History of Uzbekistan

The History of Uzbekistan covers the past of the land that is today Uzbekistan. The region has been home to many cultures and empires. It was an important part of the Silk Road that linked China and Europe. Merchants, scholars, and travelers passed through the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva for more than two thousand years.Richard N. Frye, The Heritage of Central Asia, Princeton University Press, 1996, pp. 45–47.

In ancient times, the land was part of Sogdiana and Bactria. These were rich areas with trade and farming. Alexander the Great conquered the region in the 4th century BC.Christopher I. Beckwith, Empires of the Silk Road, Princeton University Press, 2009, pp. 87–90. Later, it became part of the Persian Empire and then the Arab Caliphate. Islam spread in the 7th and 8th centuries, and cities like Samarkand and Bukhara became centers of learning. Famous scholars such as Al-Biruni and Avicenna came from this region.S. Frederick Starr, Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age, Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 112–118.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Samanid dynasty ruled. They made Bukhara a capital of Persian culture.Richard N. Frye, The Golden Age of Persia, Phoenix Press, 2000, pp. 155–160. Later, the land was taken by the Karakhanids and the Khwarazmian Empire. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan invaded and destroyed many cities.David Morgan, The Mongols, Blackwell, 1986, pp. 145–147. The Mongols ruled for more than a century, but trade along the Silk Road continued.Peter Golden, Central Asia in World History, Oxford University Press, 2011, pp. 89–92.

In the 14th century, Timur (also called Tamerlane) built a large empire from Samarkand. He made Samarkand a famous city of art and science.Beatrice Forbes Manz, Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid Iran, Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 33–36. After Timur, his descendants ruled the Timurid dynasty. Scholars like Ulugh Beg built observatories and studied astronomy.Edward S. Kennedy, The Planetary Equatorium of Jamshīd al-Kāshī, Harvard University Press, 1960, pp. 12–15. The Timurid period is remembered as a golden age of culture in Central Asia.S. Frederick Starr, Lost Enlightenment, Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 210–215.

In the 16th century, Uzbek tribes came into the region. They founded the Khanate of Bukhara, the Khanate of Khiva, and later the Kokand Khanate.Edward Allworth, The Modern Uzbeks: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present, Hoover Institution Press, 1990, pp. 55–60. These states ruled different parts of Uzbekistan until the 19th century. They often fought each other and also traded with Russia and Persia. The khanates built mosques, madrasas, and palaces, many of which still stand today.Scott Levi, The Rise and Fall of Khoqand, 1709–1876, Brill, 2017, pp. 12–15.

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire expanded into Central Asia. By 1876, all of Uzbekistan was under Russian control. It became part of Russian Turkestan.Alexander Morrison, Russian Rule in Samarkand, 1868–1910, Oxford University Press, 2008, pp. 22–25. Russian rule brought new railways, cotton farming, and military forts. Many local people resisted Russian power, and there were uprisings in the Fergana Valley and other places.Adeeb Khalid, Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present, Princeton University Press, 2021, pp. 88–90.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the land became the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924.Edward Allworth, The Modern Uzbeks, Hoover Institution Press, 1990, pp. 145–150. During the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was a center for cotton farming and industry. The Soviets built factories, schools, and new cities, but also forced collectivization of farms.Shoshana Keller, To Moscow, Not Mecca: The Soviet Campaign Against Islam in Central Asia, Praeger, 2001, pp. 33–36. Many people suffered during Stalin’s rule. In World War II, thousands of Uzbek soldiers fought for the Soviet Union, and refugees from western parts of the USSR were moved to Uzbekistan.Jeff Sahadeo, Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865–1923, Indiana University Press, 2007, pp. 212–215.

In 1991, Uzbekistan became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union.Adeeb Khalid, Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia, University of California Press, 2007, pp. 12–15. Since then, it has been a republic with Tashkent as its capital. The first president was Islam Karimov, who ruled until 2016.Shoshana Keller, Uzbekistan: Politics and Culture, Routledge, 2019, pp. 55–57. Modern Uzbekistan is known for its history, culture, and monuments from the Silk Road. Today, Uzbekistan is building its economy, opening to tourism, and restoring historic sites in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.Adeeb Khalid, Central Asia: A New History, Princeton University Press, 2021, pp. 312–315.

 References 

 Other websites 

 Uzbekistan history resources at Internet Archive
 History of Uzbekistan references at Google Books


Category:Central Asia
Category:History of Central Asia