Qarshi

Qarshi Қарши Karshi, Карши
Qarshi Location in Uzbekistan
Coordinates: 38°52′N 65°48′E / 38.867°N 65.800°E / 38.867; 65.800
Country	Uzbekistan
Region	Qashqadaryo Region
Inception	1926
Elevation	374 m (1,227 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	278,300
Area code	(+998) 75

Qarshi (

History

Originally the

Karshi developed steadily from the 14th century. During the Sheyban dynasty the town grew violently (16th century). It was the second largest town of Bukhara Khanate in the 18th century. During these centuries much of the city's magnificent architectural monuments were built.[1]

In the early 1970s, the first section of a major irrigation project was completed to divert water from the Amu Darya River in Turkmenistan eastward into Uzbekistan in order to irrigate the land surrounding Qarshi. Almost all of these irrigated lands around Qarshi are planted with cotton.

Main sites

Odina Mosque

• Odina Mosque was built in the 16th century and is on the southeast side of Qarshi's Eski Bazaar. The mosque was built on the site of an older Mongol palace, which had also been used as a prison.^[6] The mosque has an attractive domed exterior, and also a sardoba, a domed reservoir which stopped the water supply becoming contaminated or evaporating. It is no longer used for worship but instead houses Qarshi's Regional Museum.

Madrassas

• There are three madrassas in Qarshi, all on the same square. These are the Kalizbek, Bakmir, and Khodjaev Abdul Aziz Madrasas, which were all built between 1904 and 1915.^[6] The madrassas no longer have a religious function and are in need of reservation, but tourists can enter inside if they ask the guardian.
• Rabiya Madrassah – a late 19th-century female madrassah

Kok Gumbaz Mosque

• Friday Mosque. It is the largest such mosque in the region, and was constructed by Emperor Ulugbek on behalf of his father, Shah Rukh, in the late 16th century.^[7] Kok Gumbaz is architecturally quite similar to other Timurid mosques, including in Shakhrisabz
  , but it has been less heavily restored, so more of the original features remain intact.

• Qarshi Bridge is an ancient brick bridge built over the Qashqadaryo River, constructed in the second half of the 16th century.

World War II Memorial

• Qarshi's war memorial to casualties of the Great Patriotic War is one of the largest Soviet era memorials in Central Asia. It is a mix of walkways, plaques, an eternal flame, and a red star-topped tower with a series of stained-glass windows. It is possible to access the upper levels of the memorial on request.^[6]

Climate

Qarshi is home to FC Nasaf which was founded in 1986. Nasaf plays its home matches at the Markaziy Stadim, built in 2006.

Education

• One university and one institution of higher learning:
  • Karshi State University^[12]
  • Karshi engineering-economics institute^[13]

Local infrastructure

Transportation

• Qarshi is served by
  Navoi
  and some major Russian cities.

Landmarks

• Khoja Abdul Aziz Madrassah – largest in town, now housing the Regional Museum
• Rabiya Madrassah – a late 19th-century female madrassah
• Kok Gumbaz Mosque – part of a 16th-century complex of buildings
• World War II Memorial – Perhaps one of the ex-Soviet Union's most monumental monuments

Notable people

• Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi (d. 943 CE), Isma'ili missionary and theologian
• Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi (d. 508 AH/1114 CE).
• Persian scholar born in Transoxiana, he wrote mostly in Arabic
  .
• Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi (d. 710 AH/1310 CE).

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qarshi.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Qarshi.

• “Uzbektourism”: 2700th anniversary of Karshi
• Karshi city
• Official website of the Kashkadarya Region administration, information about organizations, regions of the region, statistical data,…