Карши: История и современность южного оазиса Узбекистана

City in southern Uzbekistan
city

Originally the Sogdian city of Nakhshab (which could be possibly named Eucratideia during the rule of Greco Bactrian Kingdom), and the Islamic Uzbek (Turkic) city of Nasaf, and the Chagatay city of Qarshi (pronounced Kharsh), Qarshi was the second city of the Emirate of Bukhara. It is in the center of a fertile oasis that produces wheat, cotton, and silk and was a stop on the 11 day caravan route between Balkh and Bukhara. The Mongol Chagataid khans Kebek and Qazan built palaces here on the site of Chinggis Khaan's summer pasture. In 1364, Timur also built a fortified palace with moats in what is now the southern part of the city. The modern name "Qarshi" means fort. 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. With the decline of Shahrisabz in the 18th century, Qarshi grew in importance, and was the seat of the Crown Prince to the Emirate of Bukhara. The city had a double set of walls, 10 caravanserais and 4 madrassahs during this time. By 1868, the Russians had annexed the Zarafshan Valley, and in 1873, the treaty turning Bukhara into a Russian protectorate was signed in Qarshi, much to the dismay of the Emir's son, Abdul Malik, who took to the hills in rebellion. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

A gas to liquids (GTL) plant, located 40 km south of Qarshi, is under construction. This plant will be based on Sasol’s GTL technology and will have a capacity of 1.4 million metric tons per year, with following product slate: GTL diesel, kerosene, naphtha and liquid petroleum gas. The total cost of the project is around $4 billion and it is the first such a high tech plant on the Eurasian continent. The joint project GTL Uzbekistan, where Sasol and Uzbekistan's state oil company Uzbekneftgas each hold 44.5% interest, and the rest 11% belonging to Malaysian Petronas, was founded in 2009. The plant will be built on the basis of the Shurtan gas and chemical complex.

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

Qarshi is served by Karshi Airport with flights to Tashkent, Navoi and some major Russian cities.