrooms, since there was also a madrasah at the mosque, which operated until 1918.

In 1905 the complex was restored.

To this day, residents of the city rush here for the next Friday prayer.

The beauty and nobility of the architecture of the Jami Mosque put it on a par with the architectural monuments of Samarkand and Bukhara.



Gishtlik Mosque

Gishtlik Mosque, Мечеть Гиштлик

The Gishtlik (Brick) Mosque was built at the beginning of the 20th century by local craftsmen for the parishioners of their guzar – quarter.

The symmetrical building, built of baked bricks, consists of a hall and an aivan of equal area – 7.8x18.4 meters. On the axis of symmetry on the western walls are mihrab niches in the form of lancet recesses.

Darvozakhona - the entrance portal of the mosque – in terms of architecture and ornamentation, it forms an organic ensemble with all the buildings. It has three entrance lancet openings, with a towering rectangular middle part of large proportions. The decor of the portal is a mosaic tiled large geometric pattern, on the lancet niches a floral pattern is depicted. The U-shaped mosaic decoration of the portal with zigzags resembles Khan-atlas – Fergana fabric for outerwear.

The flat ceiling of the summer part is supported by 12 faceted wooden columns installed in two rows. The beamed ceiling is made of vass - semi-cylindrical perches laid with the convex side down, which enriches the plastic solution of the ceiling. The structures covering the hall showed the influence of Russian engineers. Here, a system of wooden rafters with a suspended ceiling is used, eliminating the traditional intermediate supports. Of particular value is the decorative decoration of the mosque. Ceiling plafonds are covered with finely crafted ornaments of plant motifs, which are dominated by red and green colors.

After restoration, the building was used as a library. Currently, there is a functioning mosque.

The laconic plan and original decor put the Gishtlik Mosque among the best monuments of Kokand architecture.



Madrassah Norbuta-bey

Madrassah Norbuta-bey, Медресе Норбута-бия

Also in the city you can see several old madrasahs. Norbut-Biya madrasah is a striking example of the craftsmanship of Kokand architects and craftsmen. It was built in the 18th century near the Jami mosque and became the largest religious center in the city.

In terms of the style of construction and planning, the Norbuta-biya madrasah is very similar to typical Bukhara monuments of the 18th–19th centuries. This is a monumental one-story building with a double central arch and stocky guldasta towers with faceted cylindrical tops. The facade wall is lined with bricks and is 70 meters long. The main entrance is highlighted by a massive front peshtak (portal) and is oriented to the north.

The inner space of the madrasah is a closed structure. Around the inner courtyard along the perimeter there are 24 hujras – cells for students. To the right of the entrance to the darskhona is the main room where classes were held, to the left is a domed mosque where religious services were held, and in the center is an aivan for classes in the warm season.

The madrasah still fulfills its intended purpose – it is an educational institution. It currently has over 80 students.



Emir Madrasah

The Emir Madrasah, built in the 18th century, is also one of the historical monuments of Kokand.

Emir Madrasah is built in a strict but elegant style. The facade of the building is 30 meters long and 21 meters wide and is decorated with geometric and floral ornaments made of multi-colored majolica. In the courtyard of the madrasah there are hujras – cells for students. On the left side of the courtyard there is a mosque, and on the right side there is a darshona (study room). The mosque and the classroom are crowned with blue domes and are particularly elegant.

The mosque is active and is open to both believers and tourists.



Madrasah Kamol-Kazi

Madrasah Kamol-Kazi, Медресе Камол-кази

Another small but interesting madrasah Kamol-kazi (Uzb. Kamol qozi madrasasi) is located to the west of the Jami mosque. It was built under the Uzbek ruler Muhammad Ali Khan (Madali Khan) at the expense of the Kokand Kazi – Kamol in the first half of the 19th century (in 1830–1832) from baked bricks and decorated with an ornamental portal, like other traditional buildings.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Kamol-kazi madrasah served as a Muslim institution of higher education for the children of the local nobility and consisted of a darshona – an educational room, a hujr – living quarters and a mosque-aivan on four columns with an entrance in the east.

