The Amu Darya (also Amudarya, Amudar'ya, in Persian آمودریا; Darya means "Sea" in Persian) is a river in Central Asia. It is navigable for over 1450 km (800 miles). Its total length is 2400 km (1500 miles). In Classical Antiquity, the river was known as the Oxus in Greek. It rises in the Pamir Mountains as the Pamir River, emerging from Zorkul, flowing east until Ishtragh, where it turns north and then east north-west through the Hindu Kush as the Panj, forming the border of Afgh ...

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Chagatai Khan (alternative spellings Chagata, Chugta, Chagta, Djagatai, Jagatai), a son of Genghis Khan (1206—1227), controlled the part of the Mongol Empire which extended from the Ili river (eastern Kazakhstan) and Kashgaria (western Tarim Basin) to Transoxiana. He inherited most of what are now the five Central Asian states and northern Iran after the death of his father which he ruled until his death in 1242. The Empire later came to be known as the Chagatai Khanate, part of the Mongol Empire. These te ...

Including:

• Chagatai Khanate - Mongol successor states
• Chagatai Khanate - The Chagatai Khanate after Chagatai
• Chagatai Khanate - Tughlugh Timur and Tamerlane
• Chagatai Khanate - Successors of the Chagataites

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The Zeravshan or Zarafshan river, whilst smaller and less well-known than the two great rivers of Central Asia, the Amu Darya (or Oxus) and the Syr Darya (or Jaxartes), is if anything more valuable as a source of irrigation in the region. Its name signifies 'Spreader of Gold' in Persian, and refers to the presence of gold-bearing sands in the upper reaches of the river. Its course runs through present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, from a source on the fringes of the Pamirs, past Penjikent to the legendary cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, which a ...

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Central Asia (Russian: Среднaя Азия/"Srednaya Azia" for "Middle Asia" or Центральная Азия/"Tsentral'naya Azia" for "Central Asia"; in Persian آسياى ميانه; Standard Mandarin Chinese: 中亚/ pinyin: "Zhōngyà"; Arabic: ﺔﻄﻮﺳﻠﺍ ﺎﺴﻴﺁ/"Asya al Wsta") is a vast landlocked region of Asia. Though various definitions of its exact composition exist, no one definition is universally accepted. Despite this uncertainty in defining borders, it does have some important overall characteristics. ...

Including:

• Central Asia - Definitions
• Central Asia - Geography
• Central Asia - Climate
• Central Asia - History
• Central Asia - Geostrategy
• Central Asia - Oil politics
• Central Asia - War on Terror
• Central Asia - Culture
• Central Asia - Religions
• Central Asia - Arts
• Central Asia - Demographics
• Central Asia - Languages

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The Aral Sea (Kazakh: Арал Теңізі) is an endorheic inland sea in Central Asia; it lies between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south. Since the 1960s the Aral Sea has been shrinking, as the rivers that feed it (the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya) were diverted by the Soviet Union for irrigation. The Aral Sea is badly polluted, largely as the result of weapons testing, industrial projects, and fertilizer runoff before the breakup of the Soviet Union. Aral Sea - ...

Including:

• Aral Sea - Ecological problems
• Aral Sea - History
• Aral Sea - Current situation
• Aral Sea - Possible solutions
• Aral Sea - Bioweapons facility on the Vozrozhdeniya Island

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Urgench (Uzbek: Urganch / Урганч) is city (1999 pop. 139,100) in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the Khorezm Province, on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated 450 km west of Bukhara across the Kyzyl Kum Desert. It is located at latitude 41° 32' 60N longitude 60° 37' 60E, at an altitude of 91 meters. The history of the city goes back to the second half of the 18th century. The city should not be confused with the city of Konya-Urgench (also known as "Old Urgench" or "Gurg ...

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Afghanistan:    2,000,000 Tajikistan:    1,500,000 Kyrgyzstan:    700,000 Turkmenistan:    450,000 Kazakhstan:    350,000 Russia:    125,000 Pakistan:    80,000 China:    14,800 The Uzbeks (Self designation – O`zbek) are a Turkic people of Central Asia and comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan and are also located in other adjacent countries in ...

Including:

• Uzbeks - Name
• Uzbeks - History
• Uzbeks - Language
• Uzbeks - Religion
• Uzbeks - Genetic Origins
• Uzbeks - Uzbeks in China

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Sogdiana ("Sug`ud","Sug`diyona" -Uzbek, Sughd - Tajik, Sugdiane, Old Persian Sughuda, Persian:سغد, Chinese: Kang-Kü) ancient civilization of Iranian peoples, then was a province of the Achaemenian Empire, the eighteenth in the list in the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great (i. 16). Sogdiana at different periods of time included territories around Samarkand, Bukhar ...

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The major ecological problem is that diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for irrigation has shrunk the Aral Sea dramatically; the Aral Sea has been drying up for about 40 years. This has brought about a number of ecological problems for the sea and the surrounding area. Aral Sea - History. The Soviet Union decided in 1918 that the two rivers that fed the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya in the south and the Syr Darya in the northeast, would be diverted to irrigate the desert, in order to grow rice, melo ...

See also:

Aral Sea, Aral Sea - Ecological problems, Aral Sea - History, Aral Sea - Current situation, Aral Sea - Possible solutions, Aral Sea - Bioweapons facility on the Vozrozhdeniya Island

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The modern Uzbek population represents varying degrees of diversity derived from the high traffic invasion routes through Central Asia. Once populated by Iranian tribes and other Indo-European peoples, Central Asia experienced numerous invasions emanating out of Mongolia that would drastically impact the region. According to recent Genetic genealogy testing from a University of Chicago study, the Uzbeks cluster somewhere be ...

