Golden ring in the Tashkent region

Tashkent region will create a new tourist route based on the concept of "Golden ring", which will cover almost all areas of the region. Our artgroup of national PR-center team decided to understand what this "Golden ring" is and how it can be useful for tourists.

The route will pass through such cities as Zangiota, Chinaz, Buka, Ahangaran, Angren, Yangiabad, Parkent and Bostanlyk. Moreover, for the convenience of tourists, special minibuses will be launched in this direction and tourist maps will be developed.

In the meantime, we decided to take a trip around this ring of the Tashkent region and develop our own map. We left early in the morning (about 7 am), to the first closest point from Tashkent – Zangiota district (15 km from Tashkent). We went straight to the ancient historical complex and pilgrimage site "Zangi-ota", where the outstanding Islamic saint Sheikh Ai Khoja is buried.

It is a very beautiful and peaceful place. But women need to bring scarfs to cover their heads at the entrance to the mausoleum.

The mausoleum of Zangi-ota was built in the times of Amir Temur. There is a legend that the mausoleum was originally built for the Sufi poet and preacher Ahmed Yassavi, but the wall of the building constantly crumbled and the construction stalled. One day, in a dream, Yassavi himself came to Temur and said that the shrine should be dedicated to his follower Ai Khoja. After that, the mausoleum was completed and later in the 14th century, the mosque and madrasah were completed.

After meeting the girls, the local caretaker behind the mosque told us that there is also a mausoleum of the wife of the great Sufi Ahmad Yassavi – Ambar-Bibi, who is considered the patroness of the local females. And there is a belief – in order to successfully get married, girls need to sweep around this place 7 times. And for married women, there is another traditional rite – girls who dream of becoming a mother need to go around the building three times in the clockwise direction.

After making a small pilgrimage, we went to the city of Chinaz, 64 km from Tashkent. Located along the central highway, according to historical information, the city was once the site of a major Mongol battle.

But in addition, the fish is very tasty here. Since we had breakfast early, we decided to organize an early lunch in one of the roadside cafes where they prepare fresh fish. I write a fresh one, because it is possible to choose what kind of fish you would like to eat – catfish of different species, sturgeon, trout and many others. On the way, we visited the archaeological site of Karshaul-Tepa, dating back to the 6th-8th centuries AD. The artifacts found here by an archaeological expedition in 2014 suggest that representatives of the Zoroastrian community lived here. We couldn't find the place on the map, but local residents helped us.

After Chinaz, we went further along the route through Buka district (75 km from Tashkent). Of course, it is best to visit this region in the spring, when the fields are sown and nature blooms, but we were curious to look at the area that, according to historians, was once the habitat of the Zoroastrians, and in 328 BC, the troops of Great Alexander passed through here.

Then we went to the city of artisans - Akhangaran (62 km from Tashkent), which has an important industrial significance for our country. There are large enterprises – cement and slate factories, factories and other various production organizations. We visited one of the leading enterprises of the cement industry in the country – "Akhangarantsement", which ranks second in terms of cement production in the country. There we were shown the types of cements produced by the plant and told the production technology. It is interesting that such buildings as the Uzexpocenter, the Palace of forums, the national library, the Bunyodkor sports complex and many others were built on their cement.

We weren’t too sick to go further to the city of Angren (105 km from Tashkent), which is also the industrial center of Uzbekistan. It is the only station in the country for gas production by underground coal pyrolysis. By the way, while in Angren, we looked into the village of Geologist, where there is an ancient architectural monument t- the mausoleum of Gumbez-Bobo.

Our next stop was the city of Yangiabad (100 km from Tashkent). The most interesting thing in the area is that a few kilometers from the city there is a "Yangiabad", campsite which has long been a favorite place for climbers. They are attracted by the fact that there are rock walls of different heights and degrees of complexity, where exercises and competitions in rock climbing are held.

For non-professionals, such as us, the base is equipped with a 500-meter ski track with a tow lift and a small ski route.

Local people told us that in spring the fishing season opens in Yangiabad, and in summer you can go hiking in the surrounding mountains and swim in the local reservoir with crystal clear water. After saying goodbye to the campsite, we went to the Parkent district, where 50 km from Tashkent, the first tourist village Kumushkan is located in the foothills of the Tien Shan. In the village, we stayed for the night in the national guest house, which beckoned to the local hospitality and home comfort. The menu in such houses is certainly not pompous, but the range of dishes offered is quite large. Our choice fell on the shish kebab praised by the locals, which was really extremely juicy and very flavor. By the way, in warm weather, you can stay in a Yurt camp with a beautiful view of the stone gorge, where the famous edge of waterfalls and cool sai is also located not far away.

The next day, after a great rest and a hearty Uzbek breakfast in Kumushkan, we went to the popular for  tourists  Bostanlyk district (109 km from Tashkent).

Кумушкан, лето 2019
Lovers of mountain active recreation in winter can have a great time in one of the most popular ski resorts in the area resort "Amirsoy". We rented ski equipment and had a lot of fun on the track, which is convenient for beginners. A nice bonus was that we went up the slope on the escalator.

In the warm season, you can stay in the picturesque mountain villages of Nanai, Nevich, Sukok, enjoy the picturesque panorama of the Chatkal range, visit the purest jade lakes of Urungach and sunbathe on the beach of the Charvak reservoir.

Chatkal ridge lovers of history and ancient culture can go on a mysterious trip to the historical sights of the region – the cave site of ancient people in the upper reaches of the Aktash river ( 40-25 thousand years BC), the fortress of Jilga-Tepa (VI-XII centuries) on the right bank of Pskov, the "cemetery of magicians" of Guria mugh in the north-eastern part of the village of Sijjak – all this is only a small part of what is in the area.

At the end of the trip, I would like to add that wherever you go, in every corner of the Tashkent oasis, you will have an unforgettable experience of an extraordinary active journey, which can be diluted with a bit of Uzbek history and national hospitality.

The "National PR center» team.

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