When they say “ Kyrgyzstan”, what associations does this evoke for you? Mountains, kumis, yurt, passes, Issyk-Kul, mountain horses... in general, it is somehow more connected with nature than with historical monuments or great dynasties. This is understandable; frequent earthquakes, aggressive and destructive wars leave little behind. However, there are corners of Kyrgyzstan where echoes of 2000 years of history can still be found. Take at least museum complex of the Karakhanid dynasty in Uzgen. I specifically added a stop in this “dead” place on the route to Bishkek, we’ll see.

It’s not far from Uzgen, literally about 50 km, 30 of which we drove with a not too talkative Kyrgyz man, and the pharmacist helped us cover the rest of the way in his old car. It’s so nice when they give you a ride almost to the very sights. With this hitchhiking I will be completely lazy :).

Mausoleum of the Karakhanid dynasty.

As I said, Uzgen, located on the eastern side of the Fergana Valley, dates back more than 2,000 years and was once a center of trade. Now this is the most ordinary town, in which there is simply nothing to see, except perhaps the archaeological and architectural museum complex (as it turned out), for which we have all gathered today.

Finding it is not difficult; among the low city buildings, the 44-meter-high minaret stands out, so we go straight to it. Judging by the inscription, the minaret has stood here since the 12th century.

The archaeological complex consists of a minaret, which we already met at the entrance, and three mausoleums conventionally called Northern, Middle and Southern. Somewhere here there should still be ruins of a madrasah and even a mosque. Well, that’s right, if there is a minaret, then there must be a mosque.

The rulers of the Karakhanid dynasty are buried in the mausoleums:

  • The middle mausoleum (built in the 12th century) is the founder of the Nasr-ibn-Ali dynasty.
  • Northern mausoleum (1152-1153) – the ashes of Hassan ibn Hussein ibn Ali.
  • Southern Mausoleum (1187) - the name of the deceased has not been preserved.

At that time, it was possible to enter inside only one mausoleum - the Middle one, because there was a lock on the doors of the remaining two. I'm disappointed, but there's nothing interesting inside, it's empty.

It must be said that the territory of the mausoleum does not look at all like it is visited by tourists. Moreover, it doesn’t even look like anyone is responsible for its safety.

We came across an old “banner” with information about “what is good and what is bad” on the territory of the complex. There is also a price list about the prices for the entrance ticket, pretty worn out by time. This means no one will ask for a ticket, which is also good. I didn’t even find a guard in sight, but there were plenty of schoolchildren smoking around the corner of the mausoleum itself.

It seems that once upon a time, kind sponsors invested in an architectural monument, but they just did not imagine that tourists would not be very interested in it. But it was necessary to invest, look how it looked after numerous destructions.

Mila and I sat in the shade on one of the rocks to take a break from our backpacks and the heat. Abandoned places always emanate some kind of melancholy, and now I can’t help but feel sad. Okay, that's enough, it's almost evening, and we still need to drive a little further.

“Bear Gift.”

On the road we were picked up by a truck moving in the direction of Jalal-Abad. And from there we were lucky to get into another truck, this time heavily loaded with something. The driver turned out to be an interesting conversationalist with an open soul. He wanted to do something nice for us so much that he couldn’t think of anything better than buying a watermelon. I prayed to the Lord that he would choose less. But this is hospitable Kyrgyzstan, everything here is done from the heart, so after 10 minutes we had a big 8-kilogram happiness lying at our feet.

I wonder how to move with it now, if my backpack weighs a little less than this watermelon? Well, okay, go by car, not walk, I somehow switched to another passenger car with a “gift”. But, now we reached the village, where, according to all time frames, it was time to look for accommodation for the night, which meant walking around a lot.

Frankly, I even thought about leaving a “surprise” for someone at the door. Mila also saw a local woman with two watermelons, only smaller ones, and offered to exchange me for one of them. I laughed, but decided not to back down. I think whoever invites you to visit will receive a gift.

And the village is still somehow strange and does not at all resemble the Muslim way of life. There are often drunk people walking along the streets, some houses look almost as deplorable as ours somewhere in the outback. I even began to worry about where we would be.

But, in front of us there was a quite decent old man who was digging a trench right next to his fence. As usual, I approached him to ask where it was safe to spend the night. The old man silently looked at us, then looked around and briefly said that it would be better if we spent the night in his house, otherwise there were too many alcoholics in the village.

Kyrgyz housing differs little from Tajik or Uzbek ones. There are also several buildings, a courtyard and a cattle stall. Right in the center of the street there was a vineyard with the last bunches of fruit, and under it there was a dining table, at which we were immediately seated.

