Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia that attracts travelers from all over the world with its culture, history and beauty. Travel Land Travel agency has prepared for you some interesting facts about Uzbekistan that may be useful in your journey.
- Uzbekistan is the only country in the world that borders with countries whose names end in “stan”. In the north and northwest – Kazakhstan, in the southwest and south – Turkmenistan, in the south – Afghanistan, in the south– east – Tajikistan, in the east – Kyrgyzstan.
- Samarkand is the oldest city in Uzbekistan, founded in the middle of the 8th century BC and is the same age as Rome and Nanjing (China). The city used to be called Marakanda and was the capital of the Temurid state, and later in 1924 became the first capital of Soviet Uzbekistan. Samarkand is the third most populous city in Uzbekistan. The historical and archaeological monuments of this city have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name “Samarkand-the crossroads of cultures”.
- Did you know that the great Avicenna was born in Uzbekistan? Avicenna, whose real name is Abu Ali Hussein ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina was born in the ancient village of Afshana in the Bukhara region of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 980. Avicenna was a Persian scientist, philosopher and physician. He wrote more than 450 works in 29 fields of science, of which only 274 have come down to us. His most famous works are the philosophical and scientific encyclopedia “The Book of Healing” and the medical encyclopedia “The Canon of Medicine”.
- Of all the Central Asian countries, only Uzbekistan has a metro. The Tashkent Metro is a place that is definitely worth a visit. Tashkent Metro is the most beautiful metro in the world, whose walls are decorated with mosaics and colored glass, and the more modern ones are decorated with geometric patterns and stucco.
- According to 2020 data, Uzbekistan is the world leader in gold production. Until that time, Uzbekistan retained the second place in gold production and to this day occupies the fourth place in its reserves. The gold mine is located in Muruntau, in the Kyzylkum desert, the size of the quarry reaches 3.5 km long and 2.7 km wide, 600m deep.
- The Aral Sea is a former drainless salty lake located on the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Initially, this lake was called the sea, only because of its size and salinity of the water. Today, the Aral Sea is rapidly drying up due to human intervention. It used to be the fourth largest on the planet. The ruins of two settlements and mausoleums were found on the exposed bottom of the Aral Sea.
- In Uzbekistan, clear traces of dinosaurs were found on the slopes of the Hissar ridge. According to scientists, these traces are more than 75 million years old.
- There are a lot of police in Uzbekistan, policemen are literally on every corner.
- Uzbekistan is among the TOP 5 countries in cotton production. Cotton production in Uzbekistan is of great importance in the country’s economy. Unofficially, cotton in Uzbekistan is called “white gold“. The state controls this industry at the national level.
- Ichan-Kala is a historical inner city of Khiva, surrounded by powerful walls, which became the first World Heritage Monument in Central Asia. In Khiva, there was a traditional division of the city into two parts: the inner city (citadel, Shahristan) — Ichan-Kala (literally: inner defensive circle) and the Outer City (rabad) — Dishan-Kala (outer defensive circle). The walls of Ichan-Kala are 8-10 meters high, 5-6 meters thick and 6250 meters long along the outer perimeter. Century-old architectural monuments, fortifications, palaces, mosques, minarets, caravanserais and mausoleums have turned Ichan-Kala into a unique historical landmark.
