Ancient cities of Uzbekistan

Ancient cities of Uzbekistan

Bukhara is estimated to be about 2300 years old. It was conquered by Alexander the Great and was also once ruled by the Kushan Empire. However, when the Samanids later came into power, they created a large feudal state, with Bukhara as its capital. It was part of what came to be called the Golden Road, the meeting point of the northern and southern branches of the Great Silk Road, and hence a great center for commerce, religion, and culture.

In Sanskrit, Bukhara means “Monastery,” and was revered the Medieval Muslim East as a stronghold of the faith. In the 10th century, Bukhara became a scientific and cultural center, home to famous poets like Rudaki and Dakiki, and Avicenna, the great scientist and physician.

By the mid 19th century, Russia and Britain were both trying to gain control of Central Asia: Russia from the north and Britain from India in the south. Isolated since the time of the Silk Routes, Central Asia had not seen Western visitors for hundreds of years. Although Russia gained control of much of the region by 1868, Bukhara managed to keep its Emir as the master of the city. Inside the high walls, a strong anti-westerner sentiment was always present, fanned by the Emir himself. In 1918 the Russian revolution spread to Uzbekistan, but Bukhara never really fell into the fold until the city was almost destroyed and thousands of people were massacred by the Red Army on September 6, 1920.

Although Soviet rule lasted until 1991, the city never lost its Eastern culture and atmosphere, or its independent spirit. With more than 140 architectural monuments dating back to the Middle Ages, Bukhara is today a “museum town” with lots of history to see.

Khiva is located in the Khorezm oasis inside the great Karakum Desert. While the Khorezm khanate was famous in the 4th century B.C. the actual date of origin of Khiva is lost in the mists of time. Some archaeologists believe it was founded about the same time as the birth of Christ, and was named after the ancient well of Kvivak, said to have been discovered by Shem, the Son of Noah. The remains of that ancient well are in the old city, and you are likely to see many newlyweds who come here to drink for good luck.

In the 10th century, the region was home to great philosophers, including Abu Ali Bin Sina (Avicenna) and was the center of a major agricultural civilization, whose armies routed the Roman legions of Marcus Crassus. Its power derived from sitting astride the great caravan routes from east to west, and in the 16th century, it became the capital of the Khorezm state. That state thrived until being decimated by the Mongols.

Samarkand was founded at the same time as Babylon, Memphis, Athens, and Rome – almost 2500 years ago. It has been called the “Pearl of the Muslim World,” “Eden of Ancient East,” and “Rome of the East.”

Samarkand has been conquered many times – by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane, for instance. Tamerlane made it his capital and named it the “Center of the Universe.” Here was a mix of those from Iran, India, Persia, and Mongolia, and being the central part of the Silk Road, was additionally influenced by China, the Middle East, and Europe. Samarkand saw its glory at the height of trade on the Silk Road, beginning in the 2nd century and lasting until the 16th century.

In May 1868, Samarkand fell to the Russian Empire, caught up in what is now known as The Great Game. Under Russian rule the city changed its face; buildings and walls were torn down and the city was turned into a Russian military fortress. After the Russian Revolution, Samarkand became capital of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.

Despite the destruction of the early Russian era and the Soviet “imports” of factories and concrete buildings, the city remains one of the most historical and beautiful in Central Asia. Today, the independant Uzbek Republic is working to bring back the glory and beauty of its ancient pearl.

O’zbekistonning qadimiy shaharlari

Buxoroning yoshi taxminan 2300 yil deb taxmin qilinadi. Uni Buyuk Iskandar zabt etgan va bir paytlar Kushon imperiyasi tomonidan boshqarilgan. Biroq, keyinchalik Somoniylar hokimiyatga kelgach, ular yirik feodal davlatini yaratdilar, uning poytaxti Buxoro bo'lgan. Bu Buyuk Ipak Yo'lining shimoliy va janubiy tarmoqlarining uchrashadigan joyi bo'lgan Oltin yo'l deb nomlangan narsalarning bir qismi va shu sababli tijorat, din va madaniyat uchun ajoyib markaz edi.

Sanskrit tilida Buxoro "monastir" degan ma'noni anglatadi va O'rta asrlar musulmonlari Sharqi e'tiqodning qal'asi sifatida hurmat qilingan. X asrda Buxoro Rudakiy va Dakiki kabi taniqli shoirlar va buyuk olim va tabib Avitsenna yashaydigan ilmiy va madaniy markazga aylandi.

19-asrning o'rtalariga kelib, Rossiya va Buyuk Britaniya ikkalasi ham Markaziy Osiyo ustidan nazoratni qo'lga kiritishga harakat qilishdi: shimoldan Rossiya va janubda Hindistondan Angliya. Ipak yo'llari davridan beri izolyatsiya qilingan Markaziy Osiyo yuzlab yillar davomida G'arb mehmonlarini ko'rmagan edi. 1868 yilga kelib Rossiya mintaqaning katta qismini o'z qo'liga olgan bo'lsa-da, Buxoro o'z amirini shaharning xo'jayini sifatida saqlab qolishga muvaffaq bo'ldi. Baland devorlar ichida g'arbga qarshi kuchli kayfiyat doimo mavjud bo'lib, uni amirning o'zi qo'llab-quvvatlagan. 1918 yilda Rossiya inqilobi O'zbekistonga tarqaldi, ammo Buxoro hech qachon shahar deyarli vayron qilinmaguncha va 1920 yil 6 sentyabrda Qizil Armiya tomonidan minglab odamlar qirg'in qilinmaguncha hech qachon to'da bo'lib qolmadi.

