Treasures of Antiquity
Uzbekistan is historically a land of builders. The proto-urban sites of Sapallitepa and Dzarkhutan (now in Tajikistan), dating from the 2nd millennium BC, bear witness to the earliest forms of sedentary settlement. Researchers have discovered an elaborate urban organization with citadels centered around courtyards where daily life was organized. These sites heralded the advent of the ark, a Persian concept meaning "heart of the state" and designating citadels erected to house and protect places of power. Bukhara's very first fortified enclosure dates back to the5th century BC.
To understand the extent to which Uzbekistan has been a land of encounters, the province of Surkhandarya is the place to go. The area abounds in astonishing archaeological sites, bearing witness to the centuries-old presence of Buddhist communities. At the Kara-Tepe site, you can see the remains of a Buddhist monastery carved out of the rock. But the most impressive site is undoubtedly Fayaz-Tepe. Dating from the 1st century B.C., it features the ruins of a vast monastic complex, built in mud brick, with a central courtyard, study rooms and a refectory, not forgetting the traditional stupa (monument housing Buddha's relics).
At the same time, in the Kyzyl Kum desert, imposing citadels formed the vast defensive network of the wealthy Khârezm province. These were the elliq-qala, the 50 desert fortresses, protective sentinels as well as meeting places for traders and travellers, in use until the 7th century AD. One of the oldest is Qoy Qyrylghan Qala. Researchers believe it was also a temple and observatory. Ayaz-Qala, "the citadel of the wind", consists of three fortified structures with a defensive system of loopholes, watchtowers and protective tunnels. But the most famous of these fortresses is Toprak-Qala, "the clay citadel". Surrounded by walls 20 m high and 12 m thick, the citadel was built of mud bricks to which pebbles were added to solidify the foundations, and sand to protect the interiors from humidity. Rediscovered in the 20th century, these citadels bear witness to a sophisticated urban planning approach, with spaces organized according to their function (market, residential areas, temple). Unfortunately, time and wind have accelerated their erosion..
Splendours of Islam
The greatest Islamic dynasties endowed the country with architectural treasures that are now listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites.
The Samanids, who made Bukhara their capital and transformed it into a powerful cultural center, developed a highly decorative architectural style. The Ismail Samani mausoleum is one of the best-preserved 10th-century mausoleums in the world. Its basic structure is that of a square surrounded by four arches supporting a dome on trunks. Trompes are small corbelled vaults that allow a change of plan between the lower part of a construction, in this case the square, and the upper part it supports, in this case the octagonal dome. The engaged columns at the corners and the small gallery running along the top of the walls lighten the overall effect. But the most impressive feature is the decoration. Baked bricks have been laid in such a way as to create patterns, zigzags and rows of circles reminiscent of the fine, delicate weaving of basketry.
The mighty Karakhanids left an exceptional testament to their building genius with the Kalon minaret in Bukhara, the only vestige of the great mosque built in the 12th century. Kalon means "big" in Tajik... and the 47 m minaret resting on a 10 m base has lived up to its name! In addition to its superb decoration based on geometric brick motifs, the minaret's architectural properties are astonishing. In fact, it rests on solid reeds that serve as earthquake protection. Restored several times, the minaret has never collapsed! Another Karakhanid vestige is the caravanserai of Rabati Malik, of which only the imposing portal remains, one of the oldest buttressed arches in Central Asia. Note its calligraphic decoration around the edges. Researchers have determined that the caravanserai covered an area of several thousand square metres. A monumentality that would be found again in Timurid architecture in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Led by the legendary Timur, the Timurid campaigns produced superb architecture using methods that were, to say the least, singular: taking artists and craftsmen prisoner. On the one hand, this prevented the creation of hotbeds of opposition around intellectuals; on the other, it enabled the beautification of its brand-new capital. Timurid architecture adopted the codes of Persian architecture: the courtyard with 4 iwans (a vaulted room open at one end and generally located opposite the domed room housing the mihrab, the prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca), the dome and the imposing facade featuring a monumental portal or pishtaq often bordered by twin tapered minarets (the pishtaq designates the raised archway and the portion of facade framing the iwan).
The Timurids brought some remarkable innovations to the mix. They developed a more complex vaulting system, using transverse arches to cover larger spaces. But the most exceptional contributions came in the form of polychrome ceramic decoration. The techniques used were similar to those used in pottery: cuerda seca (dry rope technique, which delineates the glazes with a line of violet pigments), relief motifs, lajvardina (blue glaze and enamel-based decoration), glazed ceramic mosaic (arrangement of small, tightly-fitting tile fragments enamelled in different colors), cartouche (motifs made up of a series of plates). The motifs are varied and of great beauty: arabesques, floral scrolls or even inscriptions in thuluth - a simple, monumental cursive script.
For the exteriors, the Timurids also used a technique known as bannai, which involved assembling glazed or enamelled bricks to create motifs and inscriptions that could be seen from afar. The remains of the Aq Saray Palace, the white palace of Shahr-i Sabz, are a fine example. And don't miss the beautiful Kok-Gumbaz mosque with its blue dome.
