Kokand is at the crossroads of the two main ancient trade routes into theFergana Valley, one leading northwest over the mountains to Tashkent, and the other west throughKhujand. As a result, Kokand is the main transportation junction in the Fergana Valley.
The city's name is in conformity with otherCentral Asian cities that sport the elementkand/kent/qand/jand, meaning "a city" inSogdian as well as otherIranic languages. TheKhwarazmian version waskath, which is still found in the name of the old city of Akhsikath/Akhsikat in theFergana Valley ofUzbekistan. The prefixkhu/hu isIranic might stand "good" (as in modernTajikkhub), and would therefore translate as "good city".[citation needed]
Another explanation claims aTurkic derivation, and might refer to the "tribal family group of 'Kokan' who belong to the Kongrat tribe ofUzbeks".[3]
The town of Kokand is one of the oldest towns in Uzbekistan and is situated in the western part of Fergana Valley. In the chronicles of the 10th century, the first written documents concerning town of Hukande, Havokande (old names of the town). In the 13th century, like most of Central Asian towns, the Mongols ruined the city. The town is a significant hub for trading on the Silk Route.[4][5]
Kokand has existed since at least the 10th century, under the name ofKhavakand, and was frequently mentioned in traveler's accounts of the caravan route betweenSouth Asia andEast Asia. TheHan dynasty of China conquered the entire city in the 1st century BC. Later, the Arabs conquered the region fromTang Empire. TheMongols destroyed Kokand in the 13th century.
The present city was founded as a fort in 1732 on the site of another older fortress calledEski-Kurgan byShahrukhUzbek ruler of Ferghana. In 1740, city became the capital of an Uzbek kingdom, theKhanate of Kokand, which reached as far asKyzylorda to the west andBishkek to the northeast. Kokand was also the major religious center of the Fergana Valley, boasting more than 300mosques.
Imperial forces ofRussian Empire underMikhail Skobelev captured the city in 1883 which then became part ofRussian Turkistan. During World War I, two revolutions happened in the Russian Empire. it was the capital of the short-lived (72 days) (1917–18) anti-Bolshevik Provisional Government of Autonomous Turkistan (also known asKokand Autonomy).[6] They sought co-operation fromAtaman Dutov andAlash Orda. However, their emissary to theAmir ofBukhara achieved little.
Archaeological research of Muyi Mubarak, Tepakurgan, Eski Kurgan and othermonuments located in the city of Kokand revealed traces of civilization.
In Muyi Mubarak were found severalclay shards of the 5th to 6th centuries; a clay platform, which in the 5th to 7th centuries served as the base of a monumentalbuilding; the remains of afortresswall, built in the 1st to 2nd centuries of pahsa andmudbricks, which functioned for more than 400 years. At a depth of 5 meters, a lowercultural layer with materials dating back 2,000 years was discovered.
In Tepakurgan, located in the center of the city, a platform from theEarly Middle Ages, which served as the base of a monumentalcastle with semicircular towers, was discovered, as in Muyi Mubarak.
The obtained artifacts give grounds to say and speculate that not later than the 7th century BC a certain part of theterritory of the present city was developed forirrigated agriculture.
And the city appeared not later than the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC and was the center of theSokh oasis, that is, thecapital of the regional possession, which was part of the confederal state ofFergana ("Dayuan" of Chinese annals).
Havokand or Hokand
Arab geographers and travelers of the 10th century,Al-Istakhri andIbn Haukal mention the city of Khovakand or Khokand, which in distance corresponds to the present Kokand.
According to written sources and local legends, there were ancient cities ofAkhsikath, Kubo (Quva),Rishton,Osh, Bab (Pop),Koson (Kashan), Mo-ar-gilon (Margilan), Andigan (Andijan),Uzgen,Isfara, Varukh,Sokh,Konibodom andKhujand in Fergana already at the time of its conquest byArabs who establishedIslam here (in the beginning of the 8th century).
Arab travelers of the 10th century mention many other towns and generally notice that, besides towns, there were many large villages in Fergana.
Khudayar Khan commissioned architect Mir Ubaydullo to build him a royal residence with 114 rooms set around seven courtyards.[12] The ruler wanted his mother to live in one of the palace's grand buildings, but she refused and set up heryurt in a courtyard.[11]
The facade of the building is decorated with mosaic tiles and an Arabic inscription above the entrance. The inscription translates as “The High palace of Seid Mohammad Khudayar Khan”.
