Uzbekistan
History
Uzbekistan has seen the rise and fall of many empires. The Sogdians, the Macedonians, the Huns, the Mongolians, the Seljuks, the Timurids and the Khanates, all of them have been instrumental in reshaping and rediscovering the course of Uzbekistan history.
The Sogdiana, Bactria and Khwarezm were the first civilizations, who occupied the territories of Ferghana, Tashkent, Bukhara, Khorezm and Samarkand regions of Uzbekistan. Alexander the Great conquered Sogdiana and Bactria in 327 BC.
The medieval history of Uzbekistan, witnessed the conquest by the Muslim Arabs in the 8th century AD. The Persian Samanid dynasty established its stronghold in the area. In the year 1220, Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia was invaded by the fierce and aggressive Genghis Khan and his Mongol tribes. In the 1300s, the Timur’s overthrew the Mongols and occupied Uzbekistan. Later on, separate Muslim states emerged, with strong ties with the neighboring Persia. During this time, the development of Uzbekistan gained a rapid pace. Fabulous mosques and madrassahs were built. Uzbekistan literature reached its zenith of glory with the emergence of well known literary figures in this period.
The main turning point of history of Uzbekistan is the Russian occupation in the year 1865. It led to the establishment of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Soviet era Uzbekistan became a world famous cotton growing region of the world.
Finally, on August 31, 1991, Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and Islam Karimov was elected the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
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