Like other monuments of medieval Kokand, only the entrance portal of the madrasah with side cylindrical towers, decorated with colored tiles and majolica in geometric style, Arabic inscriptions and domed lanterns, stands out with rich decoration. The interior of the madrasah is decorated with ganch carvings and hand-painted.

The architectural monument is included in the "National list of real estate objects of the material cultural heritage of Uzbekistan."



Madrasah Sohibzoda Hazrat. Mukimi Museum

Sohibzoda Khazrat Madrassah, Miyon Khazrat, Медресе Сохибзода Хазрат, Миён Хазрат

One of the interesting places on the map of the Fergana Valley is undoubtedly the Sohibzoda Khazrat Madrasah (other names are Miyon Khazrat or Miyon Ahad).

The madrasah was erected in 1827–1860 during the reign of the Uzbek Ming dynasty at the request of the outstanding scientist and statesman Miyon Fazli Ahad, who received the respectful name Sahibzoda Khazrat among the people. It is known that he moved to Kokand from Peshawar in 1825 at the special invitation of the ruler Modali Khan, who considered him his spiritual teacher.

The architect of the building is unknown. Only the master who made the magnificent carved gates, Iskander Khoja, is mentioned.

A new madrasah was erected in the old residential quarter – mahalla – by building wastelands. Therefore, he got a bizarre shape and it seems to consist of three courtyards. This feature is successfully beaten functionally. Each of the courtyards was designed for different levels of education: the initial one was adno, the middle one was avsat, and the highest one was alo.

All baked brick buildings have an internal plaster finish. The main dome of the madrasah is located on the western side of the southern courtyard, the entrance to the building through the domed gate. The size of the southern courtyard is 32x36 meters. A mosque with a minaret was also erected here. In the cells adjacent to the gate, there is now the hujra of the poet Muhammad Aminkhodzha Mukimi.

The eastern (35x20 meters) and western (23x11 meters) courtyards are also surrounded by cells and classrooms – darshona. In total, the madrasah consisted of 24 cells. One of them belonged to another poet – Mukhi Kokandi.

Almost all cells and rooms have been restored and restored.

Previously, part of the object was occupied by the Shakhi Atlas weaving factory, now the entire territory of the historical monument has been transferred to the museum.

The outstanding poet Aminhuja Mukimi found shelter in this madrasah, taught and lived for many years. The museum exposition, which consists of three parts, tells about his life and work: Mukimi's khujra, Mukimi's work and literary poetry of Kokand of the second half of the 19th century.


Khamza House Museum

Hamza House Museum, Дом-музей Хамзы

A native of Kokand, Khamza Hakimzade Niyazi, is dedicated to the museum, opened in 1959 in his home, which today has become an important landmark of the city.

This poet won some recognition as a talented writer, playwright and musician, an exponent of the people's will.

A neat courtyard with a century-old mulberry tree and a vine, a residential building, divided into male and female halves, acquaints the visitor with the life and way of life of an Uzbek family. The museum exposition consists of the room-study of Khamza's father, a well-known tabib doctor in the city, the office of Khamza himself – here are his piano, Uzbek musical instruments, books and magazines. Nearby is the room of the poet's mother and his sister, who, after the death of Khamza, raised his son.

Here, in an ordinary house, the talent of a true defender of the people, poet-democrat, playwright and composer Khamza grew up.



Local Lore Museum

Local Lore Museum, Краеведческий Музей

The history of Kokand goes back centuries... Thousands of years ago, primitive people lived in this region, in the 10th century a city appeared, which in the 19th century became one of the most influential in the entire Central Asian region. And today, the history of Kokand can be found in the Museum of Local Lore, which is located in the palace of Khudoyar Khan.

In 1876, Kokand was captured by the troops of the Russian Empire, and the Russian garrison settled in the Khan's palace. In 1924, an agricultural exhibition was held there. A year later, it was decided to open a local history museum here. The palace, which witnessed the most important historical events, became the personification of the history of Kokand.

