Colette's Grand Detour

During our long day’s drive from Toktogul to Osh, we made a short stop at one of Kyrgyzstan’s oldest towns – Uzgen. Evidence of settlements in Uzgen have been dated back to the 8th century and it was a major settlement in the Karakhanid Khanate in the 10th – 12th century. There is not much left to see from this period, except a minaret and three richly-decorated brick mausoleums.

These Karakhanid remains are built of fired brick, which serve as both the structure and the ornaments themselves, using intricate brick patterns. The tradition of adding colourful tiles was not seen until much later in history. The mausoleums are interesting because of the range of patterns used for decoration. We saw geometric designs with zig zags, chevrons and star shapes, calligraphy with inscriptions and verses of the Quran carved into the brick work, and floral motifs. The variety of designs gives a good indication on how culturally mixed Uzgen must have been back then and how different religions, ideas and cultures must have arrived through the silk road. In just one mausoleum you can see the fusion of Persian influence, local Central Asian motifs and Turkic nomadic styles.

45 minutes at the minaret and mausoleum is plenty of time, There is a small museum that contains objects they have found in the town during construction works including some gigantic clay pots that would have been used to hold grain. And some good pictures of Uzgen during the turn of the 20th century. You can also climb up the minaret, although its good to note that similar to Burana Tower, it is no longer its original 45m height due to frequent earthquakes in the area.