Kokand, a city in Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

In the east of Uzbekistan, in the Fergana Valley, heading from Fergana to Tashkent, a traveler would enter the city of Kokand, one of the oldest settlements on this land. According to archaeological excavations, as long as 2000 years ago the site of the present city contained settlements of people. This is substantiated by findings at the excavations of the monuments of Mui-Mubarak, Tepakurgan and Eski Kurgan.

Palace of Khudoyar Khan

In the Middle Ages Kokand served as an important point on the Great Silk Road, one of the routes of which passed through the Fergana Valley. In the year 1709 the city became the capital of the Kokand Khanate. In this position, it competed with two other major states of the medieval Central Asia - Bukhara Emirate and Khiva Khanate.

Since 1876 the Kokand Khanate fell under the protectorate of the Russian Empire after the conquest by troops of General Skobelev. The Khanate itself was abolished, and the city became the center of the Kokand District.

One of the key monuments of the city is the Khudoyar Khan's palace, built in the second half of the 19th century; in its architecture and decor it combines local traditions and the influence of Bukhara and Khiva architects and artisans, as well as Russian cultural influence.