Most of the palace, including itsharem, was demolished by theSoviets, but 19 rooms remain in palace.[11] These are open to the public, and the interiors have been partially restored.[12] They show a combination of Russian and traditional Uzbek styles, and the exquisite craftsmanship of Kokand's 19th-century artisans. It is possible to view the palace's collection of Chinese ceramics on request.[12]
Kokand'sJuma Mosque (Friday Mosque) is located on Chursu Square in the historic Icheri Sheher part of the city. It was built between 1812 and 1818 byMuhammad Umar Khan, who was ruler of Kokand from 1810 until his death in 1822.
The mosque is built around a large courtyard and has a 100m longiwan supported on 98 redwood columns, which are ornately carved and were brought from India.[12] The minaret is 22m high.[13]
Although intended to be Kokand's main place of worship, the Juma Mosque remained shut for most of the 20th century. It then reopened after much needed restoration in 1989 and now houses a small museum of applied arts with displays of embroideries and ceramics.[13]
The Amin Beg Madrassah, a religious school, was built in the 1830s for a son ofMadali Khan, the khan of Kokand from 1822 to 1842. Themadrassah has a beautifully tiled facade, which was restored in 1913 by a craftsman called Khomol Khozi. For this reason, the madrassah is often called the Khomol Khozi Madrassah.[14] Today, the building houses a small museum and a shop, but the tiles and the carved wooden columns are still impressive to look at.
Built in 1989, the Hamza Museum is named afterHamza Hakimzade Niyazi, a Soviet hero who was born in Kokand. Hamza was Uzbekistan's first national poet and the founder of Uzbeksocial realism, and the museum was opened to commemorate the centenary of his birth.[14] The museum houses general exhibits about life in Kokand, and also has artefacts relating to a variety of dramatists, propagandists, and writers.[12]
There are three other historic madrassahs in Kokand. The 19th-century Shaib Mian Hazrat Madrasa has a small museum dedicated to the poet Mohammad Amin Muqimi (1850–1903).[15]
The Narbutabey Madrassah was built in the 1790s. Its graveyard includes the tomb ofMuhammad Umar Khan and his wife, the famous Uzbek poetNodira.[16] Known as the Modari Khan Mausoleum, it is ornately decorated with glazed blue mosaic tiles. Unlike the other madrassahs in Kokand which were closed by the Soviets, the Narbutabey Madrassah remained active as a place of Quranic study until 2016.[14]
The last madrassah is the Dasturkahanchi Madrasa. It was built in 1833 as a school for boys, but it is now a training centre where girls learn embroidery.[16]
Dakhma-I-Shokhon, a necropolis of the Kokand Khans from the 1830.
A number ofmadrasahs can be found with the city. Kokand made contribution to Islam. It is also home to a number of notablehanafi scholars, such as Abdulhafiz Al-Quqoniy and Yorqinjon Qori Al-Quqoniy.
There are 3 institutes there are "Kokand branch of Tashkent State Technical University(named after Islom Karimov)", "Kokand University(founded in 2019)","Kokand State Pedagocical Institute", 9 colleges andlyceums, 40 secondary schools, 5 musical schools, a theater, and 20 libraries. There are 7 historical and house museums located in Kokand.[17]
The first International Handicrafters Festival took place in Kokand in September 2019. It was hosted by the Uzbekistan Handicraft Association, and the guest of honour was Rosy Greenlees, President of theWorld Crafts Council.[18] More than 600 creatives from 70 countries participated.
The festival was created to enable artisans from around the world to demonstrate and sell their products, as well as to network and further develop their skills.[19] The festival included conference sessions dedicated to developing hand craftsmanship.[20] The crafts on display included musical instruments, painting, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and woodwork.[citation needed]
It is planned that the festival will be a biennial event, and it will next take place in 2021.[21]
Theblack market provides nearly 75% of the income generated in the borders of the city.[citation needed] This includes retail, groceries, employment, money exchange, agriculture and manufacturing of many goods. A large part of the population works as small business owners in outdoor markets.
Kokand is a center for the manufacture offertilizers, chemicals, machinery, andcotton and food products. Over the last two decades, new districts and public buildings have been created in the city as well as many houses, shops, cafes, restaurants and other private sector ventures. Kokand is an education center with one institute, nine colleges and lyceums, and numerous museums.
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