While dinner was being prepared, we sipped hot tea and listened to the stories of grandfather Akid (yeah, interesting name). He vividly described how a couple of years ago he visited the dream of his life - Mecca and what wonders of the rich Muslim life he saw in Arabia. He told a really interesting story, besides, I myself have long dreamed of visiting that country, the only problem is that I am not a Muslim and Mecca is interesting to me only from the point of view of a traveler.

And now the pilaf has arrived. Now Mila and I could afford to eat it well. True, grandpa practically didn’t eat himself, but he “threatened” us that until we ate everything, we wouldn’t leave the table. Grandfather Akyd didn’t need watermelon either; he happily fed us his supplies, and then ours was used.

We went to bed late and were given a separate room for the night, so we slept sweetly and soundly. The owner in the morning offered to stay with him for a couple more days, but we decided that we would move on. There is a long road ahead, it is unclear how long we will travel along it.

website- Kyrgyzstan is a small country, but with a rich history. And we are confident that adventurers and travelers in search of new sensations will not be disappointed if they head to the southern part of our republic. Well, while the brave souls gather their thoughts, think about the route plan and pack their bags, the site will conduct a short preliminary excursion to one of the cities of the Osh region - the city of Uzgen.

Uzgen is a small town with an interesting history. It is located in the south of Kyrgyzstan and is one of the oldest cities in the country. And in terms of importance it is valued no less than such cities of Central Asia as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

Uzgen is located on the right bank of the Karadarya River, 54 km from Osh. The date of origin of the city is attributed to the 1st-2nd centuries BC. It served as one of the trading points of the Great Silk Road, which connected Fergana and Kashgar. Its dawn falls on the era of the powerful Karakhanid Kaganate. And in the 11th-12th centuries, Uzgen was the capital of the Karakhanid state of Transoxiana. In terms of development, it competed with many of the largest cities in Central Asia.

Undoubtedly, the main and most interesting attraction of Uzgen is the architectural complex built in the early 12th century. The complex includes three mausoleums of the Karakhanids and a minaret, a mosque, and a madrasah. Also on the territory of the city you can find ancient burial places, mazars and the ruins of a fortress.

Some researchers place the date of construction of the minaret at the beginning of the 12th century, and others at the 9th century. It served to call believers to prayer. Initially, the height was 40 meters, but apparently due to earthquakes its top lost its original appearance. It currently has a height of 27.4 meters. And in 1923, a lantern was built on the surviving part of the building; this is a characteristic feature of the Karakhanid era.

The Uzgen minaret, like other minarets of that era, has an octagonal base and a conical body, which is covered with ornamental brickwork. Also nearby are a mosque and a madrasah.

The three mausoleums, of course, attract the special attention of all tourists, researchers and lovers of ancient architecture. Representatives of the Karakhanid dynasty are buried in them. They are on the same line and are named accordingly: Northern, Middle, Southern. A special feature of these mausoleums is their location. These buildings clearly show the development of architecture over time.

The earliest is considered to be Middle. Scientists date its construction to the 11th century, based on the nature of the masonry (curly masonry of the interior) and masonry with paired bricks. The founder of the Karakhanid dynasty, Nasr ibn Ali, rests there.

The northern mausoleum was erected by order of the ruler Toghrul Kara-Khakan Hussein ibn Ali. Its construction was completed in 1152. It was attached to the Middle one and became its continuation; they were connected by a northern corner column. One mausoleum smoothly transitioned into another.

The uniqueness of the Northern Mausoleum is manifested in the combination of architectural forms with relief brick ornaments. Carved ganch and carved terracotta were also used in the portal cladding.

In 1187, the Southern Mausoleum was added to the Middle Mausoleum, having already used the southern column of the Middle Mausoleum. Judging by the old Arabic inscriptions, the main military leader was buried in Yuzhny. It is interesting because the portal is decorated with carved terracotta. Carved ganch is used only in the soffit of the entrance niche.

It is also worth noting that this is the only mausoleum with two portals in the history of Karakhanid architecture. This unusual phenomenon is explained by the fact that when guests entered from the western side, the city was supposed to delight. And from the southern side it should have been visible from a distance along the caravan routes and was facing Karadarya.

A characteristic feature of the architecture of the Karakhanid era of all three mausoleums is the use of baked bricks on clay-ganch mortar.

After you finish exploring the mausoleums and minaret, do not rush back home. Don't forget to visit and explore the remains of the old fortress, other archaeological ruins and mosques built in the 19th century - "Guzar" and "Tashlak". You will find a lot more exciting and...

