Uzgen

Uzgen

Uzgen Tower

Uzgen town, which is situated on the right bank of the mountain river Kara-Darya (60 km away from Osh), was founded in the 8-9th centuries. The fourth city according to its size after Axiket, Kuba and Osh it was a large trade centre on the outskirts of the state of Samanids. From the second part of the 11th century till the beginning of the 13th century this mighty fortress, Uzgen, was the capital of Ferghana apanage of the Karakhanid State. In the 13th century it was destroyed by Genghis Khan and only the Uzgen Tower (Minaret) and three mausoleums preserved. Nowadays there are sites of ancient settlement; the ruins of the citadel and shakhristan (inner city).
Uzgen Minaret of the 10-12th centuries, built near the Muslim mosque, still keeps some remains of its decoration.
Uzgen mausoleums of the 11-12th centuries, the Northern, Middle and Southern, were built in the centre of the city not far from each other. In mausoleums rulers of Karakhanids dynasty are buried. There is a supposition that in the Middle one, which was built at the beginning of the 11th century, founder of the Karakhanids dynasty Nasr Ibn Ali was buried. The latter one – Northern mausoleum was built in 1152-1153 years, there is a remains of Hasan Ibn Husein Ibn Ali in it. Name of a man that was buried in the third – Southern mausoleum isn’t known, but the carved terracotta keeps the date – 1187 year. Mausoleums are decorated with the carved polished bricks with belts of aphorisms in kufi writing on the portals.
The monuments of Uzgen are called “encyclopaedia of the Karakhanids culture”, because one can observe clearly progress stages of an architectural forms as well as of the decorative art of the 11-12th centuries.