Uzgen Architectural Complex

Uzgen was a capital of the Karakhanid state in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and what survives is a group standing on a terrace above the Kara-Darya river: a minaret around twenty-seven metres high, its brickwork laid in geometric bands and its top rebuilt after an earthquake, and three adjoining mausoleums whose portals carry deeply cut terracotta ornament, floral and epigraphic, among the finest of the period in Central Asia. The carving on the middle mausoleum in particular repays close looking. The town around it is an ordinary Ferghana valley place with a large bazaar and a mixed Kyrgyz and Uzbek population, and rice from the surrounding fields is a local speciality. The complex is the main reason to detour from Osh.

What you actually see

• The Karakhanid minaret - a twenty-seven-metre brick tower in patterned bands.
• Three mausoleums - adjoining tombs with carved terracotta portals.
• Terracotta ornament - deep-cut floral and inscriptional carving.
• The river terrace - the site's position above the Kara-Darya.

When to go

April to October; the Ferghana valley is very hot in July and August and mornings are the only comfortable time then. Spring and autumn are pleasant. The site is open year round.

Honest expectations

The complex is compact and a visit takes an hour or two. Interpretation on site is limited and mostly in Kyrgyz and Russian. Restoration has been heavy in places, particularly on the minaret top. The town has few facilities for visitors beyond the bazaar.

Nearby

Kara-Shoro park lies east; Osh is southwest.