Today the city is divided into two parts, Upper and Lower Uzgen. In Verkhny there are enterprises, bazaars and shops. In Nizhny there are sleeping areas. It has lost its former grandeur, but continues to be a place of pilgrimage for tourists and researchers.

Uzgen is a city in Kyrgyzstan, the administrative center of the Uzgen district of the Osh region, one of the most ancient cities of the Republic. The first mention of it dates back to the 2nd-1st centuries. BC. It was given city status in 1927. The map of Uzgen shows that it is located 54 km from the city of Osh, occupying 9.2 km², the highest point of which reaches 1025 m. The Karadarya River flows on its territory. 49.4 thousand people live in the Uzgen districts. The national composition is represented by Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Russians, and Tajiks. Uzgen reference books report that it was an important point on the way to Kashgar. In the 12th century it was the second capital of the Karakhanid state.

Travel companies and companies in Uzgen and the region offer interesting excursions that introduce architectural and historical monuments: a minaret built in the 12th century, a mosque and a madrasah. Not far from the city there is a tourist center and recreation area “Kara-Shoro”, where not only residents of the region come, but also guests from foreign countries. Water from the natural spring “Kara-Shoro” deserves attention for its medicinal properties. Uzgen organizations are represented by networks of retail outlets. Industrial enterprises of Uzgen are engaged in the processing of grain crops. Also on its territory there are construction companies and organizations providing various services. Educational institutions in Uzgen are represented by kindergartens, secondary schools, the Institute of Technology and Education, the Branch of Osh State University and the Medical Educational Center of Osh State University. The city has a stadium, a music school, and cultural and leisure clubs. Kara-Suu is the nearest railway station, located 44 km from the city. Communication with other cities in the region is carried out by bus service. The city government supports small businesses. As a result, markets are allowed in the city, and a network of retail outlets has been established.

The Yellow Pages of Uzgen, being the most comprehensive reference publication, help residents and guests of the city better navigate its infrastructure. Uzgen phone directories can be found both in electronic and printed versions. All Uzgen phones require dialing the code “+996 332 33” to the local subscriber number. Uzgen telephone directories are republished annually and include all updated contact numbers.

This oldest of the cities of Kyrgyzstan was founded by the Turks in the 8th-9th centuries in the center of an oasis on the caravan route from Maveranahr to East Turkestan on the right bank of the mountain river Kara-Darya. Ancient Uzgen was a powerful fortress with gates from which roads led to China, Samarkand, Kashgar and all directions of the Fergana Valley. Already in those days the city had many brick buildings, an extensive network of water pipes, irrigation ditches and houses. Many sites of Saka tribes were discovered on its territory.

In the 10th-12th centuries, Uzgen was the main city of Fergana, and its greatest prosperity occurred during this period. At that time, its area reached 12-15 square kilometers. But from the 13th century, decline began, and by the 15th century, Uzgen gradually turned into a village, no longer mentioned among the rich centers of Fergana.

The medieval layout of the city has been preserved to this day in crooked streets and dead ends, in densely built-up neighborhoods with cramped courtyards. The center of the city still remains, built in the 11th-12th centuries. It includes a minaret and three mausoleums located one hundred meters away from it, placed in a row close to each other, built of baked bricks using ceramics. The mausoleums are crowned with domes and decorated with portals, and their facades are richly ornamented with inscriptions and patterns that subtly combine floral and geometric patterns. The middle mausoleum is the worst preserved of the others - it is assumed that it was built earlier than its neighbors for the burial of one of the first Karakhanids, Nasr-ibn-Ali.

The northern and southern mausoleums of the main facade are rectangular portals - peshtaki, with entrance aivans, which are decorated with a pointed arch on columns. The plane of the facade has a clear design pattern of ornamental stripes and inscriptions. The mausoleums are decorated along with patterned masonry and knock carvings with carved terracotta. The beauty and virtuosity of the inscriptions in the handwriting “blooming kufi” and “naskh” - with the exquisite floral arabesque “islimi”, the ornament of stars and crosses filled with a stylized motif of a climbing vine, complex different braids and strict geometric patterns laid out with bricks - “girihi” are captivating.

It is in Uzgen that the second famous brick minaret is located - a characteristic religious building for the period of Muslim rule of the Karakhanids. The first, as readers remember, is not far from Ak-Beshim in the Chui Valley - Burana Tower.

The minaret is a centric three-part volume, consisting of an octagonal base, a cylindrical shaft and a lantern-shaped end with arched openings. Looking at this perfect work of architectural art, one never ceases to be amazed at the skill, mathematical training and sense of beauty possessed by those who founded civilization in these parts. The Uzgen architectural complex is one of the most striking and amazing ancient monuments throughout Central Asia.

