Portal:Uzbekistan

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The Uzbekistan Portal

Uzbekistan (UK: /ʊzˌbɛkɪˈstɑːn, ʌz-, -ˈstæn/, US: /ʊzˈbɛkɪstæn, -stɑːn/ ^ⓘ), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is surrounded by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the southwest. Its capital and largest city is Tashkent. Uzbekistan is part of the Turkic world, as well as a member of the Organization of Turkic States. Uzbek is the majority-spoken language in Uzbekistan, while Russian is widely spoken and understood throughout the country. Tajik is also spoken as a minority language, predominantly in Samarkand and Bukhara. Islam is the predominant religion in Uzbekistan, most Uzbeks being Sunni Muslims.

The first recorded settlers in what is now Uzbekistan were Eastern Iranian nomads, known as Scythians, who founded kingdoms in Khwarazm, Bactria, and Sogdia in the 8th–6th centuries BC, as well as Fergana and Margiana in the 3rd century BC – 6th century AD. The area was incorporated into the Iranian Achaemenid Empire and, after a period of Greco-Bactrian rule, was ruled by the Iranian Parthian Empire and later by the Sasanian Empire, until the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century. (Full article...)

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Fergana Valley (highlighted), post-1991 national territories colour-coded.

The Fergana Valley (Uzbek: Фарғона водийси, Farg'ona vodiysi; Kyrgyz: Фергана өрөөнү, romanized: Fergana öröönü; Tajik: водии Фарғона, romanized: Vodii Farg'ona) in Central Asia lies mainly in eastern Uzbekistan, but also extends into southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan.

Divided into three republics of the former Soviet Union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the early 21st century was the scene of conflict. A large triangular valley in what is an often dry part of Central Asia, the Fergana owes its fertility to two rivers, the Naryn and the Kara Darya, which run from the east, joining near Namangan, forming the Syr Darya river. The valley's history stretches back over 2,300 years, when Alexander the Great founded Alexandria Eschate at its southwestern end. (Full article...)

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Uzbekistan on Wikinews

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The following are images from various Uzbekistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Djamolidine Abdoujaparov is the most famous cyclist in Uzbekistan, winning three Tour de France point contests. Abdoujaparov is also one of the world's fastest cyclists. (from Culture of Uzbekistan)
Image 2The Registan and its three madrasahs. From left to right: Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah, Samarkand, and Uzbekistan. (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 3Map of Timurid dynasty (1370–1506) (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 4Triumphant crowd at Registan, Sher-Dor Madrasah. The Emir of Bukhara viewing the severed heads of Russian soldiers on poles. Painting by Vasily Vereshchagin (1872). (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 5Chor Minor madrasa, Bukhara, 1807 (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 6Chorasmian fresco from Kazakly-Yatkan (fortress of Akcha-Khan Kala), 1st century BC-2nd century AD (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 7A group of Uzbek elders, 1890–1896 (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 8Map of Uzbek states in 1735 (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 9Map of Uzbekistan (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 10The Silk Road extending from Southern Europe through Africa and Western Asia, to Central Asia, and eventually South Asia, until it reaches China, East Asia proper, and Southeast Asia (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 11Russian troops taking Samarkand in 1868, by Nikolay Karazin (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 12Ruins of Afrasiab – ancient Samarkand destroyed by Genghis Khan (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 13Kalyan Minaret (Great Minaret) in Bukhara, 1127 (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 14Rabati Malik's portal on the road from Samarkand to Bukhara, 11th century (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 15Turkish officers during an audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand 648–651 AD (Afrasiab murals) (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 16The Defence of the Samarkand Citadel in 1868. From the Russian illustrated magazine Niva (1872). (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 17ossuary, statue of a man, Koy-Krylgan-Kala region, first centuries BC, Khorezm (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 18A parandja, a robe worn by women until it was banned in 1927. This example is made of velvet, silk threads and handmade embroidery. Displayed at the Museum of Applied Arts in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (from Culture of Uzbekistan)
Image 19A group of youth in Uzbekistan, 1995 (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 20Kushan Prince, Dalverzin-Tepe, 1st century AD, Uzbekistan, Museum of the History of the Peoples of Uzbekistan (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 21The pharmacy building in Bukhara is a fine example of Uzbek architecture influenced by the Russian Empire. (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 22Timur feasts in Samarkand (from History of Uzbekistan)
Image 23A veil-burning ceremony in Uzber SSR as part of Soviet Hujum policies (from History of Uzbekistan)