Qarshi ( ; ) is a city in southern
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
. It is the capital of
Qashqadaryo Region. Administratively, Qarshi is a district-level city, that includes the
urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...
Qashqadaryo.
It has a population of 278,300 (2021 estimate).
It is about 520 km south-southwest of
Tashkent
Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
, and about 335 km north of Uzbekistan's border with
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. It is located at latitude 38° 51' 48N; longitude 65° 47' 52E at an altitude of 374 meters. The city is important in
natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
production, but Qarshi is also famous for its production of woven flat
carpets.
History
Originally the
Sogdian city of Nakhshab (which could be possibly named
Eucratideia during the rule of
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom), and the
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
Uzbek (Turkic) city of Nasaf, and the
Chagatay city of Qarshi (pronounced ''Kharsh''), Qarshi was the second city of the
Emirate of Bukhara. It is in the center of a fertile
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment[wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...]
,
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
, and
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
and was a stop on the 11-day
caravan route between
Balkh and
Bukhara
Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...
. The Mongol
Chagataid khans
Kebek and
Qazan built palaces here on the site of
Chinggis Khaan's summer pasture. In 1364,
Timur also built a fortified palace with moats in what is now the southern part of the city. The modern name "Qarshi" means fort.
Qarshi developed steadily from the 14th century. During the Sheyban dynasty the town grew violently (16th century). It was the second largest town of Bukhara Khanate in the 18th century. During these centuries much of the city's magnificent architectural monuments were buil
With the decline of
Shahrisabz in the 18th century, Qarshi grew in importance, and was the seat of the Crown Prince to the Emirate of Bukhara. The city had a double set of walls, 10
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
s and 4
madrassahs during this time. By 1868, the
Russians
Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
had annexed the
Zarafshan Valley, and in 1873, the treaty turning Bukhara into a Russian
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
was signed in Qarshi, much to the dismay of the Emir's son, Abdul Malik, who took to the hills in rebellion.
In the early 1970s, the first section of a major
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
project was completed to divert water from the
Amu Darya River in
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...
eastward into Uzbekistan in order to irrigate the land surrounding Qarshi. Almost all of these irrigated lands around Qarshi are planted with
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
.
Main sites
Odina Mosque
*
Odina Mosque was built in the 16th century and is on the southeast side of Qarshi's Eski Bazaar. The mosque was built on the site of an older
Mongol palace, which had also been used as a prison.
The mosque has an attractive domed exterior, and also a sardoba, a domed reservoir which stopped the water supply becoming contaminated or evaporating. It is no longer used for worship but instead houses Qarshi's Regional Museum.
Madrassas
* There are three
madrassas in Qarshi, all on the same square. These are the
Kalizbek,
Bakmir, and
Khodjaev Abdul Aziz Madrasas, which were all built between 1904 and 1915.
The madrassas no longer have a religious function and are in need of reservation, but tourists can enter inside if they ask the guardian.
* Rabiya Madrassah – a late 19th-century female madrassah
Kok Gumbaz Mosque
*
Kok Gumbaz (which means "blue dome") is Qarshi's
Friday Mosque. It is the largest such mosque in the region, and was constructed by
Emperor Ulugbek on behalf of his father,
Shah Rukh, in the late 16th century. Kok Gumbaz is architecturally quite similar to other
Timurid mosques, including in
Shakhrisabz, but it has been less heavily restored, so more of the original features remain intact.
Qarshi Bridge
*
Qarshi Bridge is an ancient brick bridge built over the
Qashqadaryo River, constructed in the second half of the 16th century.
World War II Memorial
* Qarshi's war memorial to casualties of the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...
is one of the largest
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
era memorials in Central Asia. It is a mix of walkways, plaques, an
eternal flame, and a red star-topped tower with a series of stained-glass windows. It is possible to access the upper levels of the memorial on request.
Climate
Köppen climate classification system classifies its climate as
cold semi-arid (BSk).
Industry
A
gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant, located 40 km south of Qarshi, is under construction. This plant will be based on
Sasol’s GTL technology and will have a capacity of 1.4 million metric tons per year, with following product slate: GTL diesel, kerosene, naphtha and liquid petroleum gas. The total cost of the project is around $4 billion and it is the first such a high-tech plant on the Eurasian continent. The joint project GTL Uzbekistan, where Sasol and Uzbekistan's state oil company
Uzbekneftgas each hold 44.5% interest, and the rest 11% belonging to Malaysian
Petronas, was founded in 2009. The plant will be built on the basis of the Shurtan gas and chemical complex.
Culture
Sports
Qarshi is home to
FC Nasaf which was founded in 1986. Nasaf plays its home matches at the
Markaziy Stadium, built in 2006.
Education
*One
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
and one institution of
higher learning:
**
Karshi State University
**
Karshi engineering-economics institute
**
Karshi branch of Tashkent University of Information Technologies
Local infrastructure
Transportation
*Qarshi is served by
Qarshi Airport with flights to
Tashkent
Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
,
Navoi and some major Russian cities.
Landmarks
* Khoja Abdul Aziz Madrassah – largest in town, now housing the Regional Museum
* Rabiya Madrassah – a late 19th-century female madrassah
* Kok Gumbaz Mosque – part of a 16th-century complex of buildings
* World War II Memorial – Perhaps one of the ex-Soviet Union's most monumental monuments
Notable people
*
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi (d. 943 CE), Isma'ili missionary and theologian
*
Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi (d. 508 AH/1114 CE).
*
Abu Hafs Umar an-Nasafi was a Muslim jurist, theologian,
mufassir,
muhaddith and historian. A
Persian scholar born in
Transoxiana
Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
, he wrote mostly in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
.
*
Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi (d. 710 AH/1310 CE).
*
Poyon Ravshan (1941-2021) – uzbek historian
Bibliography
*
References
External links
“Uzbektourism”: 2700th anniversary of Karshi
Karshi cityOfficial website of the Kashkadarya Region administration, information about organizations, regions of the region, statistical data,…
{{Authority control
Populated places in Qashqadaryo Region
Cities in Uzbekistan
Sogdian cities