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Jizzakh ( ; , ) is a city and the center of
Jizzakh Region Jizzakh Region is one of the regions of Uzbekistan. It is located in the center/east of the country. It borders Tajikistan to the south and south-east, Samarqand Region to the west, Navoiy Region to the north-west, Kazakhstan to the north, and ...
in
Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
, located in the northeast of
Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
. It is a district-level city. The population of Jizzakh is 179,200 (2020 est.).Permanent population of Jizzakh region as of July 1, 2020
Republic of Uzbekistan Open Data Portal


Etymology

According to one view, the name of the city comes from the Sogdian word ''Dizak'' (), which is the
diminutive form A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle som ...
of ''diz'' () and means "small fortress" or "small fort". It was mentioned in the 13th century
Mu'jam al-Buldan Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) () was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th–13th centuries). He is known for his , an influential work on geography con ...
under the name ''Dīzak'' ().


History


Early and Medieval history

Jizzakh was an important
Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
junction on the road connecting Samarkand with the
Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, the valley is e ...
. It is at the edge of Golodnaya Steppe, and next to the strategic Pass of Jilanuti (
Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
's Gate) in the Turkestan Mountains, controlling the approach to the Zeravshan Valley, Samarkand and
Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...
. After the
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
conquest of
Sogdiana Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Empire, and l ...
, Jizzakh served as a market town between the nomadic raiders and settled farmers. The Arabs built a series of ''rabats'' (blockhouses) at Jizzakh, housing '' ghazis'' to protect the people. Under the Abbasids, rule of the region of Osrushana was given over to the house of Saman, who split the wider region amongst themselves under Abbasid suzerainty. In 892,
Ismail Samani Abū Ibrāhīm Ismā'īl ibn-i Aḥmad-i Sāmāni (; May 849 – 24 November 907), better known simply as Amir Ismail-i Samani (), and also known as Isma'il ibn-i Ahmad (), was the Samanid amir of Transoxiana (892–907) and Khorasan (900–907) ...
united the regions under his family's control, and effectively gained the region's independence from the Abbasids, founding the
Samanid Empire The Samanid Empire () was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, ruled by a dynasty of Iranian ''dehqan'' origin. The empire was centred in Khorasan and Transoxiana, at its greatest extent encompassing northeastern Iran and Central Asia, from 819 ...
. After the fall of the Samanid's around the year 1000, Jizzakh fell under the rule of the
Kara-Khanid Khanate The Kara-Khanid Khanate (; zh, t=喀喇汗國, p=Kālā Hánguó), also known as the Karakhanids, Qarakhanids, Ilek Khanids or the Afrasiabids (), was a Karluk Turkic khanate that ruled Central Asia from the 9th to the early 13th century. Th ...
. The Khanate had a string of successes, conquering the whole region of Transoxiana and pushing east into the Western Tarim Basin. In 1041, the khanate splintered into two. After a decade of infighting, the split was formalized into an eastern and western khanate, with Jizzakh falling into the western portion. After their conquest of Samarkand in 1086, the
Seljuk Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
forced the western khanate to submit to their rule. Jizzakh next fell under the control of the
Khwarazmian Empire The Khwarazmian Empire (), or simply Khwarazm, was a culturally Persianate society, Persianate, Sunni Muslim empire of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. Khwarazmians ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran ...
, who began as vassals to the Seljuks but eventually managed to become fully independent by 1190. Under their rule, they conquered much of Persia and Central Asia, leading to economic growth. This situation of relative prosperity was brought to an abrupt end in 1219 when the newly formed
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
invaded Khwarazmia. The
Mongol invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire Between 1219 and 1221, the Mongol Empire, Mongol forces under Genghis Khan invaded the lands of the Khwarazmian Empire in Central Asia. The campaign, which followed Mongol conquest of the Qara Khitai, the annexation of the Qara Khitai Khanate ...
was one of their most brutal campaigns, and many cities were destroyed including Jizzakh. In 1220, the city was invaded and destroyed, resulting in most of the population being killed and the majority of the city being leveled. Under Mongol rule, the city struggled to recover, and went into a state of decay. The Mongol Empire was divided among the grandsons of
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
, Jizzakh was included in the portion known as the
Chagatai Khanate The Chagatai Khanate, also known as the Chagatai Ulus, was a Mongol and later Turkification, Turkicized khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan, second son of Genghis Khan, and his descendants and successors. At its height in the l ...
. This Khanate included Transoxiana, the Fergana Valley, the Tarim Basin, the region around Turpan, and much of what is today southern Kazakhstan. Despite being a key piece of the great
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
, the Chagatai Khanate began to fragment as early as the year 1300. In the 1340s, the khanate split into two.
Moghulistan Moghulistan, also called the Moghul Khanate or the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, was a Muslims, Muslim, Mongol, and later Turkic peoples, Turkic breakaway khanate of the Chagatai Khanate and a historical geographic area north of the Tian Shan, Teng ...
, or the eastern portion, retained the Tarim Basin and southern Kazakhstan. Jizzakh fell into the western portion, which was initially controlled by
Qazan Khan ibn Yasaur Qazan (died 1346) was khan of the Chagatai Khanate from until his death. Biography Qazan was the son of Yasa'ur, a Chagatayid prince who had revolted in the 1310s. Upon his accession to the throne, he attempted to increase his power within th ...
, the last independently powerful Khan in the Transoxiana region. In 1346 a tribal chief,
Amir Qazaghan Qazaghan (died 1358) was the amir of the Qara'unas (1345 at the latest – 1358) and the effective ruler of the Chagatai Khanate, Chagatai ''ulus'' (1346–1358). The following opinions were expressed about the ethnic origin of the Qazaghan: 1) Va ...
, killed Qazan and set up a puppet Khan. This marked a new era of khans with Mongol ancestry being used as politically legitimizing puppets, but lacking any real control. In 1370, after defeating his rivals in the region,
Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
took control of Transoxiana, including Jizzakh. Early in his career, Timur fought regularly with
Moghulistan Moghulistan, also called the Moghul Khanate or the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, was a Muslims, Muslim, Mongol, and later Turkic peoples, Turkic breakaway khanate of the Chagatai Khanate and a historical geographic area north of the Tian Shan, Teng ...
to his north and east. Jizzakh, geographically near the border of Timur's realm and Moghulistan and controlling a key mountain pass, was likely rebuilt and refortified during this period.


