Left:Statue of Amir Temur and heritage twin buildings inAk-Saray Palace, Jahangir Mausoleum, Shahrisabz Kok-Gunbaz Mosque, Panoramic view of Shahrisabz, from Ak-Saray PalaceRight: Shahrisabz Ancient Chorsu, Shahrisabz Wall, Shahrisabz Mosque (all items were from above to bottom)
It is located approximately 80 km south ofSamarkand, at an elevation of 622 m. Its population is 140,500 as of 2021.[1] Historically known as Kesh or Kish, Shahrisabz was once a major city ofCentral Asia and was an important urban center ofSogdiana, a province of theAchaemenid Empire of Persia. It is primarily known today as the birthplace of 14th-centuryTurco-Mongol conquerorTimur.[4]
Shahrisabzsuzani, first half of 19th century. Suzanis played a central role in the lives of the people of Uzbekistan. This suzani derives its particular appeal from its high proportion of light and brilliant colours: golden yellow, orange, ochre and light blue.
Formerly known asKesh orKish ("heart-pleasing") and tentatively identified with the ancientNautaca, Shahrisabz is one ofCentral Asia’s most ancient cities. It was founded more than 2,700 years ago and formed a part of theAchaemenid Empire orPersia from the 6th to 4th centuries BC. Throughout this period Kesh remained an important urban center ofSogdiana, a major province within the Empire. Documents from the late Achaemenid period speak of the renovation of the city's walls.[5] It has been known as Shahrisabz since the Timurid era.[6]
Alexander the Great's generalPtolemy captured thesatrap ofBactria andpretender to the Persian throne,Bessus, at Nautaca thus ending the once great Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great chose to spend his winters and met his wifeRoxanna in the area around 328–327 BC. Between 567 and 658 AD, rulers of Kesh paid taxes tokhagans of Turkic and Western Turkic khaganates. In 710 the city was conquered by the Arabs[5] and following theMongol conquest of Khwarezmia in the 13th century, the region came under the control of theBarlas tribe, all of whose lineages seem to have been associated with this region.[7]
From the 6th to 8th centuries, Kesh was a part of theTurkic and West Turkic Kaganates. In the 8th century the ruler-malik of Khuzar (Kesh) was Turk Subugra. Under Ton-Yabgu-Kagan (618–630) the power of Turks strengthened inSogdia. New campaigns toTokharistan andAfghanistan pushed the borders of the state to northwesternIndia. Ton-Yabgu Kagan carried out administrative reform and appointed his representatives - tuduns - in the regions, including Sogdia, to monitor and control the collection of tribute. It is assumed that he issued his coins with the inscription "Tun yabgu kagan".
The Turks of Central Asia worshiped the following deities: Tengri (sky), Umai (Mother Goddess), Yer-sub (Earth-Water) and Erklig (Lord of Hell), among which Tengri held the predominant position. Tengri was the most important.[9]
Kesh was conquered by the Arabs in the 8th century. During the Arab invasion, the Kashkadarya Valley and especially Kesh was the epicenter of an anti-Arab and anti-Islamic liberation movement led byAl-Muqanna, known in history as the "Revolt of the Men in White Clothes".
The resistance eventually led to the decline of the capital city. Around 701–704, there were battles between Turks and Arabs at Nessef and Kesh.[10]
During theSamanid dynasty, urban life gradually moved to the southwest of old Kesh, the site of the large village of Barknon.
In 1038, Ibrahim ibn Nasr, who also was known asBöritigin, son of the conqueror ofTransoxiana, capturedChaghaniyan, from where he invaded central Transoxiana. In 1040 he conquered Kesh. By the 10th century, the Karakhanid state had a literary language that continued the traditions of ancient turkic written texts. The officialKarakhanid language of the 10th century was based on the grammatical system of ancientKarluk dialects.[11] TheIslamization of the Karakhanids and their turkic subjects played a major role in the cultural development ofturkic culture. In the late 10th and early 11th centuries, for the first time in the history of theturkic peoples, theTafsir, a commentary on theQuran, was translated into the turkic language.[12] The 11th century scholarMahmud Kashgari laid the foundations of turkic linguistics. He lists the names of manyturkic tribes ofCentral Asia.
One of the famous scholars was the historian Majid al-Din al-Surhakati, who wrote "History of Turkestan", which outlined the history of the Karakhanid dynasty.[13]
During the reign of the Karakhanids, the new capital of medieval Kesh was finally formed. During the hegemony of theKhwarazmshahs (early 13th century), Kesh-Shahrisabz was first enclosed by defensive walls.
Kesh was the birthplace ofTimur in between late-1320s to 1336, to the family of a minor nobility localBarlas Confederation ChiefTaraqai Barlas, and during the early years of theTimurid dynasty, the city enjoyed his considerable patronage. Timur regarded Kesh as his “home town” and planned it eventually to be the location of his tomb. However, during his reign, the center of activity shifted toSamarkand instead. In the era of Timur, masterpieces of world architecture were built: the Ak-Saray palace, the Dorusiodat memorial complex.[15]The city struggled for autonomy under Bukharan rule and theRussians helped the Bukharan emir conquering the city in 1870.
Several remaining impressive monuments from theTimurid dynasty have enabled the old part of the city to be inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List. However, destruction of vast areas of the medieval townscape in 2015 to create a park and tourist facilities have led to concern from UNESCO. It is possible that the listing could be lost.[16]
Timur's Summer Palace, the “White Palace” was planned as the most grandiose of all Timur's constructions. It was started in 1380 by artisans deported by Timur from the recently conqueredKhwarezm. Unfortunately, only parts of its gigantic 65 m gate-towers survive, with blue, white and gold mosaics. Above the entry of the Ak-Saray are big letters saying: "If you challenge our power – look at our buildings!"
