Urgench
Encyclopedia
Urgench is a city (1999 pop. 139,100) in western Uzbekistan
. It is the capital of the Khorezm Province, on the Amu Darya
River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated 450 km west of Bukhara
across the Kyzyl Kum
Desert. It is located at latitude 41° 32' 60N longitude 60° 37' 60E, at an altitude of 91 meters.
The history of the city goes back to the second half of the 18th century. The city should not be confused with the like-named city of Konya-Urgench (also known as "Old Urgench" or "Gurgench") in Turkmenistan
. The city of Old Urgench was relocated to Urgench after the Amu Darya river changed its course in the 16th century, leaving the old town high and dry and without water. New Urgench was a trade center of the Khanate of Khiva
.
Modern Urgench is a Soviet-style city with cotton
motifs adorning every object possible, from street lights to apartment houses. Of note is a monument to the twenty Komsomol
members killed by Tekke basmachi
on the banks of the Syr Darya
in 1922, and a large statue to Muhammed al-Khwarizmi, the 9th century local mathematician
who revolutionised algebra
, outside the Hotel Urgench. A flat, drab place, this hotel is the main gateway for tourists to Khiva
35 kilometres to the southeast, whose old city, known as Itchan Kala
, is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
. It is the capital of the Khorezm Province, on the Amu Darya
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya , also called Oxus and Amu River, is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers...
River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated 450 km west of Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
across the Kyzyl Kum
Kyzyl Kum
The Kyzyl Kum , also called Qyzylqum, is the 11th largest desert in the world. Its name means Red Sand in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia in the doab between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and is divided between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan...
Desert. It is located at latitude 41° 32' 60N longitude 60° 37' 60E, at an altitude of 91 meters.
The history of the city goes back to the second half of the 18th century. The city should not be confused with the like-named city of Konya-Urgench (also known as "Old Urgench" or "Gurgench") in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
. The city of Old Urgench was relocated to Urgench after the Amu Darya river changed its course in the 16th century, leaving the old town high and dry and without water. New Urgench was a trade center of the Khanate of Khiva
Khanate of Khiva
The Khanate of Khiva was the name of a Uzbek state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Persian occupation by Nadir Shah between 1740–1746. It was the patrilineal descendants of Shayban , the fifth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
.
Modern Urgench is a Soviet-style city with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
motifs adorning every object possible, from street lights to apartment houses. Of note is a monument to the twenty Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
members killed by Tekke basmachi
Basmachi Revolt
The Basmachi movement or Basmachi Revolt was an uprising against Russian Imperial and Soviet rule by the Muslim, largely Turkic peoples of Central Asia....
on the banks of the Syr Darya
Syr Darya
The Syr Darya , also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo, is a river in Central Asia, sometimes known as the Jaxartes or Yaxartes from its Ancient Greek name . The Greek name is derived from Old Persian, Yakhsha Arta , a reference to the color of the river's water...
in 1922, and a large statue to Muhammed al-Khwarizmi, the 9th century local mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who revolutionised algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
, outside the Hotel Urgench. A flat, drab place, this hotel is the main gateway for tourists to Khiva
Khiva
Khiva is a city of approximately 50,000 people located in Xorazm Province, Uzbekistan. It is the former capital of Khwarezmia and the Khanate of Khiva...
35 kilometres to the southeast, whose old city, known as Itchan Kala
Itchan Kala
Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as the World Heritage Site.The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries...
, is a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
See also
- Trolleybuses in UrgenchTrolleybuses in UrgenchThe Urgench trolleybus system links Urgench, the capital city of Khorezm Province in western Uzbekistan, with the neighbouring city of Khiva. Since the closure of the Tashkent trolleybus system in 2010, it has been Uzbekistan's only trolleybus system....