Uzbekistan — books & literature

The story of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's land has been a Silk Road crossroads for over two thousand years, home to the ancient oasis cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva long before the modern nation existed. Persian, Greek (via Alexander the Great), Arab, and Turkic peoples all left their mark, and by the 14th century the region became the heart of the Timurid Empire under Amir Timur (Tamerlane), whose Samarkand grew into one of the world's great centres of science, art, and trade. His grandson Ulugh Beg turned Samarkand into a hub of astronomy, and the poet Alisher Navoi gave Turkic-language literature its classical form soon after. Russian conquest in the 19th century folded the region into the Russian Empire, and in 1924 the Soviet Union carved out the Uzbek SSR. Uzbekistan declared independence on 31 August 1991 as the USSR dissolved. After decades under President Islam Karimov's tightly closed system, reforms since 2016 under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev have opened the country to trade and tourism, reviving Samarkand and Bukhara as living monuments to Uzbekistan's Silk Road legacy.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 329 BCE

   Alexander the Great conquers Sogdiana, capturing the city of Samarkand (then called Maracanda).

2. circa 8th century CE

   Arab conquest brings Islam to Transoxiana (the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers).

3. 1370

   Amir Timur (Tamerlane) founds the Timurid Empire, making Samarkand his capital.

4. circa 1420

   Ulugh Beg builds his observatory in Samarkand, producing a landmark star catalogue.

5. circa 1483

   Alisher Navoi completes his "Khamsa", the foundation of classical Turkic literature.

6. 1868-1876

   The Russian Empire conquers the Khanates of Bukhara, Khiva, and Kokand.

7. 1924

   The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic is established within the USSR.

8. 1991

   Uzbekistan declares independence from the Soviet Union (31 August).

9. 2016

   President Shavkat Mirziyoyev begins sweeping economic and social reforms after Islam Karimov's death.

Top 10 things to know about Uzbekistan

1. Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva are three of the best-preserved Silk Road cities in the world.
2. Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries on Earth (bordered only by other landlocked countries).
3. Amir Timur (Tamerlane) built one of history's largest empires, centred on Samarkand.
4. Ulugh Beg's 15th-century Samarkand observatory produced one of the most accurate pre-telescope star catalogues ever made.
5. Uzbek is the official language, a Turkic language written today mainly in Latin script.
6. The Registan square in Samarkand, with its three grand madrasahs, is a UNESCO World Heritage icon.
7. Uzbekistan is among the world's leading cotton growers and historically one of its top exporters, long called "white gold" , and the dominant cotton producer in Central Asia.
8. The Aral Sea, once one of the largest lakes on Earth, has shrunk dramatically since the mid-20th century due to irrigation diversion.
9. Plov (pilaf), a rice dish with meat, carrots, and onion, is considered the national dish.
10. Islam is the majority religion, blended with strong pre-Islamic Central Asian and Silk Road cultural traditions.

Famous people from Uzbekistan

Say it in Uzbekistan's language

Did you know?

• ★Uzbekistan is one of only two countries in the world that are "doubly landlocked" , surrounded entirely by other landlocked countries.
• ★The Registan in Samarkand has stood as a public square and center of learning since the 15th century.
• ★The Aral Sea, once fed by the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, has lost most of its water since the 1960s due to Soviet-era irrigation projects.

Uzbekistan culture

• Navruz (Persian New Year, 21 March) is Uzbekistan's biggest national and family celebration.
• Plov, cooked in huge communal cauldrons for weddings and festivals, is the centerpiece of Uzbek hospitality.
• Suzani embroidery and intricate blue-tiled architecture are hallmarks of Uzbek decorative art.
• Tea culture (choyxona, teahouses) is central to daily social life across Uzbek cities and villages.

Why read Uzbekistan's books

Uzbekistan's literary tradition runs from Ulugh Beg's astronomical treatises to Alisher Navoi's epic poetry, the classical foundation of Turkic-language literature. Reading Uzbekistan's books is a journey down the Silk Road itself.