Margilan

Margilan Marg‘ilon / Марғилон
Khonakhan Mosque and City Center aerial photo
Margilan Location in Uzbekistan
Coordinates:40°28′16″N71°43′29″E
Country	Uzbekistan
Region	Fergana Region
Area
• Total	40.83 km2(15.76 sq mi)
Elevation	487 m (1,598 ft)
Population (2022)
• Total	242,500
• Density	5,900/km2(15,000/sq mi)
Postal code	151100
Area code	(+998) 73
Website	www.margilon.uz

Margilan(Uzbek:Marg‘ilon/Марғилон,pronounced[marʁɨlɒn];Russian:Маргилан) is a city (2022 pop. 242,500) in easternUzbekistan'sFergana Region.

Margilan is located in the south of the Fergana Valley, where trade caravans from China traveled westwards and vice versa during the days of theSilk Road.Margilan has been renowned for its silk goods as far back as the 10th century.[1]

According to legend, Margilan was founded byAlexander the Great.While stopping for lunch there, he was given chicken (murgh;inPersian:مرغ) and bread (nan;in Persian:نان), from which the town took its name. More reliable records indicate that by the 9th century Margilan was an important stop on the Silk Road, along the route going across theAlay MountainstoKashgar.

In the early 16th centuryBabur,the founder of theMughaldynasty, mentioned that "thepomegranatesand apricots are superb.... the game in Margilan is good; white deer may be found nearby. The people areSarts.They are a feisty people, ready with their fists. The custom ofexorcismis widespread throughoutTransoxiana,and most of the renowned exorcists ofSamarkandandBukharaare Margilanis. The author of theHidaya(Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani) was from a Margilan village calledRishtan".This reputation for toughness extends to modern times. Margilan merchants were key players in Central Asian commerce, and were said to be a law unto themselves duringSovietdays, when the city was the heart of Uzbekistan'sblack market.Margilan today is also a stronghold of conservativeIslam,as is much of the Fergana Valley.

History

In antiquity

There is a legend about the origin of the name of the city, associated with the invasion ofAlexander the Great.Local residents, having learned of Alexander's intention to visit their city, prepared a red carpet for him. One of the elders of the town offered to welcome the guest with chicken and bread. After the feast, Alexander the Great asked what the dish was called. He was answered: "Murjinon", which means "chicken and bread". On his way back, he tasted the dish again and then called the place "Murjinon". Since then, the city has been named Margilan.

Margilan is one of the ancient cities of theFergana Valley.In 1994-2004, employees of the Institute of Archaeology ofUzbekistanworked in the city, which revealed the existence of irrigated agriculture in Margilan oasis since no later than IV-III centuries BC.

The settlement appeared in the II-I centuries BC, when one of the roads ofSilk Roadpassed throughFergana.In the sources the settlement is known from the 9th century. The name Margilan has been known since the 10th century.

It is reliably known that Alexander the Great was not in Fergana, and the extreme point of his expansion inCentral Asiawas the city ofKhujand.Near or on its place he erected the fortress-city ofAlexandria Eschate.

DuringWorld War II,in 1942, the 9th Infantry Division of the PolishAnders' Armywas stationed and organized in Margilan, before it was evacuated from Uzbekistan to fight againstNazi Germany.There is aPolish military cemeteryin Margilan.

Economy

Margilan has been a center for theproductionofsilkfabrics sinceantiquity.There aresouvenirfactories "Yodgorlik" and "Fayzulodin" and the firm "Atlas". There are many craftsmen working at home. Uzbekistan's largest traditionalsilkfactory, the Yodgorlik Silk Factory, is based in Margilan. It employs more than 2,000 workers and produces an annual output of 250,000 square meters of silk cloth. The neighboring Margilan Silk Factory employs 15,000 workers using modern machinery, and produces some 22 million square meters per year.

The economy of the city is concentrated mainly in a large wholesalebazaarand food market. Theprivate sectoris very well developed. Residents of the city are mainly engaged inbuyingandsellingandhandicrafts,many work in public establishment.

In the years ofUSSRin the city built asilk mill,art and sewingfactory,repair-mechanical, tractor-repair,woodworking,iron foundryand dairy plants.

Main sites

Marketplace

Silk production in a factory in Margilan, Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

Yodgorlik Silk Factory

Established in 1983 in an attempt to preserve traditionalsilkweaving techniques in the face of industrialisation, the Yodgorlik Silk Factory focuses on producing high quality handmade goods. It employs over 200 workers, and the full production process takes place in the factory, from the feeding ofsilk wormswithmulberryleaves, to dyeing the silks with natural mineral and vegetable dyes, to weaving the silk. The factory is open to the public for guided tours, enabling tourists to learn about Margilan’s traditional silk weaving industry.

Margilan Silk Factory

Margilan Silk Factory is a huge, state-run facility for industrial silk production. At its peak, it employed 15,000 workers, who produced up to 22 million square metres of silk each year.It is still possible to visit.

The Kumtepa Bazaar

The Kumtepa Bazaar is one of the most vibrant markets in Central Asia. It takes place on Sundays and Thursdays in a location 5 kilometers west of the city centre, and offers textiles, fresh produce, and household goods.

Toron Mosque

Toron Mosque is just north of Margilan's Central Bazaar. It was founded in the 19th century by Said Akhmad Khodjaev, a wealthy philanthropist and advisor to the tsarist administration who later fled to Margilan during theBolshevik Revolution.In the 20th century, the building was used as a jail and then became an office. It now houses the Margilan Crafts Development Centre, which preserves traditionalatlasandadrastextile-making technologies.

Khonakhan Mosque

TheKhonakhan Mosque(also known as the Khonaqoh Mosque) was built in the 16th century and has been renovated by the Ministry of Culture. The mosque has two impressive minarets, each 26 meters high, and original carved wooden pillars made from cedar by master craftsmen in Margilan.

Geography

Margilan is located in the south-east of theFergana Valley,in thefoothillsof theAlay Range,9 km north-west of the regional center - the city ofFergana.There is a railway station on theAndijan-Kokandline.

Population

Margilan is one of the three major cities ofFergana Regionalong with Fergana and Kokand. Representatives of more than 30nationalitieslive in the city.

As of January 1, 2014, the population is 215,400 inhabitants.

Margelan, according to the general populationcensusof theRussian Empire,conducted on January 28 (February 9), 1897by direct survey of the entire population on the same date, in accordance with the "Regulations on the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire" approved by theEmperor of Russiain 1895, was one of the major cities ofCentral Asia.

Pur Siddik in Margilan, Uzbekistan

Margilan, Uzbekistan

See also

• Nurkhon Yuldasheva