Bukhara Region

Bukhara Region

Buxoro viloyati
Бухоро вилояти
Bukhara Region Buxoro viloyati; Бухоро вилояти
Region
	The City of Bukhara
	Bukhara in Uzbekistan
	Coordinates: 40°10′N 63°40′E / 40.167°N 63.667°E
Country	Uzbekistan
Established	1938
Capital	Bukhara
Government
• Hokim	Botir Zaripov Komilovich
Area
• Total	40,216 km2 (15,527 sq mi)
Elevation	206 m (676 ft)
Population (2022)
• Total	1,976,823
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (East)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+5 (not observed)
ISO 3166 code	UZ-BU
Districts	11
Cities	11
Townships	3
Villages	121
Website	buxoro.uz

Bukhara Region^[a]^[b] is a region of Uzbekistan located in the southwest of the country. The Kyzyl Kum desert takes up a large portion of its territory. It borders Turkmenistan, Navoiy Region, Qashqadaryo Region, a small part of the Xorazm Region, and the Karakalpakstan Republic. It covers an area of 40,216 km².^[1] The population is estimated at 1,976,823 (as of 2022), with 63% living in rural areas.^[2]^[3]

Buxoro Region is divided into 11 administrative districts and two district-level cities. The capital is Bukhara, with a population of around 284,100 (as of 2021).^[3] Other major towns include Olot, Qorakoʻl (Karakul), Galaosiyo, Gazli, Gʻijduvon (pop. ~40,600, as of late 2005), Kogon (pop. ~62,300, as of 2021),^[3] Romitan, Shofirkon, and Vobkent.

The climate is a typically arid continental climate.

The old city of Bukhara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous as a "living museum" and a center for international tourism. There are numerous historical and architectural monuments in and around the city and adjacent districts.

The Bukhara Region has significant natural resources, especially natural gas, petroleum, graphite, bentonite, marble, sulfur, limestone, and raw materials for construction. The most developed industrial activities are oil refining, cotton ginning, textiles, and other light industry.^[4] Traditional crafts such as gold embroidery, ceramics, and engraving have been revived. Bukhara Region is the center of karakul sheep breeding and the production of karakul pelts in Uzbekistan.^{[citation needed]}

Administrative divisions

The Bukhara Region consists of 11 districts (listed below) and two district-level cities: Bukhara and Kogon.^[1]^[5]

City of Bukhara includes the municipality of Bukhara itself, as well as two rural communities (Otbozor, Shirbuddin).^[5]

Key	District name	District capital
1	Olot District	Olot
2	Bukhara District	Galaosiyo
3	Gʻijduvon District	Gʻijduvon
4	Jondor District	Jondor
5	Kogon District	Kogon
6	Qorakoʻl District	Qorakoʻl
7	Qorovulbozor District	Qorovulbozor
8	Peshku District	Yangibozor
9	Romitan District	Romitan
10	Shofirkon District	Shofirkon
11	Vobkent District	Vobkent

There are 11 cities (Bukhara, Kogon, Olot, Galaosiyo, Vobkent, Gʻijduvon, Qorakoʻl, Qorovulbozor, Romitan, Gazli, Shofirkon) and 68 urban-type settlements in the Bukhara Region.^[1]^[5]

History

The Bukhara region has always been ethnically diverse in origin, mainly populated by Uzbeks and Tajiks. Other notable minorities of the region include the Bukharan Jews and the Iranis (Persian-speaking Shia descendants of residents of Merv expelled in late 18th century). Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the great majority of the Bukharan Jewish community have immigrated to Eretz Israel or to the United States while others have immigrated to Europe or Australia.^[6] The Iranis, despite sharing the Persian language with much of the residents of Bukhara region, have not assimilated into the Sunni majority population. Intermarriage between Iranis and Tajiks/Uzbeks have been rare.^[7]

Main sights

Ulugbek Madrasah is a memorial to Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani, located in the city of Gijduvon in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan. It is one of the ancient and renowned madrasas of Bukhara, also known as the "Fayziya Madrasah." Presently, it is also referred to as the Mirzo Ulugbek Madrasa.^[8]^[9] This prestigious educational institution was built in the Hijri year 836 (corresponding to 1432/33 in the Gregorian calendar) beside the grave of Shaykh Abdul Khaliq Ghijduwani, with a two-story structure made of baked bricks.^[10]^[11] The Ulugbek Madrasah, established by Ulugh Beg, is the third and last madrasa he founded, relatively smaller and simpler compared to the Ulugbek Madrasah in Bukhara and Samarkand.^[12]^[13]^[14]

Notes

^ Uzbek: Бухоро вилояти, romanized: Buxoro viloyati, IPA: [bʊχɔˈrɔ ʋɪ̆lɔˌjæˈtʰɪ̆]; Tajik: вилояти Бухоро, romanized: viloyati Buxoro, Bukharian dialect: בלאיתי בּוכארא; Turkmen: Бухара велаяты, romanized: Buhara welaýaty; Karakalpak: Бухара уәлаяты, romanized: Buxara wálayatı
^ Formerly called Bukhara Oblast (from Russian Бухарская область).

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Oʻzbekiston Respublikasining maʼmuriy-hududiy boʻlinishi" [Administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Uzbekistan] (in Uzbek). The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics. July 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022.
^ "O'zbekistonda eng ko'p aholi qaysi viloyatda yashaydi?". Qalampir.uz (in Uzbek). Retrieved 2022-02-10.
^ ^a ^b ^c Urban and rural population by region, Bukhara regional department of statistics (in Uzbek).
^ "Investment Potentials of the Bukhara Region". Diplomat. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Classification system of territorial units of the Republic of Uzbekistan" (in Uzbek and Russian). The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics. July 2020.
^ Goodman, Peter. "Bukharian Jews find homes on Long Island", Newsday, September 2004.
^ Finke, Peter, and Meltem Sancak. “To Be an Uzbek or Not to Be a Tajik? Ethnicity and Locality in the Bukhara Oasis.” Zeitschrift Für Ethnologie 137, no. 1 (2012): 47–70. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23333538.
^ Jumanazar, Abdusattor (2022). Qoratosh [Karatash] (in Uzbek). Tashkent: Akademnashr. ISBN 978-9943-8188-7-3.
^ Jumanazar, Abdusattor (2017). Buxoro taʼlim tizimi tarixi [History of Bukhara education system] (in Uzbek). Tashkent: Akademnashr. ISBN 978-9943-4728-2-2.
^ "Ulug'bek madrasasi". autotravel.ru. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
^ Movarounnahr ilmiy markazlari [Transoxiana scientific centers] (in Uzbek). Tashkent: Oʻzbekiston xalqaro islom akademiyasi. 2022. ISBN 978-9943-7559-5-6.
^ "Гиждуван Медресе Улугбека". www.turkestantravel.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
^ "Buxoro shahridagi Ulug'bek madrasasi tarixi va rasmlari". ilmlar.uz. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
^ Soviet encyclopedia of Uzbekistan. XI roof. Tashkent: General editorial office of the Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia, 1978 - 656 pages