Namangan

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Namangan (Uzbek: Namangon), 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 40°98′N 71°58′E 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 Persian 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 center of Islamic learning, 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 awakening, with many mosques and schools funded by charity organizations from Middle Eastern countries, including, conservative Wahabi sect from Saudi Arabia.^{[citation needed]} This has also translated into political opposition against the secular government of Uzbekistan.^{[citation needed]} Some women have discarded traditional colorful scarves for large white veils or even the black paranja.^{[citation needed]}

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.