0
Uzbekistan local time  

World Heritage of the Great Silk Road

"World heritage" numbers 721 sites. All of them are under protection of the world community. The countries, which were awarded to be listed are given a great support on restoration and preservation of monuments which are the property of mankind and succeeding generations.

Uzbekistan has rich traditions in commercial and cultural cooperation with many countries of the world. These traditions date far back to ancient time when in the II century B.C. commercial deals on the ancient caravan route, which went down in history under the name "The Great Silk Road" started. The Silk Road connected two ends of the unknown world: one on the coast of the Pacific Ocean near by China and Japan, and the other - in the Mediterranean countries. Commercial missions from the West and innumerable caravans from the East has passed along branches of this ancient transcontinental commercial artery, linking Europe and Asia.

The Great Silk Road not only initiated commercial development between East and West - it fostered development and active exchange of traditions, customs, crafts, religions. Discovering and understanding one another, peoples of the world advanced to the progress.

On the main crossroads of Silk Road, present Uzbekistan's territory was situated, and contributed a lot to development of the world civilization.

Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Shakhrisabz, where, since olden days a great cultural and spiritual valuables concentrated, where the scientific centers, architecture, crafts and arts developed played an important role.


Samarkand. Registan ensemble.

Magnificent and wonderful are monuments of ancient Samarkand. One can feel breath of the history in this city. It's kept by the ancient ruins unique madrasahs, mausoleums and minarets that had been preserved to our time.

In 1370 Amir Temur made Samarkand the capital of his endless empire, which stretched from Mongolia and Siberia to Syria and India. And the captured craftsmen and masters from everywhere worked wonders. Their works went through the centuries.

From a distance one can see a Gur-Emir mausoleum, looking like a bud of a blue tulip, with a tightly set petals. Here are the remains of Temur, who was known as a lord of the earth. The mausoleum keeps the remains of his two sons and two grandsons too. One of the grandsons is a famous astronomer Ulugbek, who ruled Samarkand for decades.

Not faraway is a legendary Registan square. Up to the present time, the bulks of ancient walls and towers of the three magnificent madrasahs - Ulugbek, Shir-Dor, Tillya Kari raise over here.

Remarkable building, traditionally attracting attention of guests - a lofty mosque Bibi-Khanum. Brilliant walls, tall minarets, wide, trimmed with carved marble, truly grandiose portal of the mosque according to the idea of its master were to glorify for centuries name of Temur and his wife.

Like a blue necklace on the slope of Afrosiab - a chain of unique buildings of Shakhi-Zinda complex. These splendid mausoleums in which Temur and his successors buried their relatives flank the path leading to the main relic - located on the top of the hill mazar (burial place) of Kusam-ibn-Abbas, cousin of the Prophet Mohammed.

One can touch to even more ancient centuries on the Afrosiab site excavations.

Bukhara. View at Kalan minaret.
Bukhara. View at Kalan minaret.

Since olden times the center of densely populated oasis was Bukhara. Its age is more than 2500 years.

Magnificent is a former residence of Bukharan Emirs - Ark fortress. On the basis of the last excavations it became clear that citadel on the site existed since IV century B.C. To the south of exit from dalon, to the right, one can see a unique building - throne hall of Bukharan Emir, reception for ceremonies and festivities. Throne is made of marble and dates back 1669 year.

In front of the entrance to Ark - a palace mosque Jami, built in XVIII century according to model of big quarter mosque.

To the west of Ark, yet in the pre-Arab time, there was formed a Registan, public center of the city. The only survived building on the Registan which came up to our time is a Bolo-Khauz complex (XVIII). Its focus is a Bolo-Khauz mosque with a lovely multicolumn aiwan, facing Registan.

The pearl of Central Asian architecture is considered to be a Samani mausoleum. Discovered buried under several meters of accumulated sands and earth and completely restored, it is a field of view from all the sides as it was planned in IX century by its genius master builder.

Bukhara boasts more than 140 monuments of ancient architecture. And the bright symbol of Bukhara-Minaret Kalyan towers over the city. It was built in 1227 and up to now its title - a "Great Minaret" is actual.

Khiva. Panoramic sight.
Khiva. Panoramic sight.

The only fully preserved city on the Great Silk Road - Khiva. It is called a "museum in the open". Khiva is located in the south-eastern part of Khorezmian oasis, in the south of present day Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, almost directly bordering with the Karakum desert.

Most of Ichan Kala buildings date back the end of XVIII - fist half of XIX century. But excavations on its territory showed that there are older layers dating back III and even earlier centuries B.C.

Ichan Kala is surrounded by a powerful wall which is more than 2100 kilometers long, with a several gates. The main of them is - Palvan-darvoza ("Athletic gates"). There is a marble slab over them with an inscriptions saying about the date of construction - 1221.

A silhouette of the huge minaret Islam-Khodja, the height of which is 44,6 meters and diameter at the basis is 14,2 meters raises above the city in a clear blue of the sky. The other unique building - Kalta Minar - "Short minaret". It stands unfinished. Its height is 26 meters, while diameter at the basis is 14,2 meters. This minaret was supposed to be the highest not only in Khiva but in Central Asia. But creators could not finish what they had planned.

In the medieval Moslem world, the city was considered to be important and grandeur if it had the main building, Friday mosque. The features of congregational mosque dating far back have been preserved in Khiva Juma mosque. The main historical and artistic value of the mosque are wood carved columns in the hall. The mosque boasts 213 columns different in size and architectural forms, artistic design and time. Early columns date back X-XIV centuries.

Architectural ensemble of the poet and philosopher Pakhlavan Makhmud (1247-1326) is one of Khiva's highlights too.

At the foot of the Zarafshan range, in the valley of Kashkadarya river basin, Shakhrisabz is located. In XIV - XV centuries it was a main city in the region Kesh - Shakhrisabz - lands of Barlas clan, the member of which was Amir Temur. He paid a lot of attention to building up the city - his native home town. In the end of XIV century, Temur ordered the best architects, engineers, builders, masters of architectural decor to be sent here. A plenty of beautiful buildings were erected by the ancient architects.

The most magnificent buildings are the Ak-Saray palace and the family crypt of Temurids Dorus-Saodat. The features of monumental architecture that had affected architecture of the whole region became apparent in them.

Construction of Ak-Saray palace started in 1380 and was finished only in 20 years time. Trimming works completed in 1404 "Let he who doubt out power and munificence look upon our buildings", - was inscribed on the portal of the palace.

At present, only Jakhongir's crypt, Khazrat Imam mosque and the crypt of Tamerlane where he had never been buried are preserved.

Shakhrisabz. Daraut - Tilavat complex.
Shakhrisabz. Daraut - Tilavat complex.

The eldest and favorite son of Amir Temur Jakhongir died in Samarkand in 1376 at the age of 22. The body of "fair prince, brave warrior, who appeared on the earth as a rose" was brought to the town of ancestors, where the mausoleum-wonderful building with three cupolas had been erected especially for him.

In the middle of the XIX century near by the mausoleum of Jakhongir, a mosque with a domical hall and painted aiwan known as Khazrat Imam was erected. At present it is an active mosque, where people offer up prayers five times a day.

We briefly told about ancient cities of Uzbekistan which since olden days played an important role on the Silk Road and which had been put in the list of world civilization valuables. Heritage of the "Great Road" that formed for many centuries and by many countries is truly endless and inexhaustible and still expects its new explorers.

All Tourist Gems of Uzbekistan