Oriental University Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology

Oriental University
Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology
2nd year 16th group student
Haydarova Nodira
From the subject of the English language
Independent work
Teacher: Urinboyeva T
Theme:Historical places of Uzbekistan
The historical monuments of Uzbekistan have attracted Western travellers for centuries.
From Marco Polo to the Great Game spies, Uzbekistan was always at the heart of the intrigue, its cities the routers of the great interchange between East and West that we call the Silk Road.
But for most of that time it was only the hardiest of travellers risking life and limb who managed to see the great jewels connecting the caravan roads. Since the end of the Soviet Union, however, Uzbekistan has opened its doors to visitors.
Here's a rundown on Uzbekistan's top historical cities, and our essential guide on how to visit them.
Samarkand
Historical Samarkand is often the first stop for visitors to Uzbekistan – with the exception of capital Tashkent which serves as a transport hub. The high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand takes two hours, halving the time it takes to drive between the two cities.
Samarkand was the capital of Amir Timur, a 14th-century master general who built an empire spanning Central Asia and Persia, killing 17 million people in the process. He was also a patron of the arts, capturing artists along the way to build him a legacy in stone. The pitiful dead have been forgotten, but the magnificent city still stands.
In the 14th century, it became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane), and is the site of his mausoleumTimur (the Gur-e Amir). The Bibi-Khanym Mosque remains one of the city's most notable landmarks.Gur-e Amir Bibi-Khanym Mosque. 7 The Registan was the ancient centre of the city.Registan In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures. UNESCO World Heritage List
In the 15th century, under the auspices of Ulugh Beg, the astronomer-king and Timur’s grandson, it became Samarkand’s educational centre as well, when he built a splendid madrasah (from the viewing platform, it’s the building to your left) where he taught astronomy. At the time, the Ulugh Beg madrasah was known as one of the best universities of the Muslim world.
Ulugh Beg’s size is balanced by the sheer elegance of its design and ceramic tile coating. A yellow-brown background highlights glazed green, turquoise, yellow and blue. Mosaic and majolica panels shine with floral motifs and Kufic calligraphy. The highlight is a muqarnas (a vaulted form of Islamic architecture) honeycomb decoration that dazzles with its mathematical complexity.
"Never in all the centuries will an artist, thought's acrobat, even with the bow of phantasy, scale the forbidden peaks of this minaret," reads one of the inscriptions extolling the opposite Shir Dor (having tigers) madrasah, built by Governor Yalangtush between 1619 and 1636. His architects strove to match Ulugh Beg in scale and nobility, though Koranic prohibition against symmetry forbade an exact mirror-image.
The decoration of Shir Dor is not as refined as that on the Ulugh Beg madrasah of the 15th century - the golden age of Timurid architecture. Yet the harmony of large and small rooms, exquisite mosaic decor, monumentality and efficient symmetry all place the structure among the finest architectural monuments of Samarkand.
Bukhara is one of the most ancient cities of Uzbekistan, situated on a sacred hill, the place where sacrifices were made by fire- worshippers in springtime. This city was mentioned in a holy book "Avesto". Bukhara city is supposed to be founded in the 13th c.B.C. during reign of Siyavushids who came to power 980 years before Alexander the Great. The name of Bukhara originates from the word "vihara" which means "monastery" in Sanskrit. The city was once a large commercial center on the Great Silk Road. Bukhara with more than 140 architectural monuments is a "town museum" dating back to the Middle Ages. 2,300 years later, ensembles like the Poi-Kalon, Kos Madras, Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Kalian Minaret are attracting a lot of attention. The city consists of narrow streets, green parks and gardens, historical and architectural monuments belong to the different epochs, but locate very close to each other.
Khiva is a city from a fairy-tale. The capital of the Khiva Khanate in the 17th century, it still retained the exotic flavour of a medical Oriental town in the old part of the city - Ichan-Kala, where all monuments of architecture are located. Khiva
Among them are the Kunya- Ark citadel, the Tash-Khauli Palace, and the fortified hill - Akshish-bobo, which is the best place to glance over the whole city. Today Khiva is a museum-city. There are no tall buildings and wide streets here. It is very hard to enumerate all the historic sites in Khiva. There are palaces decorated with colourful mosaics, the adobe houses, and many medressehs, minarets and mosques in Khiva, such as the tall and beautiful Islam-Hoja minaret. Khiva has always been famous for its wood-carving. Doors and columns of palaces are covered by very beautiful patterns. The museum devoted to this monument can become one of the most attractive objects of tourism of the world historical and cultural significance An open-air museum, ancient Khiva is waiting for you