Andijan Province: History, Landscape and Culture

Architectural History and Museums in Andijan

The Jome architectural complex is located in the old part of Andijan. Ruler Muhammadalibay had it built between 1885 and 1892; it comprises a madrasa, a minaret and a khanaka. Today, it also houses the Museum of Literature and Art of the Andijan Region. The complex thus combines architectural history with an insight into the region's literature and art.

The Sayyid Muhyiddin Makhdum Madrasa is a separate site: founded in 1992 in honour of Andijan educator Sayyid Muhyiddin Makhdum, it is an Islamic religious and educational institution in the village of Jalabek, Altynkul District. Other sites, too, tell of different chapters in the region's history. The old Kala fortress in Andijan was built in 1880–1881 as a defensive fortification for the troops of the Russian Empire. The Akhmadbekkhodji Hotel was built between 1905 and 1907; its surviving interior ornamentation displays the style typical of the Ferghana Valley.

Those interested in earlier history will find the ruins of six-metre-high walls and towers with loopholes at Mingtepa. The city consisted of an outer area, an inner area and a citadel. Sarbon-tepa is one of the region's specially protected sites of ancient history and dates from the beginning of the Iron Age, the 6th to 4th centuries BC.

Babur Park and the Sites of Imam Ota

The Babur Memorial Park is on Bagishamol Hill, seven kilometres from Andijan. The park contains a house museum with rare exhibits associated with Babur and the Baburids. A cable car leads up Bogishamol Hill; from there, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the park and the city. The museum and the view appeal to different interests, making the park a destination in its own right.

Imam Ota lies in Khojaabad District at the foot of the Chilustun Range, at an altitude of about 1,100 metres. Green landscapes, fertile orchards, mountain springs and fresh mountain air define the area; the Shahrikhansay River is also among the natural sites that attract visitors. A staircase in the Imam Ota Gorge leads to the sacred site of Orzu gori. Another important historical and religious site is the mausoleum of Imam Muhammad Hanafiya, also known as Imam Ota, son of the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph, Ali ibn Abu Talib.

Cultural attractions in Imam Ota include regular domestic tourism fairs featuring the work of local craftspeople and exhibitions. Cultural programmes include folk performances, craft workshops and tastings of regional cuisine. The National House of Yunusali-Ota Gaziev, an Uzbek home in the national style that has been converted into a recreation house, offers tightrope walker performances and handicrafts. Those interested in these offerings can make them a focus of their trip alongside the area's landscapes and history.

Khanabad and Choosing a Travel Focus

Khanabad lies in the eastern part of the region on the Karadarya River at an altitude of 850 metres. Khanabad Sanatorium is a climatic health resort specialising in treatment with oxygen-rich, ionised air. This makes it a different kind of travel destination from Andijan's historic buildings and Imam Ota's cultural and natural attractions.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Andijan Province, it helps to first consider which of these aspects of the region you want to shape your trip: buildings and museums in Andijan, the landscape and culture of Imam Ota, or the health resort of Khanabad. Base your accommodation search on this focus rather than treating the different places as a single destination. For further orientation within the region, you can also explore Andijan District.

For an overview of the wider destination: Uzbekistan.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Ferghana Province, Qashqadaryo Province, Jizzax Province, Surxondaryo Province, Bukhara, Tashkent, Republic Of Karakalpakstan.