Namangan
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Namangan (Uzbek: Namangan), is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan (1999 pop. 376,600). It is the capital of Namangan Province, in the northern edge of Fergana Valley of eastern Uzbekistan.
[edit] Geography
Namangan is about 430 km east of Tashkent, about 65 km west of Andijan, and about 75 km north of Fergana. It is located at 1561 feet (476 meters) above sea level. The Qoradaryo and Naryn Rivers join together to form the Syr Darya just outside the southern edge of the city.
[edit] History
As the Iranian name of the city suggests, Namangan was originally a settlement of the native Iranian population of Central-Asia.
Namangan was known to have been a settlement in the 15th century and a part of the khanate of Kokand by the middle of the 18th century. It takes its name from the local salt mines (in Persian: نمککان namak kan). At the time of the Russian occupation, Namangan was a bastion of Islam, with 20 madrassahs and over 600 mosques. After annexation by the Russians in 1876, cotton production and food processing became the dominant economic activity. Namangan suffered a destructive earthquake in 1926.
Since Uzbekistan independence in 1991, Namangan has gained a reputation for Islamic fundamentalism, with many mosques and schools funded by the ultra-conservative Wahabi sect from Saudi Arabia. This has also translated into political opposition against the secular government of Uzbekistan. The majority of the women have discarded traditional colorful scarves for large white veils or even the black paranja.
Main Tourist Sights of Namangan
- Mullo Kyrgyz Madrasseh – built in 1910
- Mosque of Ota Valikhan Tur – built in 1915, and one of the largest in Central Asia; now home to local branch of the Wahibi sect
- Namangan Natural History Museum – housing local archaeological discoveries
- Hadja Amin Kabri Architectural Complex – ornate terra-cotta facade from the 18th to 19th century
- Akhsykent ruins - 1st century settlement located 25 km west of Namangan, on the Syr-Darya River. Formerly capital of Fergana Valley, it was destroyed by the Mongols, rebuilt by the Timurids and abandoned in the 17th century for Namangan after an earthquake.
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