Nukus is a city in Uzbekistan, which is considered the capital of the Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic. It is also the administrative, economic, scientific and cultural center of Karakalpakstan. You can often hear that Nukus is called the "northern capital" of Uzbekistan.
Description of the city of Nukus
The city of Nukus is located near the Aral Sea. It is located at the epicenter of a continental environmental disaster. Deserts surrounded the city on four sides: Kyzylkum ("red sands"), Karakum ("black sands"), Aralkum ("white sands") and a rocky desert. It is worth noting that Nukus is located at an altitude of 76 meters above sea level.
The climate in the region is dry, continental with long, almost cloudless summers and short snowy winters. The whole city is pierced by the Kizketken canal. A large number of highways and railways also pass through it.
Like all of Uzbekistan, Nukus today has a number of environmental problems that are directly related to the drying of the Aral Sea.
Soil and water are heavily polluted due to the use of pesticides. During dust storms, sand rises into the air.
Not so long ago (in 2012), the inhabitants of Nukus celebrated the 80th anniversary of their city. Despite this, its lands have a thousand-year history - more than 1000 archaeological finds were found on this territory.
History
In Uzbekistan, Nukus was erected on the site of the ancient settlement of Shurcha.
The settlement was created in the IV century BC. e. and existed until the IV century BC. e. It is difficult to make archaeological excavations on the site of Shurch today, since now there is a cemetery. In the XIX century, on the site of the once existing settlement, an aul was named, which was called Nukus.
The first mention of Nukus as a military fortress can be found in the writings of the XII century. Unfortunately, the structure has not been preserved to this day. Despite the fact that in 1874 the fortress was restored, it did not last long - in 1907 it was rebuilt. The remains of the rebuilt building can be seen in Nukus today.
The modern history of the city cannot be called saturated. It is known that a school was built for local residents in 1887, which lasted only two years. At that moment, the main population of Nukus was Karakalpaks, who were mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding.
Later, other nations began to populate the city.
The people of Nukus
Among all of Uzbekistan, Nukus is perhaps the most good-natured people. In 2010 (after the census), the population was 271 thousand people. It is worth noting that the city has a fairly large number of large families. The national composition of Nukus is diverse - Russians, Kazakhs, Koreans, Turkmen, Uzbeks and other peoples live here.
Despite the fact that Nukus is considered a fairly developed city, it is often possible to find rounded buildings of the "ancient" type - a yurt. Senior residents even prefer to wear traditional clothes and hats.
From time immemorial, Nukus has been famous for its mastery in applied art - the Karakalpak pattern cannot be confused with another. It is also worth noting the attitude of the Karakalpaks to the traditions of their ancestors. To this day, they tell each other tales and legends, sing lyric songs. Ancient musical instruments, such as dutar, kobuz and nai, have also been preserved.
sights
The city offers tourists many interesting places to visit.
Among the most popular, it is worth noting the following attractions of Nukus:
- Gos. Museum named after I. Savitsky. The museum itself is divided into several rooms. Here, a tourist will be able to see many archaeological finds, such as statues of fire worshipers who lived on the lands of Nukus many millennia ago.
- Janbas Kala. Janbas-kala is an ancient settlement, which is located near Nukus. Its main feature is the absence of towers, which were considered a necessary element for the settlements of that time. Today, only walls remain from Janbas-kala, which to this day remind of its former greatness.
- Mizdakhan complex. Mizdakhan archaeological complex is in great demand among believing tourists who come here from all over the world. The complex itself was erected in the IV century BC. e. and represents several buildings and an ancient cemetery.
- Ancient settlement Ayaz-Kala. This settlement, which was also built in the IV century BC. e., also called the city in the wind. Experts believe that this name was given to the settlement due to the fact that it is located in a place with frequent sandy winds.
An airport
Today, Ural Airlines and Uzbekistan Havo Yullari Airlines regularly fly to Moscow from Nukus Airport. In 2011, a large-scale reconstruction of the runway was carried out - in just 110 days, an asphalt pavement 3000 meters long was laid. In addition, air transport parking lots and aprons were modernized.
Until 2018, the airport capacity was 200 people, however, after installing new terminals, the figure doubled. The airport station consists of two offices, which include lounges, checkpoints, and luggage storage.
The development of science, education, medicine and sports
Nukus (Uzbekistan) today has the following facilities:
- 26 secondary specialized educational institutions;
- 5 boarding schools;
- 45 comprehensive schools;
- 48 kindergartens;
- 200 sports grounds, including gyms, pools, etc.
Also in the city there is a branch of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a large number of institutes, including archaeological, historical, ethnographic, etc.