Shakhrisabz is the birthplace of Amir Timur
Kashkadarya region is located 200 km north-west of Termez. It is a valley located on both banks of the Kashkadarya River. From the east it is bounded by the spurs of the Gissar range, from the north – by the Zeravshan range (Pamir-Alai mountain system). It is an ideal combination of snow-capped mountain tops with numerous waterfalls from small mountain rivers and flower-scented valleys, waterless steppes and barchans of sand brought from the desert located on the territory of Turkmenistan. The region is rich in mineral resources, in particular, oil deposits. The administrative center of the region is the city of Karshi. It is a modern industrial center of Uzbekistan, which has a centuries-old history. The second largest and historically significant city of Kashkadarya is Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Amir Timur (Tamerlane). In XIV-XV centuries it was the main city of the region of Kesh, the fiefdom of the Turkic-Mongolian tribe “Barlas”, to which the formidable Tamerlane belonged. Under Timur Shakhrisabz experienced unprecedented prosperity and was built up with luxurious monumental buildings. Since XVI century the city gradually falls into decline. At the beginning of XIX century it was the residence of the local bey. Now it is a modern city with 25 centuries of past.
Historical architectural objects
The remains of the palace Ak-Saray (XIV-XVc);
Dorus-Siadat ensemble (XIV-XVc);
Dorut-Tilyavat ensemble (XIV-XVc);
Chor-Su trade complex (XVII c).
KASHKADARYA REGION – TOUR TO SHAKHRISABZ
Kashkadarya region – formed in 1943.
Area – 28.57 thousand km 2
Administrative center is the city of Karshi (558 km from Tashkent).
The region is located in the south-east of the republic, on the western edge of the Pamir-Alai mountain system, in the basin of the Kashkadarya River.
The Karshi steppe stretches in the northwest and north of the region, the sands of the Sundukli desert in the southwest, the Nishan steppe in the south, and the Kitabo-Kamashi foothill plain occupies the eastern part of the region. In the north-east, east and south, the region is bordered by mountain ranges that prevent cold air masses from penetrating into this territory, which contributes to the condensation of humid air flows from the west.
The climate is sharply continental, in some places – subtropical: summer is dry and hot, winter is warm.
The Kashkadarya River, which has numerous tributaries flowing down from the mountains, is the main water artery of the region. Irrigation canals and reservoirs feed irrigated agriculture in the largest – Karshi, Kitabo-Shakhrisabz and Guzaro-Kamashi – districts of the viloyat, forming three oases.
The region supplies 10.2% of Uzbekistan’s agricultural production to the republic’s market. The main branches are cotton growing, silk growing, grain growing, vegetable growing. Livestock breeding has a meat and dairy direction. Sheep breeding is developed in mountainous areas.
Gas, oil, zinc, marble, sulphur, salt are extracted in the subsoil of the region. The industry is based on natural gas processing (Mubarek gas processing plant) and oil refining. There are enterprises of cotton cleaning, oil-extraction, textile, clothing, food industries, production of construction materials.
The Shurtan-Bukhara-Gazli-Tashkent, Shurtan-Mubarek, Karakitai-Karshi pipelines stretch for 2106 km.
Higher educational institutions of Viloyat are represented by the State University, Karshi Economic Institute, branches of Bukhara Technological Institute of Food and Light Industry, Tashkent Technical University.
The largest city of Kashkadarya is the regional center of Karshi, which emerged in the first half of the XIV century on the southern side of the foot of the Kungurtau hill (the ancient caravan route from Bukhara and Samarkand to India through Afghanistan passed here). The name of the town at that time was “Nesef”. Trade in dried fruits, karakul smoothies, sheep’s wool and handicrafts was well established here.
Now Karshi is the largest industrial city of the region, drowning in the greenery of gardens and parks. Far beyond the region, Karshi is famous for manufacturing the best lint-free carpets (palass) in Uzbekistan.
On the southwestern outskirts of the region is the largest center of the gas industry – the city of Mubarek. A unique technological system of gas purification from hydrogen sulfide is carried out at the gas processing plant located here. One of the local attractions is an artificially planted saxaul park.
In the upper reaches of the Kashkadarya River lies the Kitabo-Shakhrisab Basin, surrounded by the Zeravshan, Hissar and Yakkabag ridges (the most densely populated in the Kashkadarya Valley). The climate here is milder than in the whole region – relatively warm winters and not very hot summers. The lands of the basin are mainly occupied by vast cotton fields planted with mulberry trees.
Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), is the main city of the basin. Here works an art factory, known in the republic for its master embroiderers of suzane, carpets, tubiteks, bags, belts, and other products.
Not far from Shakhrisabz is a small town – Kitab, famous for its astronomical latitude station (only five in the world). The stations are located at the same geographic latitude: Carloforte – in Italy, Yukaya and Gaithersburg – in the USA, Mitsuzawa – in Japan).
Tour to Shakhrisabz – the Green City of Uzbekistan. Shakhrisabz is also the birthplace of Tamirlan where the ruler built numerous mosques and Medres.