Even at the entrance, painted minarets, carved doors, and ganch patterns on the ceiling acquaint visitors with the rich traditions of Kokand architecture and decoration. The museum itself is located in several palace rooms and includes six departments: history, modern history, art, nature, scientific and educational work and the museum fund.

The exposition of the museum surprises with the richness of various items. Step by step, you can trace the history of Kokand from primitive times, represented by various archaeological finds in the form of potsherds, axes, stone tools, to household items of the late 19th century. Here you can see clothes, weapons, books, dishes that were part of the life of the Kokand people.

Exhibits from other countries deserve special attention. Basically, these are gifts to the khan, once presented by foreign ambassadors. In a separate room, palace furniture is presented, made by local craftsmen or brought to the khan from distant countries.

There are two cannons in the courtyard, which have been preserved since the siege of the palace by Russian troops.

The museum fund has more than 30 thousand exhibits, and it will not be possible to tell about all the wealth of the Kokand Museum of Local Lore – you have to see it with your own eyes.

The exposition of the museum continues to be replenished today. Employees do a lot of research work. In addition, together with public organizations, the museum holds exhibitions, seminars, meetings, competitions and festivals for schoolchildren and students.

About 70 thousand people visit the Kokand Museum of Local Lore every year, among which a large part are foreign tourists.



Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Храм Казанской иконы Божией Матери

There is also an Orthodox church in the city.

The construction of the Church of the Kazan Mother of God, which began in 1905, lasted two and a half years, and was completed in 1908. At the beginning of 1908, crosses were erected on the temple, and the consecration took place on June 29 (July 12, according to the new style).

As conceived by the architect Vasiliev, the temple was to be made in the spirit of the monuments of Russian wooden architecture of the 17th century.

The temple accommodated 400 parishioners. In the temple, built at the expense of patrons, the Kokand merchants Polunin and Khabarov, electric lighting was provided, which was rare for churches in Central Asia. At that time, only the Church of the Annunciation in Tashkent was illuminated with electricity.

The church had five elongated arched domes over the middle part, and one more over the belfry adjacent to it. The outside of the building was decorated with oriental-style stucco. The two-tiered iconostasis in the temple was made with donations from the Moscow firm of Bardygin.

The belfry bells were cast from old cannons. The largest of them was a copper bell weighing 300 pounds. He received the name "General Skobelev".


Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Храм Казанской иконы Божией Матери

After the establishment of Soviet power in 1937 (according to other sources, in 1934), the temple was blown up. The new temple was built already in 1945.



Bridges

The ancient bridges of the city are also noteworthy. Thus, the Yalangoch-ota bridge on the Kokand-say river, built of bricks, with arched spans, is fanned by an entertaining urban legend. Its name translates as "Naked Dervish", as the bridge was built precisely with the money that the dervish collected in alms. A similar story is connected with the construction of the Charkhna-Kuprik bridge, financed by a simple spinner. The name of the bridge is translated as "Spinning Bridge". No less beautiful and interesting is the old Stone Bridge. People say that Umar Khan posed for a photo on it, appreciating its architecture.



Buwayda Memorial Complex

To the north of Kokand, Buvayda district is located, in which three surviving two-chamber mausoleums attract attention: Podsho-Pirim (Shokhi Jalil), Bibi-Buvayda, Buston-buva.

In ancient times, one of the main routes of the Great Silk Road passed here, and this played an important role in the development of trade and cultural ties in the region.

Buvaidinsky district is known for its memorial architectural monuments - mausoleums. As a result of surveys conducted in 2004–2012, more than ten cult and memorial architectural buildings were identified in the district.

To date, the description of a significant number of mazars in the Buvaidinsky district is fragmentary.

Such sacred places as Bibi-Buwayda, Podsho-Pirim (Shokhi Jalil), Buston-Buva (Sultan Bayazid Bistomi) are described architecturally.

Such as Bandikushod-ota, Sufi Azizlar, Galdir-bobo are recorded in cult folklore.

About Gudak-mazar, Suk-mazar, Chilton-mazar, Gayib-ota there are only brief mentions.

