Uzgen Kyrgyzstan. City of Uzgen. Mausoleum of the Karakhanid dynasty

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.

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

Back in the 2nd century BC. e., ancient travelers with caravans of camels and horses walked from the Fergana Valley to Kashgar and stopped to rest in the town of Uzgen, which was located between the Kara-Darya and Yassy rivers. For a thousand years, Uzgen was a stopping place for travelers, traders and adventurers, and by the middle of the 11th century, the Karakhanids founded one of the capitals of their kingdom here. The Karakhanid state was one of the most powerful in the territory of the medieval East, and trade, construction and various crafts flourished in Uzgen. New cities grew near Uzgen. For example, the famous Balasagun, famous for the Buraninsky settlement, is a rather curious example of medieval architecture of the entire eastern region.

Uzgen today is an administrative district center in the Osh region. It is located between the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad. Valuable historical cultural monuments, such as a minaret, madrassah, mosques, mausoleum, ruins of ancient fortresses, and burials are located here. The image of the Uzgen architectural ensemble appears on the 50 som banknotes of Kyrgyzstan.

The minaret in Uzgen rises to a height of 27.5 meters; it was built at the beginning of the 12th century, when Uzgen was the capital of the Karakhanids and looked like the famous Burana Tower. It can be divided into three components: at the bottom there is a five-meter base with an octagonal configuration; in the middle there is a tapering cylinder; at the top there is a lantern with a dome and arched windows; it was built on in 1923-1924. This minaret was built from baked bricks of different sizes, laid in openwork, fancy ornamental belts.

There is a spiral staircase inside the minaret; there is very little light inside the minaret, since there are only two narrow windows.

A unique attraction of Uzgen is the mausoleums of the Karakhanid masters. The southern mausoleum was built in 1187, and the northern one earlier - in 1152. The oldest is the middle mausoleum, which was built in the 9-10 centuries. It is square in shape and once had a dome. All three minarets with their facades are oriented to the southwest, forming a square. From the southern part, the area is limited by the Kara-Darya River, and from the southwestern part it passes into an ancient necropolis, dating back to the 13th-14th centuries.

According to local residents, Sultan Sanjar-Mazi is buried in the northern mausoleum, who is a descendant of Jagatai - the son of Genghis Khan, or Sultan Ilchi-Mazi - a relative of the Saratnik beks of Babur. The middle mausoleum most likely contains the remains of the Sultan’s mother, but other versions have also been voiced. Probably, the famous khan Klych-Burkhan and his parents are buried in the ancient mazars. People called Klych-Burkhan the “Uzgen Hercules” and there were numerous legends about him. One legend says that he defeated a dragon that was devouring local young people.

But legends have nothing to do with scientific research. Scientists were able to decipher the inscriptions on the tombstones of the mausoleums and learned from their contents that one of the Karakhanids was buried in the northern one. In the southern one, 35 years later, another Karakhanid was buried.

Some Karakhanid rulers saved their inheritance for many years. By 1217 they were all executed.

Later, Uzgen became the outskirts of the Russian Empire and was part of the Andijan region. Nowadays this is a monument to the history and architecture of the state of Kyrgyzstan. Not far from Uzgen there is a source of valuable mineral waters “Kara-Shoro” and a recreation area with the same name, as well as a tourism center “Salam Alik”.

Now Uzgen is mainly inhabited by ethnic Uzbeks. A special rice called “Devzira” is grown here, famous for its amazing taste and nutritional properties (it is 98% digestible!). Devzira rice has a brownish-red color. Although it is grown in all corners of the Fergana Valley, only in Uzgen for its best growth there are the best weather and landscape conditions suitable for installing terraces, soil composition and, of course, ancient growing traditions. This variety of rice is considered elite and is the most expensive. It is best suited for preparing real Uzbek pilaf. It is successfully sold in all bazaars throughout the Central Asian region.