Uzbek khanates

Under the
Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of co ...
, Central Asia experienced a blossoming of art and culture. Jizzakh, with its proximity to the empire's northern border and location of trade routes to the capital
Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
likely experienced growth and revitalization. The empire began to weaken in the second half of the 15th century. In 1488, an Uzbek contingent led by
Muhammad Shaybani Muhammad Shaybani Khan ( Chagatai and ; – 2 December 1510) was an Uzbek leader who consolidated various Uzbek tribes and laid the foundations for their ascendance in Transoxiana and the establishment of the Khanate of Bukhara. He was a Sh ...
helped Moghulistan defeat the Timurids in their attempt to conquer Tashkent, at the Battle of the Chirciq River. After this Timurid defeat, their power fell while Shaybani's power grew in the area between Tashkent and Samarkand. It is unclear if Jizzakh was held by Shaybani or as a Timurid bastion in these early years of Shaybani's rise to power. In 1500, he certainly controlled the city, as he needed it in his campaign to take the Timurid capital of Samarkand. In the next ten years his forces also captured
Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...
,
Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...
, and most of the surrounding region. Shaybani established the
Khanate of Bukhara The Khanate of Bukhara was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan. The Khana ...
, which would control Jizzakh for the next 100 years. Between 1600 and the mid 1700s, Jizzakh regularly changed hands, often functioning independently of neighboring powers. Uzbek nobility controlled the city during this era. In the 1740s, the emirs of Bukhara seized power from the remaining leaders of the
Khanate of Bukhara The Khanate of Bukhara was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan. The Khana ...
. At some point between this time, and the official founding of the
Emirate of Bukhara The Emirate of Bukhara (, ) was a Muslims, Muslim-Uzbeks, Uzbek polity in Central Asia that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is now Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rive ...
in 1785, Jizzakh fell under the control of the Emirs. It would stay as a part of the Emirate of Bukhara until the 1860s. In 1866, Jizzakh was a major fortress for the
Emirate of Bukhara The Emirate of Bukhara (, ) was a Muslims, Muslim-Uzbeks, Uzbek polity in Central Asia that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is now Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rive ...
. This was in part due to its position near the border with Russian Turkestan. The
Russian conquest of Central Asia In the 16th century, the Tsardom of Russia embarked on a campaign to Territorial evolution of Russia, expand the Russian frontier to the east. This effort continued until the 19th century under the Russian Empire, when the Imperial Russian Army ...
had begun in the 18th century, and by the 1860s the Russians controlled a line of forts along the
Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...
, just 70 miles from Jizzakh. In 1864, hostilities broke out between the Russians and the Emirate of Bukhara.
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n General
Mikhail Chernyayev Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyaev ( Russian: Михаил Григорьевич Черняев) (3 November / 22 October 1828 in Bender, Bessarabia Governorate – 16 August 1898) was a Russian major general, who, together with Konstantin Kaufm ...
, the “Lion of Tashkent” failed in his first attempt to take Jizzakh, but succeed in his second try, with a loss of 6 men, against 6000 dead for the defenders. The old town was mostly destroyed, its remaining inhabitants evicted, and Russian settlers brought in.