Sovet hokimiyati 1991 yilgacha davom etgan bo'lsa-da, shahar hech qachon Sharq madaniyati va atmosferasini yoki mustaqil ruhini yo'qotmagan. O'rta asrlarga oid 140 dan ortiq me'moriy yodgorliklarga ega Buxoro bugungi kunda ko'plab tarixiy tarixga ega "muzey i" ga aylandi.

Xiva buyuk Qoraqum cho'lining ichida Xorazm vohasida joylashgan. Xorazm xonligi miloddan avvalgi IV asrda mashhur bo'lgan bo'lsa. Xivaning haqiqiy kelib chiqish tarixi vaqt ichida yo'qoladi. Ba'zi arxeologlarning fikriga ko'ra, u Masihning tug'ilishi bilan bir vaqtda tashkil etilgan va Kvivakning qadimiy qudug'i nomi bilan atalgan, uni Nuh O'g'li Shem topgan. O'sha qadimiy quduq qoldiqlari eski shaharda, va omad uchun ichish uchun bu erga kelgan ko'plab yangi turmush qurganlarni ko'rishingiz mumkin.

10-asrda bu mintaqa buyuk faylasuflar, shu jumladan Abu Ali Bin Sino (Avitsenna) ning uyi bo'lgan va yirik qishloq xo'jaligi tsivilizatsiyasining markazi bo'lgan, uning qo'shinlari Markus Krassning Rim legionlarini tor-mor qilgan. Uning kuchi sharqdan g'arbga yo'naltirilgan buyuk karvon yo'llariga o'tirishdan olingan va XVI asrda u Xorazm davlatining poytaxtiga aylangan. Bu davlat mo'g'ullar tomonidan yo'q qilinmaguncha rivojlandi.

Samarqand Bobil, Memfis, Afina va Rim bilan bir vaqtda - deyarli 2500 yil oldin tashkil etilgan. U "Musulmon dunyosining marvaridi", "Qadimgi Sharq bog'i" va "Sharqning Rimi" deb nomlangan.

Masalan, Samarqand ko'p marotaba zabt etilgan - masalan, Aleksandr Makedonskiy, Chingizxon va Tamerlan. Tamerlan uni o'zining poytaxtiga aylantirdi va unga "Koinot markazi" deb nom berdi. Bu erda Eron, Hindiston, Fors va Mo'g'ulistondan kelganlar va Ipak yo'lining markaziy qismi bo'lgan Xitoy, Yaqin Sharq va Evropa qo'shimcha ta'sir ko'rsatgan. Samarqand o'zining shon-shuhratini Ipak yo'lidagi savdo avjida, II asrdan boshlanib, XVI asrgacha davom etdi.

1868 yil may oyida Samarqand Rossiya imperiyasi tasarrufiga o'tdi va hozirgi kunda Buyuk O'yin nomi bilan mashhur. Rossiya hukmronligi ostida shahar o'z qiyofasini o'zgartirdi; binolar va devorlar buzilib, shahar ruslarning harbiy qal'asiga aylantirildi. Rossiya inqilobidan keyin Samarqand O'zbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasining poytaxti bo'ldi.

Dastlabki ruslar davrining vayron bo'lishiga va Sovet Ittifoqi zavodlari va beton binolarning "importiga" qaramay, shahar Markaziy Osiyodagi eng tarixiy va go'zal shaharlardan biri bo'lib qolmoqda. Bugun mustaqil O'zbekiston Respublikasi o'zining qadimiy marvaridining ulug'vorligi va go'zalligini qaytarish uchun harakat qilmoqda.

Toshkent yoki hech bo'lmaganda uning atrofidagi mintaqa 3000 yildan ziyod vaqt davomida odamlar uyi bo'lgan. 8-asrda arablar hududni o'z qo'liga olguncha va shahar ipak yo'li bo'ylab savdo-sotiq bilan rivojlanguniga qadar aholi punkti to'g'risida yozma ma'lumot yo'q.

XIII asrda G'engisxon kelguniga qadar arablar o'zlarini boshqarishgan. Bu vaqtga kelib u Markaziy Osiyoning eng yirik va eng nufuzli shaharlaridan biriga aylangan edi. Ghengis Xon qulashi bilan shahar Tamerlen nazorati ostiga o'tdi. 1449 yilga kelib Tamerlaynning buyuk imperiyasi anarxiyaga tushib qoldi va shahar oxir-oqibat Koxon xonligi tasarrufiga o'tdi.

1865 yilga kelib rus kuchlari shaharni nazorat qilib, uni Rossiya Turkistonining poytaxtiga aylantirdilar. Markaziy Sovet hukumati Turkistonni bir necha viloyatlarga bo'linib tashlaganida, Toshkent 1930 yilda Samarqandning o'rniga O'zbekiston SSR poytaxti sifatida o'rnini egalladi va bugungi kunda u mustaqil O'zbekistonning poytaxtiga aylandi.

Markaziy Osiyodagi eng katta shahar - Toshkent mintaqadagi yagona metropoliten tizimiga ega va u eskisi bilan yangilarining ajoyib aralashmasidir. 1966 yilgi zilzila natijasida shahar qisman vayron bo'lgan va shaharning eski qismini qayta tiklashga qaratilgan harakatlar bugun ham davom etmoqda. Bu ma'lum bir yosh toifalari orasida Osiyodagi paxta etishtirish bo'yicha eng yirik markaz bo'lgani uchun yozgi paxta dalalarida ishlash uchun sovet yoshligida Toshkentga bormagan odamni topish qiyin.

Markaziy Osiyo uchun asosiy transport markazi sifatida (havo va temir yo'l) mintaqaga sayohat qiluvchilarning aksariyati Toshkent orqali o'tishi mumkin.