: first - because Uzgen was also one of the capitals of the Karakhanid state and preserved its pre-Mongol monuments; the second - because 90% of the population here are Uzbeks. As, by the way, in the shown mountain village of Arslanbob, only here it is no longer a village, but the oldest city in Kyrgyzstan.

The first thought that came over us darkiya_v upon arrival in Uzgen, run away and not return. In theory, this “oriental flavor” sounds beautiful, but in practice it means a powerful blow to all the senses, complete disorientation and constant attention of all passers-by. After some time, you get used to it, you enter into the local system of “friend or foe,” and many things that at first seemed like threats suddenly turn out, on the contrary, to be manifestations of friendliness and hospitality. But in the first minutes... Men and boys stare, women look away, children shout "Hello!" until hoarse, the gypsy-lyuli drags the stinking alas-alas to the next car, a beggar creeps up on the right, and a cop's cap flashes on the left... Away, away, away!
However, we arrived in Uzgen in a private car, I noticed a glimpse of the top of a minaret between the shabby five-story buildings, and from the bazaar we headed towards it, soon emerging onto a completely civil and calm square with a full set of monuments:

Afghanistan (where many were sent from Central Asia), the Great Patriotic War, Lenin, the defenders of Batken in 2000 (if anyone doesn’t know, then this village near the Kyrgyz Pamirs was attacked by Islamic militants):

The alley of heroes of the Soviet Union looking at the akimiyat is completed by Manas:

I suspect Lenin stood in his place before. Manas is a pillar of Kyrgyz identity, and in a 90% Uzbek city this is especially significant. And ahead you can already see the minaret at the site of Ancient Uzgen:

To be honest, I’m too lazy to repeat the history of the Karakhanid state, which dominated East Turkestan in the 10th-12th centuries. It’s too lazy to talk about the features of pre-Mongol architecture in Central Asia - almost without glazed tiles, but with the most complex ornaments made of brick and terracotta. All these things were already in Kazakh and Kyrgyz and - in a word, where the Karakhandi monuments were preserved (here are several mausoleums, caravanserais and minarets in Uzbekistan, including the famous Bukhara Kalyan). Since Karakhanidiya has always been ruled by two dynasties, the descendants of the Chigili (Arslan Khan, that is, the Lion King) and Yangma (Bogra Khan, that is, the Camel King) tribes that founded the state, it had at least two capitals. The “camel” capital was always Kashgar, the “lion” capital was Balasagun (from which the Buranin settlement remains), and it was less fortunate: in 1130 the Chui Valley was captured by the Karakidans, for some time both dynasties coexisted in Kashgar, and finally in 1141 the “lion’s” capital "Uzgen, the main city of the Fergana Valley at that time, became the capital, but it did not remain so for long - in 1212 both dynasties were overthrown by the nomadic Naimans, and a few years later Genghis Khan came and trampled the Karakhanid cities into the mud...

The minaret, 27 meters high, is actually the same “stump” as on Buran: its original height was 44 meters.

Amazing Karakhanid masonry - such complex patterns from ordinary bricks! This minaret is the same age as the pre-Mongol churches of Vladimir or Smolensk.

In 1923 (!), someone thought of adding a top, that is, this is already Soviet Muslim architecture:

8a.

Across the wasteland are three mausoleums... or rather, a triple mausoleum. Its central part was built about 1000 years ago and therefore is simpler and more severe; the left and right ones date back to 1154 and 1187 years respectively, and they are much more ornate - as often happens, Karakhanid art reached its peak only during the years of the decline of the Khanate. To be honest, I don’t know who is buried in them - clearly the Karakhanid nobility, but the khans or just local princes?

The view from the back side - only the portals of the mausoleums are so elegant, and it is clearly visible that the Southern Mausoleum is smaller than the others, but from the facade it masks this with an attic. Their size quite clearly characterizes the rise and fall of Karakhanidi.

10.

The portals of the central (right) and northern (left) Gumbez - as art historians write, “an early stage and mature classic of Karakhanid architecture”:

11.

