Qarshi is a city. It is in a place called Uzbekistan. It is a busy place. People make soft carpets there. It is a place to see. Do you want to visit?
Qarshi is a city in Uzbekistan. It sits in a green area. This area gets water from a river. The water helps plants grow. Most of the land has cotton.
People in the city make flat carpets. They are woven by hand. The city name means fort.
There are many old buildings to see. One mosque has a blue dome. It is very large.
You can also see an old bridge. It is made of brick. It sits over a river.
Qarshi is a place with much history. It is a special place to visit.
Qarshi is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the Qashqadaryo Region. The city sits in a fertile oasis. This is a green area in a dry land. A large project brings water from the Amu Darya River. This water helps plants grow. Most of the land around the city has cotton. People also grow wheat and silk there.
Qarshi has a very long history. The name Qarshi means fort. Long ago, it was a stop for trade caravans. The city is famous for making woven flat carpets. It is also important for making natural gas.
There are many old sites to visit. The Kok Gumbaz Mosque has a blue dome. It was built in the late 16th century. You can also see the Qarshi Bridge. It is an ancient bridge made of brick. It sits over the Qashqadaryo River. Another site is a large war memorial. It has a red star and an eternal flame.
The city has a railway station.
People can also fly to Qarshi from the airport. There are many schools and a university here too.
Qarshi is a busy city in southern Uzbekistan. It serves as the capital of the Qashqadaryo Region. The city sits in a fertile oasis where plants grow well. This green area stays hydrated thanks to a large irrigation project. In the 1970s, workers built a way to move water. They moved it from the Amu Darya River in Turkmenistan. Now, most of the land around Qarshi is used for growing cotton. People also grow wheat and silk in this region.
The history of this place is very long and interesting. The name Qarshi actually means "fort." Long ago, it was known by names like Nakhshab and Nasaf. It was a famous stop on an 11-day caravan route. Traders traveled between the places of Balkh and Bukhara. In the 14th century, Timur built a strong palace here. Later, the city grew even more during the Sheyban dynasty. It was even the second largest town in the Bukhara Khanate.
Many beautiful old buildings still stand in the city today. The Kok Gumbaz Mosque is very famous for its blue dome. An emperor named Ulugbek built it in the late 16th century. You can also see the ancient Qarshi Bridge. This bridge is made of brick and crosses the Qashqadaryo River. There are also three madrassas on one square. These are the Kalizbek, Bakmir, and Khodjaev Abdul Aziz madrassas. They were built between 1904 and 1915.
Qarshi is a very important place for industry and energy. The city is known for producing natural gas. A huge new plant is being built about 40 km south. This gas-to-liquids plant will cost around $4 billion. It is the first high-tech plant of its kind on the Eurasian continent. This project involves companies from Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Sasol. It will make things like diesel and kerosene. The city also makes famous woven flat carpets.
Life in the city includes many different activities. People can travel by plane from the Qarshi Airport. There is also a railway station for trains.
Sports fans enjoy watching FC Nasaf play soccer. Their home matches happen at the Markaziy Stadium. For learning, there is Karshi State University. Many students also study at the engineering-economics institute. This makes the city a lively place to live and work.
Qarshi is a significant city located in southern Uzbekistan. It serves as the capital of the Qashqadaryo Region. The city is a district-level urban center. It includes the urban-type settlement of Qashqadaryo. As of a 2021 estimate, the population is 278,300 people. Geographically, it sits about 520 km south-southwest of Tashkent. It is also roughly 335 km north of the border with Afghanistan. The city is a vital hub for natural gas production. It is also famous for making woven flat carpets.
The history of Qarshi spans many different eras and cultures. It was originally known as the Sogdian city of Nakhshab. Some records suggest it may have been called Eucratideia during the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. Later, it was the Islamic Uzbek city of Nasaf. It was also known as the Chagatay city of Qarshi. The city served as the second city of the Emirate of Bukhara. It sits in a fertile oasis. This oasis produces wheat, cotton, and silk. The city was a key stop on an 11-day caravan route. This route connected Balkh and Bukhara.
Different rulers left their marks on the landscape of Qarshi. The Mongol Chagataid khans, Kebek and Qazan, built palaces here. They built them on the site of Chinggis Khaan's summer pasture. Both khans used Qarshi as a capital. In 1364, Timur built a fortified palace. This palace had moats and is in the southern part of the city. The modern name "Qarshi" actually means "fort." The city grew steadily from the 14th century. It grew violently during the Sheyban dynasty in the 16th century. By the 18th century, it was the second largest town of the Bukhara Khanate.
Architectural monuments define much of the city's character. The Odina Mosque was built in the 16th century. It sits on the southeast side of the Eski Bazaar. It was built on an older Mongol palace site. This site had previously functioned as a prison. The mosque features an attractive domed exterior. It also contains a sardoba. A sardoba is a domed reservoir. It kept the water supply from evaporating or becoming contaminated. Today, the mosque houses the Qarshi Regional Museum.
Other important religious and educational buildings exist in the city. The Kok Gumbaz Mosque is the Friday Mosque of the region. Its name means "blue dome." Emperor Ulugbek built it in the late 16th century for his father, Shah Rukh. It is architecturally similar to Timurid mosques in Shakhrisabz. Three madrassas sit on the same square. These are the Kalizbek, Bakmir, and Khodjaev Abdul Aziz madrassas. They were built between 1904 and 1915. The Rabiya Madrassah is a female madrassah from the late 19th century. These buildings no longer serve religious functions.
Modern industry is a massive part of the local economy. A major gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant is under construction 40 km south of the city. This plant uses Sasol’s GTL technology. It will have a capacity of 1.4 million metric tons per year. The products will include GTL diesel, kerosene, naphtha, and liquid petroleum gas. The total cost of this project is approximately $4 billion. It is the first high-tech plant of this kind on the Eurasian continent. The project is a joint venture called GTL Uzbekistan. It includes Sasol, Uzbekneftgas, and Malaysian Petronas. It is based on the Shurtan gas and chemical complex.
Infrastructure supports the many people living in this region. In the early 1970s, a major irrigation project was completed. It diverts water from the Amu Darya River in Turkmenistan. This water flows eastward into Uzbekistan to irrigate the land near Qarshi. Most of these irrigated lands are used for cotton. The city is served by the Qarshi Airport. This airport has flights to Tashkent, Navoi, and some Russian cities. The city also has a railway station.
Residents also enjoy sports. The local soccer team, FC Nasaf, was founded in 1986. They play at the Markaziy Stadium, which was built in 2006.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.