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Kokand attractions

The main attraction of the city is a luxurious palace built in the XIX century for the last ruler of the Kokand Khanate – Khudoyar Khan. Initially, the vast palace complex occupied 4 hectares and had 120 halls and rooms surrounding 7 courtyards with swimming pools and gardens. There were personal chambers of the khan and the highest dignitaries, a throne room and a treasury, an arsenal was kept in the towers. There were a lot of auxiliary premises – stables and forge, kitchen, barracks of the garrison. The structures were built on a 3-meter high artificial embankment, in which were laid engineering communications, water pipelines, which fed the reservoirs and fountains.

Khudoyar Khan palace

A separate wing was occupied by the harem with rooms for khan’s wives and concubines. Here there were also garrets intended for the mother of Khudoyar Khan named Zharkinaim, who bore the title of Malika-i-shahbanu (queen). Curiously, she never used her apartments. This powerful woman from the Kyrgyz Saru tribe spent her youth in the pastures of the Talas valley and longed for the vaults of the palace. She ordered to put a spacious yurt made of white felt in one of the courtyards and in the evenings with pleasure rested from state cares in the familiar environment – in the garden under the starry sky.

The entrance to the palace is marked by a portal with two towers decorated with blue tiles, reminiscent of medieval buildings in Samarkand. Above the impressive archway, a mosaic Arabic inscription is skillfully laid out on the frieze. It informs that you are crossing the threshold of the palace of the great lord Seyyid Muhammad Khudoyar Khan. The patterned pottery was made by masters of the neighboring city of Margilan, famous for this art for many centuries.

Khudoyar Khan palace

Unfortunately, behind the splendidly restored portal there is little left of the palace buildings. Only the tiled minaret of the disappeared khan’s mosque, two courtyards with elegant colonnades and a richly decorated with carvings building, where the Museum of Local History is located, have been preserved. Impressive decoration of its interiors gives a full idea of the luxury of the lost residence.

interiors of Khudoyar Khan palace

The museum exposition is opened by the hall where interesting finds of archeologists working in the vicinity of Kokand are presented. The artifacts testify that primitive tribes inhabited these lands back in the Neolithic Age.
In the central hall of the museum you can see the model of the palace, samples of magnificent dishes and furnishings, get acquainted with the collection of armor, weapons and rare coins. Precious gifts presented to the Khan of Kokand by ambassadors of foreign sovereigns attract attention.

Several rooms are dedicated to ethnographic themes. The showcases display everyday items used by Kokanders in the 18th-19th centuries, colorful national clothing, and samples of the city craftsmen’s products.

In the courtyard of the museum there are two ancient bronze cannons – from those that repelled the attack of the Russian Empire troops on Kokand. By the way, General von Kaufman, who led the assault, ordered to cast the bell for the garrison church from the captured guns. This church stood for just over half a century and was demolished by order of the Soviet authorities in the 1920s.

courtyard in Khudoyar Khan palace

In the well-groomed park zone surrounding the palace of Khudoyar Khan, marvelous flowerbeds have been created. Carefully selected flowers form geometric patterns. From afar it seems that bright oriental carpets are laid out on green lawns. In the park there is an entertainment center for children Urda, with merry-go-rounds and a pavilion of electric cars. A small water park Island is open nearby. The rides are open from 08:00 to 23:00. In the same neighborhood you can play in a bowling club.

A few blocks southeast of the Khan’s palace, on Chorsu Square, the minaret of the Friday Jami Mosque sparkles with tiles. The hexagonal turquoise dome of the tower, rising 22 meters, is visible from all quarters of the Old City. The dome is supported by arches facing the sides of the world. From here, the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.

Jami Mosque in Kokand

The beautiful building was erected in the XIX century on the site of the mosque, which was built by the Arabs in the IX century and then destroyed by the Mongol invasion. A vast courtyard (iwan) adjoins the facade of the mosque from the west. On the perimeter of the open space lined up in a row of 96 columns supporting the roof of the gallery. Here students of the spiritual school gathered to listen to lectures of muallim – teachers of madrasah.

You can see the interior of the mosque from 09:00 to 17:00. Its interiors are decorated with ornamental carving on alabaster, painted with colorful arabesques with Koranic sayings woven into the patterns. A small museum is open in the mosque, but idle visitors should not come for a tour on Friday, so as not to distract the faithful Muslims from communicating with Allah.

The monumental building of the acting madrasah Norbut-biy is also impressive. Behind it there is an ancient Muslim cemetry – mazar. Among the rows of stone tombstones the blue dome of the mausoleum of Madari Khan, the mother of one of the enlightened rulers of Kokand, attracts the eye. There is also a marble monument in honor of the poetess Nadira, who dared to defy Islamic traditions oppressing women.

Norbut-biy madrasah

Walking along the streets of Kokand, it is worth visiting the museum of the outstanding Uzbek poet, composer and playwright Hamza Niyazi, who died in 1929. The memorial cabinet contains musical instruments, books, manuscripts and personal belongings of the master Hamza. His plays can be seen in the city theater. The performances are given in Uzbek.

Another historical and literary museum is located in the Mien Hazrat Madrasah. It is an architectural monument of the XVIII century. The exposition is dedicated to the lyric poet Mukimi, who was born in Kokand. Many of his remarkable poems turned into folk songs. The museum exposition vividly reflects the literary environment of the city, which was formed in the second half of the century before last.
The name of Hamza’s younger contemporary, poet Gafur Gulyam, is closely connected with Kokand. The memorial museum dedicated to his work is located in a mansion on Istiklol Street.

Tourist routes to other historical cities of the Fergana Valley start from Kokand. Interestingly, the roads are laid along millennia-old caravan trails. One of them leads to Margilan, where craftsmen know the secrets of producing the finest silk. It is also worth going to Rishtan, famous for its marvelous ceramics.