For some reason, the portal of the southern gumbez is called the “beginning of decline,” although in my opinion it is the most beautiful here:

12.

Especially close:

13.

Ornament games:

13a.

Only the Middle and Southern mausoleums communicate with each other - the first was perhaps the only mausoleum in Central Asia with two portals, one of which was facing the entrance to the city, and the other - to the Kara Darya valley. Entrance to the mausoleums is free, filming is also free - here, for example, are their domes:

14.

View from the Southern Mausoleum to Sredniy:

15.

Under the masonry of its walls, patterns of the second portal of the Middle Mausoleum are revealed:

16.

And just some miraculously surviving decoration details:

16a.

Some other, not so ancient building on the site:

17.

Near the mausoleum there is a small service house, where an elderly Uzbek took a nominal fee from us and gave us the key to the doors of the minaret, telling us to lock ourselves behind us and not let anyone in, which we did. The roof of the minaret from below looks almost more ancient than its walls - and you would never guess that it was made in the USSR.

17a.

View of the ancient settlement - once upon a time there stood a cramped clay city with madrassas and trading domes. But the minaret was, most likely, the only one - in Karakhanidi they belonged not to individual mosques, but to the entire settlement, which is why they were built so powerful. It is clearly visible that the city stands as if in two terraces - Upper Uzgen and Lower Uzgen. The Kara Darya winds in the distance - together with the Naryn (I showed it in), with which it merges in the Fergana Valley, this is the source of the Syr Darya. The lonely mountain has a height of 2051m, that is, one and a half kilometers above the valley. And the mausoleum from the end is very unprepossessing:

18.

First, however, let's look at Upper Uzgen - it is mostly Soviet and very dull, although not without the New Mosque:

19.

The main square and the same street as in the last frame. I don’t know its name, but it could easily be Lenin:

20.

Neither another mosque, nor someone’s later mausoleum in the distance. There are a total of 28 mosques and prayer houses in Uzgen, at least two of which are pre-revolutionary (built in 1893 and 1914, respectively), one each in the Upper and Lower parts.

21.

But Nizhny Uzgen is the kingdom of old mahallas. Although Uzgen regained its city status only in 1927 (more than 700 years after the invasion of Genghis Khan), in fact it became such at least in the 19th century. The mahallas stretch for kilometers, and at least three mosques can be seen from above:

22.

23.

24.

The complex bed of the Kara Darya with many channels, the roofs of mahallas, a canopy for strollers (a fortified settlement is here instead of a park) and the same service house where we, having descended from the minaret, returned the key.

25.

And they decided to go down straight down the slope, dotted with small graves. By the way, did you know that in October it can be +33 degrees? I didn't know...

26.

There is a ditch running under the cliff, and along it there is a palisade of poplars. We ran into the fence, began to climb over the adjacent cliff, which attracted the attention of the Uzbeks standing nearby, and when we got down, a neatly dressed elderly man began to smile, asked who we were and where we were from, and offered to go with him.

27.

Inhabitant of mahallas. He wasn't the one who drove us. The attributes of an Uzbek are tarpaulin boots (or galoshes) and a skullcap:

28.

And during the trip I managed to get used to the mahallas. Completely different, different from European urban culture: mahalla is not a village, but rather a quarter, and a self-sufficient quarter - with its own head, its own court, its own security (or rather, the locals just all know each other and immediately see a stranger). Blind facades, dusty streets, hot silence:

29.

Aesthetics is only in details such as darvaz (gates), platbands, cornices:

30.

Because the streets in mahallas are the wrong side, like courtyards in European neighborhoods. And the courtyards here are extremely cozy - quiet, shady, sometimes covered with carpets... Actually, we are in the house of our guide, who here seated us at a table on the veranda, personally brought tea, cake and honey to the guests (he himself, go, young carry), and then took out a crooked Chustovsky knife from somewhere and cut a huge pomegranate from the tree. So we sat for half an hour in this silence and coolness, slowly carrying on conversations that were already familiar in Central Asia, not like a tourist with a local, not like a guest with his hosts, but, I would venture to say, between the West and the East. I like Uzbek hospitality - on the one hand, it is somewhat formal (unlike Kyrgyz), on the other, it has been practiced over centuries and therefore impeccable.

