The territory of modern Uzbekistan is located at the crossroads of ancient trade routes connecting the Far East with Western Asia and Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising that among its cities there are so many ancient settlements that were known about even in Ancient Rome. Today, Kokand in Uzbekistan is one of such settlements, the history of which goes back to ancient times. Once this city even had a capital status.
Kokand city in Uzbekistan
During the Soviet Union, several seasons of archaeological work were carried out on the territory of Kokand, as a result of which ancient walls and foundations of monumental structures dating back to the l-ll centuries were discovered. e.
But scientists do not limit the history of the city only to this period, they look even deeper. Given the fact that the settlement appeared in the center of the so-called Sokh oasis, it can be assumed that already in the Vll century BC. e. on the territory of Kokand there were permanent settlements of ancient farmers who built special hydraulic structures for irrigation of their fields.
Later references to the city are found in the records of Arab travelers who describe a city whose location is roughly comparable to Kokand. In Arabic records, he was called Hovakend or Hokand.
Arab travelers and merchants could not miss this city, since it was located on a trade route between India, China and Persia.
Ferghana region
The climate of all Uzbekistan and Kokand in particular is distinguished by pronounced seasonal fluctuations and sharp continentality. In such conditions, the lack of natural irrigation requires constant work to irrigate the stands, without which no people can survive.
Because of this, a special place on the map of Uzbekistan is occupied by the Ferghana region, the largest city of which is Kokand. However, the city of Fergana is considered the administrative center.
The Ferghana region differs from other regions of Uzbekistan with a mild climate, clean healing air. Despite the same small amount of precipitation as in other regions of the country, the Ferghana Valley offers generally more favorable conditions for agriculture, as it is protected from winter winds, such as those that dry out the soil in the Tashkent oasis.
In addition, the region has huge water resources of the Syr Darya, Isfayramsay, Isfara and Sokh rivers , which for many centuries have allowed local peasants to grow cotton and various vegetables.
Kokand Economy
Uzbekistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of gold reserves, and seventh in terms of the amount of annual precious metal mined. However, the traditional pillar of the Uzbek economy is traditionally considered agriculture, which thrives in the country, despite all the climatic difficulties.
From the planned economy of the USSR, Uzbekistan inherited a rather monotonous agriculture, specializing mainly in the production of cotton, which during the Soviet period turned into a monoculture.
However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, agriculture quickly showed a tendency to introduce diversity into production. Many areas began to be sown with wheat, the yield of which, thanks to proper agronomy, is growing significantly from year to year.
And of course, during the time of independence, the number of independent producers has grown, which strive to maximize the satisfaction of consumer demand existing in the market of Uzbekistan. Kokand, for example, specializes in cotton processing and food production.
The long history of colonization
Before becoming part of the Russian Empire, the territory of modern Uzbekistan and Kokand was independent and put up serious resistance to Russian troops. The first clash between the Kokand Khanate, the political center of which was the city of Kokand, and the Russian Empire occurred in 1850, when two army units invaded the territory of the Khanate.
The war with a state remote from the center of Russia, consisting of a chain of armed clashes, lasted eighteen years, and the result was the signing of a trade agreement that turned the khanate, and with it the Bukhara emirate, into a state dependent on Russia.
The city of Kokand in Uzbekistan to this day occupies a special position, which is expressed mainly in the significant development of industry and a large number of enterprises in the service sector. For example, in Kokand, the Ferghana Region Railway Administration is located, despite the fact that Ferghana is considered the administrative center.
Modernity of Uzbekistan
Kokand, being one of the oldest cities in the country, attracts many tourists from Europe, Russia and the Far East, primarily from China. However, tourists are primarily interested not in archaeological excavations of ancient settlements, but in the architectural heritage of the late period of the Kokand Khanate and the Soviet period, since the colonial period in the architecture of Uzbekistan is of little interest.
One of the most remarkable sights of the city is the palace of Khudoyar Khan, the one who signed the enslaving treaty with the Russian Empire, thereby putting an end to the independence of his state.
This palace is a showcase of luxury and narcissism; it was conceived in order to surpass all the khan's palaces built before it with its beauty. However, its construction was completed five years after the conquest of Kokand, and the palace turned into a monument of a bygone era.