Russian Empire

After its incorporation into the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, Imperial agents placed Jizzakh under the jurisdiction of the
Samarkand Oblast The Samarkand Oblast was an oblast (province) of the Russian Empire between 1887 and 1924. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day central Uzbekistan and northwestern Tajikistan. It was created out of the northeastern part of the Emirate o ...
following its establishment in 1887. At the turn of the 19th century, the region was populated by what the Russian authorities qualified as ethnic
Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...
, who made up more than half of the population, with
Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...
constituting another quarter of the population and other ethnicities including Kazakhs and Uyghurs making up the rest. After a railway was built to Tashkent in 1906, Russian settlers began to pour into the region. This led to resentment, and land was often seized from locals by the government and given over to settlers. While few settlers moved to the Jizzakh region, Russian policies of land surveying, and redistribution angered natives who had their rights to grazing land and other key commodities restricted by the government. In 1916, Jizzakh was a center of an anti-Russian uprising. The revolt broke out after the Russians announced local men would be conscripted to do manual labor behind the front lines during World War I. This violated treaties the Russians had signed with during their conquest of the region that had promised to not conscripted locals. Most of the revolt was focused in the southern portions of the Jizzakh region, both the city and the mountains south of it. In 1917, Jizzakh's most famous native son,
Sharof Rashidov Sharof Rashidovich Rashidov (Uzbek Cyrillic: Шароф Рашидович Рашидов, ; ; – 31 October 1983) was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan from 1959 until his death in 1983. During h ...
, future secretary of the
Communist Party of Uzbekistan The Communist Party of Uzbekistan (, ) was the ruling communist party of the Uzbek SSR which operated as a republican branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). On 14 September 1991, the party announced its withdrawal from the C ...
, was born.


Soviet administration

During the Russian civil war, Jizzakh was initially a part of the
Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (TASSR; ; ), originally called the Turkestan Socialist Federative Republic, was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ...
. After a debate among the communists about whether the region should embrace a more pan-Turkish identity, or be divided into smaller ethnic republics, the later side won out.
National delimitation in Central Asia In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), national delimitation was the process of specifying well-defined national territorial units (Soviet socialist republics SR autonomous Soviet socialist republics SSR autonomous oblasts rovinces ...
was started in 1924, and Jizzakh was placed in the
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Communist ...
.


Independence


Geography

Jizzakh is an ancient oasis. The Turkestan and Nurata ridges, which surround the southern and part of the western part of the country, and the Arnasay-Aydar-Tuzkan lakes in the northern part of the country, provides a temperate climate. The peaks are covered with snow and glaciers, Chovkar mountain, in the foothills of the Usturshona system there are thick pine forests. From the slopes of the mountains at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level, pine forests begin. As the mountains rise, the pine forest thickens. There are more than 20 caves in the region. Although they have not been studied by experts, only amateurs who have observed the Peshawar cave recall that inside the cave there is a large and long square (hall), a red hearth, paintings on stone walls and petroglyphic inscriptions abound. In addition, the long cave is artificially fenced and additional stairs are made for the next hall, which testifies to the fact that primitive people lived here in ancient times. The huge cave south of Mount Molguzar was once used as a Buddhist temple. The book "History of the Sui Dynasty" also mentions the Eastern TSao (Usturshona), "There is the city of Yecha. It is a closed cave in the city and is sacrificed twice a year. Or the cultural Tavakbulak, located on the shoulders of Mount Molguzar at an altitude of two thousand six hundred meters above sea level, can be called a miracle. On the river Aktash in Bakhmal district there is a huge cemetery on the shoulders of steep mountains, next to it there is a magnificent gorge "Blood Drop". Or the spring that rises from the Suffa Square at the top of the mountain in Zaamin district, the nearby Muzbulak, the garden built on the top of a high mountain in Bakhmal - all this speaks of ancient history. Rivers attached to the mountains, springs flowing from glaciers, groves covering the ravines. About 100 medicinal herbs... On the banks of the Poyimard river in Jizzakh district, in the middle of a 20-meter-high rocky outcrop, all of them are natural monuments, all of which testify to the existence of primitive man.


Climate

Jizzakh has a sharply continental version of a
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Csa''). January lows average and July highs average . The climate at the foot of the mountains is milder than that of deserts and steppes. Annual precipitation is in the south and in the north. The frost-free period totals between 210 and 240 days, whilst annual sunshine totals 2800 to 3000 hours. There are many rivers flowing from the mountains, of which the largest are Sangzor and Zaamin.


Economy


Demography

The population of the city as of 2020 was 179,900. The
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