Mazar Podsho-Pirim (Mausoleum of Shokhi Jalil)

Mazar Podsho-Pirim ("Tsar-mentor") is the name of the cemetery where the mausoleum of Shokhi Jalil is located. There are widespread ideas among the population that a person who doubts the sanctity of the Podsho-Pirim mazar, or insults him, inevitably suffers punishment (kargish, teskari fotiha, du‘o-yi bad). Therefore, in the history of the Kokand Khanate, the mazar Podsho-Pirim occupies a special place.

The oldest parts of the buildings of the Podsho-Pirim complex date back to the 15th–16th centuries. The center of this multi-temporal complex is the mausoleum of Shokhi Jalil, a preacher of Islam in the Ferghana Valley. After the death of the imam, the people surrounded his grave with reverence. Subsequently, a mausoleum was erected over the burial, and a cemetery gradually grew around it.

The complex consists of two courtyards: the first is a transversely elongated rectangular courtyard with a portal-domed darvozakhona of the 15th century and a frontally opened mosque of the early 20th century at the end, and the second is a multifaceted courtyard with burials and a mausoleum of the 15th–16th centuries.

The mosque is a rectangular building (18x8 meters), consisting of a hall and a three-sided aivan supported by 44 columns with an original painted flat ceiling, is a typical type of Ferghana religious building.

The two-chamber tomb consists of a ziaratkhona – a memorial mosque – and a smaller gurkhona – a burial chamber. The plan of the ziarathona is cruciform (5.2x5.2 meters) due to the deep lancet niches arranged in the plane of the walls, the gurkhona is square (4.3x4.3 meters).

The interiors, finished with ganch, are illuminated through the lancet windows, in which the panjara, a decorative lattice of a geometric pattern, has been preserved. Wooden double doors are decorated with a shallow carved ornament. The facades are finished with clay-adobe plaster.

The mausoleum of Shokhi Jalil is characterized by an expressive silhouette and sculptural forms.

Shokhi Jalil is mentioned many times in the chain of events that took place in the history of the Kokand Khanate. For the Kokand khans, his mausoleum was an important place, since in many cases the fate of the khanate was decided on this sanctuary. It was here in 1845 that Khudoyar Khan was raised on white felt.

Mausoleum of Bibi-Buvaida

The Buvaida region is the only region of the Ferghana Valley named after a woman – the legendary Bibi-Buvaida.

There are several legends connected with Bibi-Buwayda and Shokhi Jalil. The local population is the bearer and keeper of rich myths about the heroic deeds of Shokhi Jalil.

During a military campaign in the Ferghana Valley, Podsho-Pirim – Shokhi Jalil, the son of Bibi-Buvayda, was ambushed while crossing the Syr Darya River and was seriously wounded. According to his will, he was buried in the village of Kora-darakht on the site of the mazar Podsho-Pirim.

Bibi-Buwayda and his wife Shokhi Jalil went to Medina, but in the Kokand region, they died in the desert. The architectural monument of Bibi-Buvayda is a women's tomb, where, according to legend, they are buried.

Despite the fact that the mausoleums of the mother and son are located in different cemeteries and are separated by a considerable distance, they were erected on the same axis – from one mausoleum the other is visible. The local population also associates this regularity with the legend, which says that Bibi-Buwayda loved her son very much and bequeathed that wherever their graves were, they should be "visible to each other." The architects, fulfilling this wish, chose such sites where another is visible from one territory.

Mazar Bibi-Buvayda is especially revered by Fergana women. According to legend, she converted to Islam among the first Fergana women. Every year people come here to honor her memory. Later, some superstitions arose related to the Bibi-Buvaida mazar: "Women who do not visit the Bibi-Buvaida mazar will not have tasty food" (Bibi Buvaidaga bormagan aelni ovqati shirin bo‘lmaydi).

The mausoleum of Bibi-Buvayda was built of baked bricks and consists of two rooms with a small extension near the eastern wall. The portal is decorated with two turrets typical of Ferghana at the end of the 19th century. Both rooms are covered with large domes. The front room was a ziarathona – sheikhs sat here and received visitors.

