Andijan

Andijan

Andijan is the motherland of famous poet, author of epos “Baburname”, and military leader; statesman conquered India and established the empire of the Great Mongols – Zahiriddin Babur.

The ancestor of Babur Shah-Djahan constructed in India one of the most beautiful palaces in the world Taj-Mahal. Andijan is one of the ancient cities. 30 km farther from the modern city there is the town Ershi. It was the capital of ancient state Davan, which was famous with its fast horses. These horses were taken to Chinese Emperors as a precious gift. In the IX-X centuries Andijan was a part of Samanid’s Empire. In 1902 the city was completely destroyed by the earthquake and reconstructed again. The remaining archeological building in Andijan is madrasah Djami. The most attractive place for tourists is squire (in the open air) “Hunarmandchilik”, where you can see working craftsmen on engraving, embroidering and painting. Here you can buy their hand-made stuff. Andijan is famous for its holy places. The boulder “Teshik-Tash” in its grounds looks like the widely set legs of giant. Among the other holy places you can visit Imam-ota, Tuzlik Masar, Ok Gur, and spring Shirmanbulak.

The city prospered during Temur’s dynasty. Over the centuries Andijan served as the eastern gates to the Fergana valley. Now Andijan is one of the biggest industrial centers of Uzbekistan. There is a car-factory UzDaewoo here. The car models Tico, Damas, Matiz, Nexia and Lacetti are popular among CIS motorists.

Sights:

Jami Complex:

One of the main historical and architectural pearls of Andijan is Jami complex comprising a mosque, minaret and madrasah. The construction of the complex lasted from 1883 till 1890. Main merit of the Jami mosque and madrasah is their size. The complex’s building is still considered to be the largest one in Fergana valley and one of the largest in Central Asia. The construction of Jami madrasah lasted from 1883 to 1890. The madrasah attracts with its grandiose size. Its length is nearly 123 meters. The main facade of the building faces to the East according to the canons of Islam. The facade is decorated with traditional Fergana portal. As in other such madrasahs of that period, the corners of the building featured classrooms. Hujras, living rooms for students, were located between the classrooms.

The Juma Mosque (Friday mosque) was erected in the western part of the Jami complex. The mosque represents a rectangular building. From three sides, the mosque is surrounded with ayvans with wooden columns skillfully decorated with carving. The mosque ceiling is painted with various patterns which combine traditional geometric and floral ornaments. In the beginning of the XX century, the interior décor was represented by complicated patterns from majolica, while the entrance portal was decorated with inscriptions from the Koran.

The most remarkable elements of the Jami complex and mosque, in particular, is considered the minaret, rising 32 m in height. This is the largest minaret in the territory of Fergana valley. The minaret features an unusual décor. Its whole surface is decorated with an ornament in a form of medallion, with the Koran’s paroemias, carved in the Arab script, inside it. The minaret was the complex’s finishing element. Today one may still see a basin built in front of the minaret as well as a small park spreading on the whole territory of the complex.

The earthquake of 1902 in Andijan destroyed many ancient buildings but the Jami madrasah, complex, mosque and minaret came out unscathed, except for several interior décor elements. The whole complex occupies almost 1.5 ha. The minaret is the highest in the Fergana Valley. And the Jami mosque is an operating Friday mosque in Andijan.

Babur Park:

Zakhriddin Mukhammad Bobur is a significant person in Uzbekistan’s history. In Central Asian history, he remains as a great ruler and commander who managed to found a huge empire which existed more than 300 years after his death. He placed himself on record not only in the history of the peoples of the East, but also in world’s literature by creation of “Babur-name” one of his most famous works.

Up to date in Babur’s native city, there is a whole memorial park complex dedicated to Zakhriddin Mukhammad Babur, located on Bagishamol hill at the south-east of Andijan. This is not only a Babur memorial, but also an architectural and historical complex. According to the data from “Babur-name” once, ordered by Babur, the famous Andijan architect mavlono Fazliddin built a summerhouse for meditation, where Babur was having rest when he was young.

Today Andijan Park includes House-Museum named after Babur which has collected rare exhibits, connected with Babur and Baburids’ life. Furthermore, in the museum, one can get acquainted with the Babur’s literature heritage. The center of Babur Park is occupied by a Babur’s symbolic shrine with an immured piece of earth taken from Agra where the Kabul’s ruler died and was buried.

Andijan Park named after Babur is visited by thousands of fans of his writing in order to reverence the memory of this oriental ruler, poet and commander. The name of Zakhiriddin Mukhammad Babur in Uzbekistan ranges among the great writers such as Amir Timur, Ulugbek and Alisher Navoi. There are monuments to Babur in many country’s cities, his name is acquired to streets, parks and avenues, while Andijan will always be present in people’s mind as Babur’s motherland.

Andijan Regional Museum:

From the ancient times, the Fergana Valley has always been a prosperous land. In different historical periods, Fergana saw strong states which left behind an impressive legacy. These are monuments of architecture, arts and crafts, various findings of the ancient period, sculptures and works of art. Today, these monuments are closelyexamined by scientists and stored in various museums of Uzbekistan.

Andijan Regional Museum is one of such museums. All exhibits of the museum’s fund were discovered in Fergana region or belong to the history of this area.

The museum’s entire collection is divided into many areas: ethnography, fine art, applied arts, archeology and many other. The museum houses a vast collection of exhibits describing the life of the population of Fergana region in the ancient, antique, medieval periods of the regional history.