A Fridaymosque built in 1437 byUlugh Beg in honor of his fatherShah Rukh, its name meaning “Blue Dome”. Located immediately behind the Kok Gumbaz Mosque is the so-called “House of Meditation”, amausoleum built by Ulugh Beg in 1438 but apparently never used for burials.
Hazrat-i Imam Complex
East of the Kok Gumbaz is another mausoleum complex calledDorus-Saodat (Seat of Power and Might), which contains the Tomb of Jehangir, Timur's eldest and favorite son. The adjacent mosque is said to house the tomb of a revered 8th centuryimamAmir Kulal.
Tomb of Timur
Behind the Hazrat-i Imam Emsemble is a bunker with a door leading to an underground chamber, discovered by archaeologists in 1943. The room is nearly filled with a single stone casket, on which inscriptions indicate that it was intended for Timur. However, the conqueror was buried in Samarkand, not at Shahrisabz, and mysteriously, his tomb in Shahrisabz contained two unidentified corpses.
Also of interest are medieval baths and an 18th-centurybazaar.
To the north of the small village of Kumyrtepa in theKitab District of theKashkadarya Region, along the left bank of the small, low-water Shurabsay River, which originates from theZarafshan Mountains, there are three hills of varying configurations running from north to south. Together, they constitute three parts of the ancient capital city of Nautaka (Padayaktepa, Uzunkyr, and Sangirtepa).[17][18]
In the mid-1980s, archaeological sites in the Shurabsay micro-oasis, which are scattered within 5 kilometers of each other, were first surveyed by N.I. Krasheninnikova, a member of the KATE (Kesh Archaeological and Topographical Expedition). At that time, these three hills were identified as a citadel, the actual city, and the temple of Nautaka.[19]
Padayaktepa
The citadel of the city measures 270x74 meters and is located in the northern part on a high, rugged bank of the Shurabsay River.[19] As a result of archaeological work at the site, four construction horizons have been identified. The oldest cultural layers of the settlement date back to the 9th to 8th centuries BCE.[19] In one of the excavations in the western part of Padayaktepa, a section of a defensive wall from theAchaemenid andHellenistic periods can be traced.[19] These walls indicate that the city of Nautaka had an aristocratic section, enclosed by a separate wall - an acropolis, similar to the ancient site ofAfrasiab inSamarkand. With the end ofAlexander the Great's rule, the city was abandoned, and only the acropolis of Padayaktepa continued to be inhabited.[19] A new city emerged on the high right bank of the Aksu River, on the site of the Kalandartepa settlement, within the boundaries of the modern city ofKitab.
Uzunkyr
Remnants of the fortification wall of the city are visible near the village of Kumyrtepa in the form of a low mound measuring more than 650 meters in length and 20 meters in width. At one time, this wall encircled the entire city, covering an area of more than 70 hectares.[20] The original wall of the settlement was constructed from adobe-like raw bricks dating back to the 10th-9th centuries BCE, which were characteristic of ancient cities in Sogd, such asKoktepa, and Kesh.[21] Later, during the rule of theAchaemenid,Seleucid, andGreco-Bactrian kingdoms, extensive repairs were carried out on the fortification walls of the city.
Sangirtepa
A standalone hill, located beyond the city walls, is situated about 650 meters to the southwest of Uzunkyr.[22] It consists of a central hill with dimensions of 84x62 meters and a height of around 8 meters. The surrounding wall encloses an area within 3 hectares.[22] Archaeological excavations have been conducted on this site by the Department of Archaeology at Tashkent State University (now theNational University of Uzbekistan) since 1983. As a result of these excavations at Sangirtepa, a unique Zoroastrian temple was uncovered, featuring a hall in the center, an altar, and auxiliary rooms. The temple is one of the oldest religious structures inCentral Asia.[22][23]
The city's economy is primarily focused on the processing of agricultural raw materials, including cotton cleaning and canning, among other activities. Additionally, traditional and cottage industries are well-developed in the area.
Shahrisabz was celebrated in the well-known eponymous song by the Uzbek VIA "Yalla," with music byFarrukh Zokirov and lyrics by Yevgeny Berezikov.[26][27]
^Pickett, James (2018). "Written into Submission: Reassessing Sovereignty through a Forgotten Eurasian Dynasty".The American Historical Review.123 (3): 819.doi:10.1093/ahr/123.3.817.Now a provincial city in the modern state of Uzbekistan, Shahrisabz is remembered primarily as the birthplace of Timur—if it is remembered at all.
^ИСТОРИЯ И КУЛЬТУРА ТЮРКОВ В ЛИТВЕ. Сборник научных статей международной конференции. Vilniaus universiteto leidykla VILNIUS 2014, с.157-160
^Боровков, А.К. Лексика среднеазиатского тефсира: XII-XIII вв. М., 1963
^Introduction to The Jawami u’l-hikayat wa Lawami’ur-riwayat of Sadidu’u-din Muhammad al-Awfi by Muhammad Nizamu’d-din. London: Luzac & Co, 1929
^abZiółkowska, Ewa (2002). "Polskie groby w Uzbekistanie i Kazachstanie. W 60. rocznicę polskiego wychodźstwa z ZSRR".Wspólnota Polska (in Polish). No. 3–4 (116–117). p. 65.ISSN1429-8457.
^Golombek, L. Wilber, D. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Vol 1. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. 1988
^Synovitz, Ron (28 March 2017)."Bulldozing History".Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved16 November 2019.
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