31.

After drinking tea, the owner and I went out onto the main street - asphalt, cars rushing by, but behind the curb there are the same blank facades:

32.

Water splashes in the ditch:

33.

The fortification dominates the mahalla:

34.

We walked to the mosque, which our guide said was pre-revolutionary:

35.

Or rather, like most Uzbek mosques, this is not one building, but a courtyard, and buildings on it from different eras. This one here, at the entrance, is clearly a remake. There is something like a Sunday school near the mosque (I don’t know what Muslims call it), and in a few minutes there will be several times more children here.

36.

The old part of the mosque is to the left of the entrance, the same blank wall from the photo before last:

37.

And this is also a remake... although is this word appropriate here? In Central Asia, medieval buildings are often indistinguishable from the 19th century. This is not a remake, but a continuity of tradition.

38.

They simply build as they have been accustomed for centuries, even if they use banal wallpaper for decoration:

39.

Coming out of the mosque, our guide instantly braked the car, put us in it, paid and named the route, and we literally teleported back to Upper Uzgen, to the city bazaar:

40.

An oriental bazaar as it is - crowds, bustle, bright dresses, colorful goods, and that special sultry drive that does not exist in our markets, imbued with the dull spirit of social injustice.

41.

The bazaar has long overwhelmed the nearby streets:

42.

Behind the bazaar are their mahallas, that is, Old Uzgen is like two “islands”, between which Uzgen is New and Ancient.

43.

The bazaar mosque is clearly a new building:

44.

But we came to the market with a very specific goal - to taste Uzgen pilaf. The fact is that the vicinity of Uzgen is famous throughout Central Asia for its special variety of rice, which is not grown anywhere else (at least that’s what they think here). And simply, apparently, there are enough rice farmers here - you can come across rice stalls in the bazaar more often than anywhere else in the cities I have seen:

45.

Actually rice. Here you can see how the name Uzgen is actually written and pronounced - it’s just that the Russian language does not have this sound. However, I didn’t photograph exactly that: “Uzgen rice” is a whole group of similar varieties, the best of which is considered to be devzira.

46.

Alas, finding Uzgen pilaf was not so easy. In the dining rooms-askhans with characteristic ottoman-type tables, by the end of the day it had already been completely dismantled:

47.

At either end of the bazaar we were persistently sent to this teahouse, but a problem arose there - they prepare at least a kilogram of pilaf for 700 soms (about 500 rubles), and it takes about an hour. Since I had to eat it alone, it was clearly a lot, and we left the teahouse with nothing. Here, by the way, pay attention to the device - behind each door there is a small “cell” that can accommodate 7-8 people, and they sit not on chairs, but at a low table on cushions. That is, even the catering culture here is old and unlike the European one.

48.

In general, we wandered around the bazaar, asking where else we could try this rice, and when they brought us to the same teahouse for the third time, the teahouse owners finally imbued with my interest and agreed to make half a kilo for 500 soms.
The courtyard of the teahouse - on the right there is a counter, on the left there are wide kitchen windows, where you can see how something is being cooked on an open fire. We were seated in a cell behind the outer door in the right wall:

49.

And about an hour later they brought pilaf, which automatically included tea. It should be noted that pilaf in Central Asia is prepared differently in every self-respecting city, this is something like a trademark, but I don’t remember all the Uzgen ingredients, except for the hot pepper at the top. Let me just say that the sweet crispy Uzgen rice was really worth the search:

50.

Well, a bazaar in Central Asia is always also a bus station, and after leaving the teahouse, we went to Osh - the capital of Southern Kyrgyzstan and the last city on this route. The next 4 and a half parts are about him. And half - because in the next one I’ll tell you about the bazaars of Osh and Uzgen, where the Fergana flavor is best visible.