Shahrukhiya is a site of ancient settlement located 88 km to the 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 ...

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 ...

, on the right coast of

Syrdarya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan and eastern U ...

River (). It is the first large city of the Tashkent oases, situated on the Great

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

through Yaksart (Syrdarya). In the oriental sources, it was famous under the name Benaket, and the portion of the Great Silk Road direction called by its name.

Background

Shahrukhiya consisted of a citadel, two cities' territories, and a wide trade craft suburb (a "''rabad''"), in a total area of 400 hectares. Fortress walls with towers are surrounded by the citadel, Shahristan, and ''rabad''. The walls were erected by Amir Timur Beg Gurkani, he named the city after his youngest son

Shahrukh Mirza Shah Rukh or Shahrukh Mirza (, ''Šāhrokh''; 20 August 1377 – 13 March 1447) was the ruler of the Timurid Empire between 1405 and 1447. He was the son of the Central Asian conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), who founded the Timurid dynasty in 1370. ...

as Shahrukhiya in 1392. Archeological research has discovered fortification constructions, handicraft workshops of potters and glass blowers, bazaar areas, systems of municipal improvements on the city, and the remains of the front residential constructions of the Epoch of

Timurids The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of contem ...

and

Khanate of Bukhara The Khanate of Bukhara was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan. The Khana ...

. The memorial complex, "Shomir-kara ovlia", functioned in the northwestern part of Rabad in the 16th century. The traces of the memorial mosque of Abdullah Khan I were preserved here, that was built for Shah Emir Asadullah, the ishan of Shahrukhiya, and a marble grave. A site of ancient settlement of Shahrukhiya existed from the 3rd-4th century until the 18th century. Originally, it was a small city at the passage, but it became a huge city during the 10th-11th century. It was destroyed by the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

, and later reconstructed by Amir Timur, and named Shahrukhiya. Since that time, it became an important economic and cultural center in the state of the

and

Shaybanids The Shibanids or Shaybanids, more accurately known as the Abul-Khayrid-Shibanids, were a dynasty of Uzbek ( Turko-Mongol) origin who ruled over the Khanate of Bukhara (from 1505 to 1598), the Khanate of Khwarezm (Khiva) (from 1511 to 1695), a ...

. The city had its own mint, and outstanding scientists, poets, penmen, and artists have lived here.

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Tentative List on 18 January 2008, in the Cultural category.

Notes

{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Uzbekistan Central Asia Culture of Uzbekistan World Heritage Tentative List