A lot of interesting things await tourists in the vicinity of Uzgen. The most ancient monuments here include the Karadarya settlement on the way between the city and the village of Kara-Kuldzha (III century BC - IV century AD) and Shoro-Bashat settlement in the middle of the road between Uzgen and Jalal-Abod (IV century BC - 5th century AD).

As for modern Uzgen, today it is a small tourist center with a wide network of cultural, educational and medical institutions. A milk powder factory was built here, which also produces cheese, butter, and ice cream. The brewery operates a bottling workshop for Kara-Shoro mineral water.

On the territory of Central Asia, rich in various kinds of historical processes and outstanding personalities, there are many historical monuments that have survived to this day and are of great value. Among them, it takes its rightful place Uzgen historical-cultural and architectural-archaeological complex, without mentioning which not a single scientific monograph or journalistic work on history, culture, art history, or architecture of medieval centrality can do.

Uzgen architectural and archaeological complex is one of the attractions of Kyrgyzstan

What is the Uzgen historical-cultural and architectural-archaeological complex?

The Uzgen complex consists of the most beautiful minaret, standing apart, and groups of mausoleums, lined up and located at a distance of approximately 100 meters from the minaret. These outstanding historical monuments are an invaluable gift to current generations, left to us by History itself since the time of the Great Karakhanid Empire (10-12 centuries). These buildings are unique masterpieces of monumental architecture of the peoples of Central Asia in the Middle Ages.

According to historians, next to the mausoleums there used to be madrasah, the building of which was built in the 15th century. However, in the 30s of the 20th century, during the destruction of religious sites as posing a spiritual danger, it was destroyed by the Soviet government. A sports stadium was built in its place, but it did not last long.

The uniqueness of the Uzgen complex lies in the fact that 4 historical and archaeological monuments built during the 11th-12th centuries AD are compactly located here. Moreover, by historical standards, all of them are perfectly preserved, which makes them even more valuable and significant, but at the same time they require living people to take great responsibility for their preservation and transmission to future generations.

Old photographs of the Uzgen complex

The grandiose Uzgen minaret

If you believe the research of historians and archaeologists, the Uzgen minaret was built in the mid-11th century, during the dawn of the Karakhanid era. For information, the city of Uzgen was the second center, along with, of the great Karakhanid state.

The minarets were designed so that the mullahs, at the appropriate time, with their strong and loud voice, would call the faithful to commit. Therefore, minarets were usually built in the central part of settlements and were visible from afar, since their height was much higher than other structures and buildings.

Judging by the design of the minaret, scientists have suggested that the original height of the Uzgen minaret was approximately 45 meters. However, over time and due to strong earthquakes, the upper part of the minaret was destroyed. Until the 20s of the 20th century, the Uzgen minaret did not know any reconstruction work. It was first exposed to such activity in 1923, when a group of Soviet architects and archaeologists conducted research on the minaret. As a result, the minaret was partially reconstructed, and in the upper part of the minaret, destroyed by His Majesty Time, a lantern was built to protect the historical monument from various natural phenomena in the form of rain, wind and snow.

The grandeur of the Uzgen minaret can be seen from afar

Currently, the height of the Uzgen minaret is 27 and a half meters. Structurally, the structure consists of three parts, not counting the foundation. The foundation is a square with sides of approx. 9 meters, while the depth of the foundation is about two meters. The foundation is made of various stones, both in shape and size, and is held together with loess mortar.

The lower part of the Uzgen minaret is an octagonal base and about 5 meters high. The edges of the plinth are made of baked bricks of rectangular shape and various sizes. On one side of the basement, on the southern side of the structure, there is a pointed entrance to the minaret, and then a spiral staircase. The entrance to the minaret itself is located at an altitude of approx. 2 meters from the ground, where a metal staircase leads.

The middle part of the minaret is a cylindrical structure, and as the level of the minaret increases, it narrows. So, if the diameter of the lower part of the cylinder of the structure is approximately 8 meters, then in the upper part it is equal to just over 6 meters. Inside the cylindrical shape of the minaret there is a spiral staircase, with the number of steps being 53. In some places the steps are very steep and high. If we take into account that the mullahs calling for prayer climbed and descended these stairs several times a day, then we can assume that their physical fitness was very decent.

Uzgen minaret - various types

The spiral staircase is illuminated by 2 windows, which are quite narrow and located on the east and west sides. The outside of the minaret in its cylindrical part is very beautiful; it consists of 11 different belts, decorated with patterns that are interesting in design. In this case, you can see both curly and floral patterns. These ornaments are in relief, i.e. are carved into the brick itself, and therefore look simply magnificent and grandiose. Individual ornaments in their shape resemble patterns on