Wikijunior:Asia/Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a country of constituent (union) republic of the U.S.S.R. in 1924. Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 (after fall of USSR). During its earlier history, streams of population flowed into the territory now forming the land of Uzbekistan. One of those tribes are Turkic-Mongol tribes which came from northwestern Siberia, where they probably adopted the name Uzbek from the admired Muslim ruler of the Golden Horde, Öz Beg (Uzbek) Khan (reigned 1312–41). A descendant of Genghis Khan, Abūʾl-Khayr (Abū al-Khayr) at age 17 rose to the khanship of the Uzbek confederation in Siberia in 1428. During his 40-year reign, Abūʾl-Khayr Khan intervened either against or in support of several Central Asian Timurid princes and led the Uzbek tribes southeastward to the north bank of the Syr Darya. However, a number of Uzbek tribes broke away, adopting the name Kazakh, and fled east in the mid-1450s; their departure weakened the Uzbeks. Abūʾl-Khayr continued to lead the main Uzbek body until 1468, when he was killed as the Uzbek confederation was shattered in combat with invading Dzungars.

Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan and the currency used is soʻm

Where is Uzbekistan?
It is bordered to Kazakhstan to the northwest and north,  Kyrgyzstan and  Tajikistan to the east and southeast,  Afghanistan to the south, and  Turkmenistan to the southwest.

How many people live in Uzbekistan?
33.2 million people estimated living in Uzbekistan based on the government census in 2014.The natives identify themselves as Uzbeks, which consists of 78% of the population, followed by Tajiks, Kazakhs, Tatars, Russians, and Karakalpaks.

What are the most common languages in Uzbekistan?
The Uzbeks speak a language belonging to the southeastern, or Chagatai (Turki), branch of the Turkic language group.

What is the most common religion in Uzbekistan?
80% of Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims Thus, about three-fourths of the population is Muslim. Slightly less than one-tenth of the population is Eastern Orthodox Christian, and the remainder of the people consider themselves nonreligious or follow other religions.

What is the sport of Uzbekistan?
Kurash is the traditional upright wrestling originated in Uzbekistan more than 3500 years ago. It is translated from from the Uzbek language which meant grappling or wrestling.

It is similar to free - style wrestling, Kurash wrestler uses towel to wrap opponents a towel around their waist where their aim is to throw the opponent off the grounds.

But one of the advantages of Kurash rules is that they prohibit ground wrestling. Once the knee of one of the players touches the floor the referee stops the action and players should restart action from the initial upright standing position. It is also not allowed to grapple below the waist.

This makes Kurash a truly speedy, dynamic and interesting to watch sport.

Besides that, the rules of Kurash strictly prohibit players to use any armlocks, chocking and strangling techniques. It helps players to avoid many injuries and makes Kurash one of the safest types of martial art to practice.

What are some important sites?
Bukhara - It's other name,(Buxoro) has buildings spanning a thousand years of history, and a thoroughly lived-in and cohesive old center that hasn't changed too much in two centuries. Most of the centre is an architectural preserve, full of madrassas and minarets, a massive royal fortress and the remnants of a once-vast market complex.

Margilan - It is the traditional centre of the silk industry (traditional weaving by hand, famous for its khanatlas (silks with flowing iridescent designs) and printed fabrics.) One of the famous known places is the large Yodgorlik Silk Factory and several smaller, family-run silk workshops. It also has a research institute of the silk industry and the general engineering department of the Tashkent Institute of Textiles and Light Industry.



Chorsu Bazaar - In the middle of Chorsu Bazaar is the central dome, the most recognisable symbol of the market. The outside, decorated with blue tiles, reflects the sunshine and the traditional style of Uzbekistan. Bread, dairy products and rice are offered in caleidoscopic variety. Hawkers of colourful spices, nuts and dried fruits are the big charmers in the bazaar: watch out, they know how to sell. The selection of vegetables on Chorsu remains limited in range, still reflecting Uzbek nomadic heritage. Inside, the stalls are arranged in concentric circles on the ground floor, with a terrace around the edge on the second level with more tables.