But the finest Timurid masterpieces are to be found in Samarkand, under the great Timur and his grandson Ulugh Beg, also a great builder. Discover the great Bibi Khanum mosque, the Gur-i Mir burial complex, or the Shah-i Zinda complex - one of the most beautiful necropolises in Central Asia, with its gold and turquoise decorations.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the Chaybanids and then the Djanids who left their mark on the Khanates of Khiva and Bukhara. Their finest achievements include the Chir-Dor medersa (literally the lion's gate), with its portal decorated with roaring felines, and the Tilia Kari medersa, with its courtyard transformed into a garden and decorated in gold. Take a close look at the trompe-l'œil of its ceiling, whose tapered motifs in gold leaf give the impression of a dome... when in fact the ceiling is perfectly flat!
In addition to their architectural mastery, these great Islamic dynasties also bequeathed an important urban planning legacy. Each city had its own registan, a central square where the city's major events and markets were held. The most beautiful of these is Samarkand, with its superb medersas decorated in blue earthenware. Another beautiful square not to be missed is Bukhara's Liab-i-Haouz, organized around a basin protected by centuries-old mulberry trees.
Around these squares, the eski-chahar or old towns are organized. Their winding streets are made up of one- or two-storey dwellings built around a central courtyard, with straw roofs and mud-brick walls. The urban fabric is punctuated by religious buildings (mosques, mausoleums, medersas) and commercial buildings (caravanserais, shopping arcades or domes), and features a high-performance water supply network that feeds ponds and fountains as well as hammams.
Most cities also have an inner city, often fortified, like the ark of Bukhara, which took its present form under the Djanids. Finally, in Khiva, don't miss the achievements of the khan-builder Alla Kouli, of the Uzbek Koungrates dynasty. In the 19th century, he endowed the fortified inner city (Itchan-Kala) with the superb Tach Khaouli palace (which shines with the beauty of its decor combining blue ceramics with jade green), a medersa, a caravanserai and the Saïtbaï mosque (the city's summer mosque), and surrounded Dichan Kala (the new city) with 6 km of walls.
Russian influences
As early as the 19th century, the Russians coveted Uzbekistan. In 1865, Emperor Alexander II's troops marched on Tashkent and erected a unique fortress. Following a six-sided plan, the citadel, protected by ditches, corner bastions, walls and crenellated towers, housed a veritable city with barracks, an armory and a hospital. The Russians redesigned the town according to a grid plan. From 1917 onwards, the Soviets took control and adapted the towns to the regime's new egalitarian and hygienic standards. Rejecting religion, they destroyed a large number of religious buildings, as well as many so-called "pre-colonial" districts deemed unsuitable for their modernist aims. The few buildings that remained were used to serve the regime. Squares were emptied of their bazaars to host large-scale political demonstrations, and medersas were transformed into cinemas showing propaganda films.
It was not until the 1940s-1950s that the heritage value of Uzbek buildings was taken into account. The Liab-i-Haouz basin, the Kalon mosque and the gates of Khiva were restored. The USSR wanted to prove to the rest of the world that it knew how to take care of its heritage. It was also a period of great urban and architectural change: vast squares and wide avenues (designed to allow huge planes to land!), parks and green spaces ( Samarkand's Navoi Park is a fine example).
As for housing, standardized apartment blocks were built quickly and cheaply to meet the growing demand. You'll notice that some of these concrete blocks are no more than 5 storeys high... In those days, elevators were expensive, so it was decided that the maximum acceptable height without an elevator was... 5 storeys!
As for public buildings, they followed the regime's dictates of monumentalism and classicism (see the Tashkent Opera House). Under Soviet rule, architects were subject to strict guidelines. Yet some of them managed to impose their personal vision through astonishing buildings. Deemed "brutal" or "unsightly", these buildings are part of the country's history!
The city that clearly bears the Soviet stamp is Tashkent. It was once the4th largest city in the USSR. Not-to-be-missed buildings include the 375 m-high broadcasting tower and the famous Hotel Uzbekistan, with its impressive facade of identical, symmetrical honeycombs. And don't forget to plunge underground to admire the city's metro system, created in 1977. It is one of only two subways in the whole of Central Asia. Each station has its own decoration, as grandiose as that of underground palaces, combining marble, bronze, granite and cast iron. It's reminiscent of the famous Moscow metro. Magnificent!
Since 1991
Contemporary Uzbek architecture is concentrated mainly in Tashkent and bears the hallmark of President Islam Karimov. His architecture blends monumental classicism (marble, colonnades, etc.) with modernity (steel, chrome, etc.) for all key government buildings: city hall, presidential palace, senate. Tashkent also boasts a business complex, Akva-Park, and the tallest tower in Central Asia, the 108 m high NBU bank tower. Without consulting the country's other stakeholders, Karimov decided on an urban development plan aimed at making the city more functional by wiping out anything that might stand in the way of this vision and then favoring a sort of neo-Uzbek style with many domes and other codes of traditional architecture. In a way, he recreated a mythical city in order to base national identity on legend.
The Khazrati Imam religious complex, fully restored in 2007 - the year Tashkent was designated Capital of Islamic Culture - is the most obvious example. Some elements of the original complex were destroyed (school, library), while others were completely rebuilt, such as the mosque, which boasts the highest minarets in Central Asia (63 m). A highly criticized architectural ensemble.
Since his election, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has sought to make a clean break with the Karimov era, and has embarked on a joint action plan with UNESCO to protect Uzbekistan's rich heritage. Numerous restorations have been undertaken, as well as regular monitoring of the buildings, to preserve the authentic beauty of this unique heritage, while preserving the traditional skills of the craftsmen.
