Abstract:

The Fergana Valley is one of the important cultural centers of Central Asia. Previously, researchers had never specifically studied epigraphic monuments of this region. Many historical monuments were destroyed because of earthquakes, and the periods of change of political power, as well as after the liquidation of the Kokand Khanate (in 1876)

I. During the era of the Russian Empire, many artifacts and tombstones were taken from the Fergana Valley to the center of the empire as trophies. In the palace of the Kokand Khan, the audience hall was turned into the Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helen. The military office was located in the interior rooms, and a military hospital was built on the site of the madrasah and Muslim cemetery.

The fate of the historical monuments of the Fergana Valley was ambiguous:

1. While the monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva were seriously studied by Russian and Western scientists, the monuments of the region of Fergana valley were not considered significant into the research.

2. Despite the demands to protect and study these monuments, the main attention was paid to archaeological excavations; however, epigraphic materials were not studied.

II. During the Soviet period, historical buildings associated with Islam were ignored and used for other purposes: they housed bathhouses, a winery, stables, and warehouses. Since 1930, architectural revisions of these objects began to be carried out, however the religious purpose of the monuments was relegated to the background. The reports stated that because of the unqualified research the monuments are destroyed. Some of them were taken under state protection; however, many of them were destroyed and lost their forever. Unlike the state, scientists tried to take care of the preservation of monuments.

III. When Uzbekistan gained independence, the attitude towards historical monuments changed radically. They began to be studied as part of national and cultural identity. If during the period of the Russian Empire and in the Soviet era, Islam and its’ culture, the history of rulers were studied mainly by Russian orientalists, nowadays these theme of research is carried out by Uzbek scientists.

The epigraphy of historical monuments is studied by the support of governmental projects, and for the first time sources of this type have entered into scientific circulation. These steps can help change long-established approaches, according to which the most valuable historical monuments of the Fergana Valley were considered unworthy of scientific attention.