The north mausoleum
A carved terracotta portal of 1152–53.
Ekrem Canli — CC BY-SA 3.0 · JohnNewton8 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fabienkhan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nikolaus — CC BY 3.0 · Ninaras — CC BY 4.0
In the centre of Uzgen (Özgön), a tapering brick minaret about 27.5 m tall stands a short walk north-west of three Karakhanid mausoleums of the 11th and 12th centuries, their portals joined in one façade. The complex has been on Kyrgyzstan's UNESCO tentative list since 2010, and since 2025 also within the Silk Roads: Fergana–Syr Darya Corridor. Uzgen controlled the Kara-Darya route to Kashgar and became a Karakhanid capital. The middle mausoleum, the largest and oldest, is often, though not always, dated to the early 11th century and linked to Nasr ibn Ali, the Ilig Khan who took Bukhara from the Samanids in 999. The north one, inscribed with the date AH 547 (1152–53), was built for Husayn ibn Hasan, called Jalal ad-Din, ruler of Fergana; the small south one followed in 1186–87, its occupant unknown. Carved terracotta, stucco and patterned brick cover the portals with stars, crosses and vine scrolls framed by Naskh and Kufic inscriptions; the north mausoleum is among the finest early Islamic survivals, the south the most ornate. The minaret rises from an eight-sided base in bands of patterned brick, crowned since 1923–24 by a lantern of arched windows. Some visitors report climbing its steep spiral stair, and a site museum covers mainly the Karakhanid era. Uzgen lies about 55 km north-east of Osh by road, 60 to 90 minutes by minibus from Osh's new bus station. Allow one to two hours; come early in summer heat. A lively bazaar is close by, and the town is known for devzira, a brownish rice prized for plov. Pair it with Sulaiman-Too in Osh.
A carved terracotta portal of 1152–53.
About 27.5 m of patterned brick bands.
Vine scrolls and Kufic panels, 1186–87.
Town centre, on a terrace above the Kara-Darya, Uzgen
The 50-som note. Its front shows Kurmanjan Datka, and its back has carried the minaret and mausoleums since the 1994 issue, through later redesigns including the note issued in 2024.
Al-Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal and al-Muqaddasi knew it in the 10th century as Uzkand, which al-Istakhri put a long day's stage from Osh. In the 12th century al-Idrisi called it the last town of Fergana towards the land of the Turks: large, populous and garrisoned, with many villages.