Tashkent a Pearl of the history

 

Capital of Uzbekistan and Tashkent Province. 

According to official figures from 2006, the city has a population of 3.1 million and, according to unofficial figures, more than 4 million. In the Middle East , the city was known as Chachkand, which later became Chachkand or Chashkand and then Tashkent. In Turkish, tash means stone while kent is used for the city (such as Samarkand, Yarkand, Panji Qand, etc.). This change of name took place after the 16th century. The spelling of the current name Tashkent reflects Russian influences. 

History

Tashkent became known as an oasis beneath Mount Golistan on the banks of the churchuk River. In ancient times, the region was the summer capital of the Kwangju Union. The Emirate of Chich, whose main town was built in the shape of a square fortress between the 5th and 3rd centuries AD, was located 8 km north of the Sir River. In the 7th century AD, Chich had 30 towns and a network of more than 50 canals.

Due to which it became a trading center between the Sogdians and the Turks. The region became part of the Islamic State in the early 8th century. The Arabs used to call this city Al-Shash. The modern Turkish name Tashkent (Stone City) was found during the rule of the Qara Khani dynasty in the 10th century.

In 1219, Genghis Khan invaded and destroyed the city. The city flourished during the Timurid and Shebanian periods but was attacked by Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Persians, Mongols, and other nations. In 1809, Tashkent fell to Khan Khukand. 

At the time, Tashkent had a population of 100,000 and was the most prosperous city in Central Asia. In May 1865, General Mikhail Cherniyev invaded and conquered the city. Despite their numerical superiority and strong siege, Khan Khokand's army could not withstand the Russian forces for two days and the city fell to the Russians. Cherniyev, popularly known as the Lion of Tashkent, abolished all illegal taxes levied by the Khan for a year to win the hearts of the people.

He was made military governor of Tashkent by the Tsar and recommended to Tsar Alexander II to make the city an independent state under Russian protection. The Tsar awarded Cherniyev and his soldiers with honors and medals, but because the general carried out the attack without his permission, he failed to hold office for long and was soon replaced by Constantine Petrovich von Koffman. 

And instead of considering Tashkent an independent state, it made it the capital of the new region of Russian Turkestan, whose first governor-general was Kofman. A cantonment and a Russian settlement were built near the ancient city, and Russian settlers and merchants were settled from many parts of the country. 

The city became a hotbed of spying during the so-called Great Game, a conflict between Russia and the [[British Empire | United Kingdom]] over its influence in Central Asia. The Trans-Caspian Railway track arrived here in 1889, and the workers who built the track settled here and sowed the seeds of the Bolshevik revolution.

Famous places

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, many of the city's ancient buildings, especially religious ones, were destroyed, but the deficit was filled by the Industrial Revolution in the Soviet era and the subsequent 1966 earthquake. Therefore, very little remains of Tashkent's great cultural and architectural heritage. Nevertheless, Tashkent has museums and numerous Soviet-era monuments.

Kokaldash Madrasa

The mosque and madrassa, which date back to the time of Abdullah Khan, who ruled from 1557 to 1598, has now been restored by the Trans-Muslim Provincial Religious Board. There are recommendations to turn it into a museum, but it is currently being used as a mosque.

Kors Bazaar

There is a massive bazaar near Kokaldash Madrasa which was the center of the ancient city of Tashkent. 

Khasht Imam Mosque

The special feature of this mosque is the presence of the Ottoman scripture which is the Qur'an used by the Caliph Salim Hazrat Usman Ghani. This is the oldest version of the Qur'an in the world. There are also traces of blood on this rare manuscript of 655 AD, which is associated with the martyrdom of Uthman. 

The manuscript was brought to Samarkand by Amir Timur, who transferred it to St. Petersburg after the Russian occupation. This version was returned to Uzbekistan in 1989. Some 15th-century shrines were also restored in the 19th century, including the tomb of Younis Khan, grandfather of Zaheeruddin Babar, founder of the Mughal Empire.

Prince Romanov's palace

In the 19th century, Nikolai Konstantinovich, a close associate of Alexander the Great, was deported to Tashkent for allegedly trading Russian royal jewels. His residence is still in the center of the city. Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the museum houses pre-Russian sculptures, artifacts, and 19th- and 20th-century handicrafts. 

Also worth a look is the large collection of photographs taken by Romanov. Behind the museum is a small garden that contains the tombs of the first Uzbek president, Y Akhonbayev, in addition to the Bolshevik revolutionaries killed in the 1917 revolution in Russia.

 

Ali Sher Nawai Opera and Ballet Theater

The theater in Moscow is another creative endeavor of Alexei Shosev, the architect who built Lenin's mausoleum. The theater was built using Japanese prisoners of war captured during World War II. Named after the ancient Turkish poet Ali Sher Nawai.

Historical Museum

Located in the former Lenin Museum, it is the largest museum in Tashkent.

Amir Timur Museum

This impressive building, with its blue dome and ornate interior walls, houses the monuments of Amir Temur and President Islam Karimov. In the garden outside the museum stands a statue of Amir Timur on horseback. Surrounding the museums are the city's most beautiful gardens and fountains.

Unique features

It is home to the only underground railway system in Central Asia. (The system is still under construction in Astana and Almaty.) Tashkent is home to the country's largest airport, connecting the city to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The city's largest square, known as Independence Square in Soviet times, contains the tallest (30-meter) statue of Lenin in Soviet times. In 1992, in place of the statue of Lenin, a globe was erected here, on which Uzbekistan was defined.

Educational institutions

Some of the city's universities and institutions of higher learning:

Tashkent State Technical University

International Business School “College Academic”

Tashkent University of Information Technologies

Westminster International University Tashkent

National University of Uzbekistan

University of World Economy and Diplomacy

Tashkent State Economic University

Tashkent State Institute of Law

Tashkent Institute of Finance

State University of Foreign Languages

Conservatory of Music

Tashkent State Medicine Academy

Institute of Oriental Studies

Tashkent Islamic University.