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Uzbekistan
  Located in the heart of Asia between the rivers Syr Darya and Amu Darya, Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the west and north. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south. The border with Kazakhstan runs through the Aral Sea. Because of the large irrigation system that uses the waters of both Amu and Syr Darya, the surface of the sea has shrunk by more than one-third. making the water too salty and too toxic to sustain life. The center of Uzbekistan is taken up by the sparsely populated Kyzyl Kum (Red Sands) desert. The most densely populated part of the republic is its easternmost protrusion. There, between the Tien Shan mountain range and the foothills of the Pamir-Alai range, lies Tashkent and the fertile Fergana valley, the industrial heart of the republic. Uzbekistan has an arid, hot climate, with summer temperatures often climbing above 105c F. (40" C). The city of Termez, in the south, was reportedly the hottest place in the former Soviet Union. Uzbeks are the largest Turkic-speaking group after the Turks themselves; apart from their own republic, they also live in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims. In Uzbekistan, the ethnic Uzbeks account for more than 70 percent of the population. Russians represent about 8 percent, and other nationalities include Ukrainians, Koreans, Armenians, Kazakhs, Tajiks, and Kara-Kalpak. The Kara-Kalpak live in an autonomous region. Uzbekistan has a long cultural tradition. After being conquered by the Arabs, the region was for centuries an important Islamic center. A famous 11th-century encyclopedist, al-Biruni, was probably born in the present Kara-Kalpak region. In the 15th century, an observatory was built at Samarkand by Prince Ulugh-Beg, a distinguished Islamic mathematician. Uzbek literature began to flourish in the 1920s. Tragically, its two major authors, Abdalrauf Fitrat and Abdullah Qadiri, were killed in the Stalinist purges. Uzbekistan was thrust into the 20th century during the Soviet period, but many old customs and traditions survive. On holidays people still dress in national costumes, with characteristic bright colors and embroideries; many houses are decorated with colored rugs and folk art; and traditional festivals, which usually include some horseback-riding events, are still celebrated. History Overview The area of present-day Uzbekistan was known in ancient times as Transoxania, or the land beyond the River Oxus (the classical name for Amu Darya). Arabs entered the region in the late 7th century a.d.; by 750, they had it under their control. The term Uzbek is derived from a monarch named Ozbeg (ruled a.d. 1313 to 1341), the greatest ruler of the Kipchak khanate. He is best-known for converting the tribes of central Asia to Islam. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Uzbeks were united under the leadership of Muhammad Shaybani. He seized all of Transoxania and extended his rule to modern Afghanistan; his dynasty ruled these lands until 1598. Russians began to penetrate the region as traders in the 16th century, and by the 19th century they had become politically dominant. The emirate of Bukhara was the last part of the region to fall when, in 1868, it became a protectorate of Russia, a status it retained until 1917. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1924. In September 1991, the Uzbek Communist Party renamed itself the Popular Democratic Party. Its leader, former party boss Islam A. Karimov, was elected president in 1991 in the nation's first popular contested election. In a March 1995 referendum, he had his mandate extended until 2000. Just as in Soviet times, over 99 percent of the voters approved. Karimov maintains that Central Asia is not ready for democracy yet and that political and economic changes must be gradual. Yet he seems to move in the opposite direction. By 1996, foreign observers agreed that Uzbekistan was the most repressive Central Asian republic. At the same time, the country aspires to a predominant position in the region. Government. Opposition parties are banned and their leaders exiled. President Karimov exercises almost unlimited power. | |
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Article Contributors Anonymous user updated 1 year ago |
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