The tomb is a holistic, compositionally unified architectural ensemble. The main entrance is highlighted by a portal on which fragments of a revak (through arched gallery) have been preserved, and the doors are decorated with a shallow carved geometric ornament.

The rectangular building (18x8.5 meters) combines two square rooms – ziaratkhona (funeral mosque) and gurkhona (burial chamber) – covered with domes. Usually, in two-chamber mausoleums, the ziaratkhona exceeds the area of the gurkhona, but in this tomb, the opposite is true. On the east side, a small chamber with the burial of the granddaughter of Bibi-Buvaida was attached to the ziarathona, covered with a vault, erected by building up arches from the corners to the center. The vault of such a design is called balkhi.

The decor of the mausoleum is modest. With a simple brickwork of the facades, the walls inside are covered with ganch. Memorial buildings attract attention with the solidity of forms, simplicity and clarity of the architectural idea.

In the interior there are two simple tombstones. The left one is attributed to Bibi-Buvaida, the right one is considered the grave of Sheikh Suleiman. At the entrance to the wall, an irregularly shaped, rounded tombstone – kayrak – about 60x30 cm in size is attached to the wall. An inscription in Arabic is applied to it, which reads: "This is the grave of Sheikh Suleiman bin David bin Suleiman bin Salman, the charms of Islam and Muslims, manager of kings and sultans, khatib khatibs and the pride of scientists. He died in 595 AH" (1198-1199 AD). The edges of the inscription are bordered by a curved twisted line.

On the main portal, facing south, the date of construction is 1318 AH (1899) and the name of the master builder – the mouth of Ibrahim-jan bin-ust Ismail.

Mazar Buston-Bouva

Mazar Buston-Buva is located in the village of the same name. The origin of the mazar is associated with the name of Sultan Bayazid Bistomi. According to historians, Kokand Khan Sherali visited the area with that name during military campaigns. According to Islami, the Buston-Buva mazar is associated with the name of Khoja Bayazid, the nephew of Ahmad al-Yassavi (died in 1167), who was the mentor of Amir Temur himself.

It is worth noting that in Central Asia there are several places of worship and names associated with this name.

A monumental portal highlights the east-facing entrance. On its two sides there are cylindrical towers – guldasta.

The rectangular building made of burnt bricks (15x7.2 meters) contains two chambers covered with domes: a tomb with an lancet headstone – sagana – and a memorial room. The mausoleum is devoid of any decor.

Fergana people call the mausoleum simply Bastom-baba. Every year, from mid-August, residents of various regions of Ferghana gather here and take sand baths here. This area is a waterless steppe, along which dunes of flying sand move. One of them is surrounded by the building of the mausoleum of Buston-Bouva. The mausoleum is located on the edge of the oasis, where cultivated lands end, further to the north and east of it there is a steppe strip.

Local old-timers say that the brother of Shokhi Jalil was buried in the tomb of Buston-Buva, and they associate the construction of the mausoleum with the name of Temur, although historical data on the time of construction have not been identified, according to the architectural forms, structures and building materials, the mausoleum can be dated to the 15th–16th centuries.



Mehrigiyo Garden Farm

Mehrigiyo Garden Farm, Сад-ферма Mehrigiyo

The Ferghana Valley is one of the most picturesque and fertile parts of Uzbekistan. One of the unique and largest pharmaceutical enterprises in Uzbekistan, specializing in the production of herbal preparations, has been operating here for many years.

Mehrigiyo was founded in 1992. Then, at a small enterprise, leading experts in the field of herbal medicine and alternative medicine joined their efforts to create unique products and became a breakthrough in the field of domestic pharmaceuticals.

In a fairly short time, the company's plant products have won the trust of consumers not only in Uzbekistan, but also abroad.

If you want to see how lavender grows in Uzbekistan or have breakfast in a poppy field, visit the Mehrigiyo plantations in the Ferghana Valley.


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But Kokand is not only the colorful mosques of the Old City and the luxurious Khan's Palace. At the beginning of the 20th century, various institutions of the era of capitalism appeared and flourished in Kokand. Some of the buildings they occupied can still be seen today. All of them are the brightest monuments of the colonial architecture of Russian Turkestan.


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