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Uzbeks, Uzbeks - Name, Uzbeks - History, Uzbeks - Language, Uzbeks - Religion, Uzbeks - Genetic origins, Uzbeks - Uzbeks in China

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In April 1399, some three months after quitting the capital of Mahmüd Toghluk, Timur was back in his own capital beyond the Oxus (Amu Darya). It need scarcely be added that an immense quantity of spoil was conveyed away. According to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, ninety captured elephants were employed merely to carry stones from certain quarries to enable the conqueror to erect a mosque at Samarkand. The war with the Turks and Egyptians, which followed the return from India, was rendered notable by the capture of Aleppo and Damascus. He ...

See also:

Timur, Timur - Early life, Timur - Military leader, Timur - Rise to power, Timur - Period of expansion, Timur - India, Timur - Last campaigns and death, Timur - Contributions to the arts, Timur - Exhumation, Timur - Fiction

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Central Asia has long been a strategic location merely because of its proximity to several great powers on the Eurasian landmass. The region itself never held a dominant stationary population, nor was able to make use of natural resources. Thus it has rarely throughout history become the seat of power for an empire or influential state. Much like Poland throughout European history, Central Asia has been divided, redivided, conquered out of existence, and fragmented time and t ...

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Central Asia, Central Asia - Definitions, Central Asia - Geography, Central Asia - Climate, Central Asia - History, Central Asia - Geostrategy, Central Asia - Oil politics, Central Asia - War on Terror, Central Asia - Culture, Central Asia - Religions, Central Asia - Arts, Central Asia - Demographics, Central Asia - Languages

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The Ta-Yuan remained a healthy and powerful civilization which had numerous contacts and exchanges with China from 130 BCE. Around 130 BCE, at the time of Zhang Qian’s embassy to Central Asia, the Ta-Yuan were described as inhabitants of a region corresponding to the Ferghana, to the west of the Chinese empire. “The capital of the kingdom of Ta-Yuan is the city of Kwe-shan (Khujand), distant from Ch'ang-an 12,550 li. The kingdom contains 60,000 families, comprising a population of 300,000, with 60,000 trained troops, a Viceroy, and a National Assistant Prince. The seat of the Governor ...

See also:

Ta-Yuan, Ta-Yuan - Hellenistic rule 329–160 BCE, Ta-Yuan - Greco-Bactrian kingdom 250–160 BCE, Ta-Yuan - Saka rule 160 BCE onward, Ta-Yuan - Yuezhi by-pass 155 BCE, Ta-Yuan - Interaction with China 130 BCE onward, Ta-Yuan - Urbanized city-dwellers, Ta-Yuan - Caucasian traits, Ta-Yuan - Interactions with China, Ta-Yuan - An era of East-West trade and cultural exchange

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The Oghuz Turks have perhaps been the most successful branch of Turkic peoples and families. Their history as kings, statesmen, warriors, as well as an enormous tribal union and large communal branch begins in the pre-Islamic period, yet their achievements and progression in the centuries after the arrival of Islam have left their mark on history and civilization. The original homeland of the Oghuz, like other Turks, was the Ural-Altay region of Central Asia known as Turkestan or Turan, which has been the domain of Turkic peopl ...

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Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turks - Name, Oghuz Turks - Origins, Oghuz Turks - Anthropology, Oghuz Turks - Social Unit, Oghuz Turks - Homeland in Transoxiana, Oghuz Turks - Dynasties, Oghuz Turks - Turcoman & Turkmen, Oghuz Turks - Literature

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The lower elevations of Tajikistan are divided into northern and southern regions by a complex of three mountain chains that constitute the westernmost extension of the massive Tian Shan system. Running essentially parallel from east to west, the chains are the Turkestan, Zarafshon, and Hisor (Gisar) mountains. The last of these lies just north of the capital, Dushanbe, which is situated in west-central Tajikistan. More than half of Tajikistan lies above an elevation of 3,000 meters. Even the lowlands, which are located in the Fergana ...

See also:

Geography of Tajikistan, Geography of Tajikistan - Dimensions and borders, Geography of Tajikistan - Topography and drainage, Geography of Tajikistan - Climate, Geography of Tajikistan - Environmental problems, Geography of Tajikistan - Pamir Mountains, Geography of Tajikistan - Rivers, Geography of Tajikistan - Area and boundaries, Geography of Tajikistan - Resources and land use, Geography of Tajikistan - Sources

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This list should be merged into the list above. 6,690 km - Nile, Africa 6,387 km - Amazon, South America 6,380 km - Yangtze (Chang Jiang), People's Republic of China 6,270 km - Mississippi-Missouri, USA 5,550 km - Yenisei-Angara, Mongolia / Russia, (5,870 km) 5,410 km - Ob-Irtysh, North Asia 4,410 km - Amur, East Asia 4,380 km - Congo, Africa, (or 4,670 km, the source of the river is disputed.) 4,350 km - Huang He (Yellow), People's Republic of China, ...

See also:

List of rivers by length, List of rivers by length - Definition of length, List of rivers by length - List of rivers longer than 2000 km, List of rivers by length - List of rivers longer than 1000 km, List of rivers by length - Longest rivers that have probably existed in the past, List of rivers by length - Nile, List of rivers by length - Amazon-Congo

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The early 1990s brought measurable change to the Kyrgyz Republic. The Kyrgyzstan Democratic Movement (KDM) had developed into a significant political force with support in parliament. In an upset victory, Askar Akayev, the president of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, was elected to the presidency in October 1990. The following January, Akayev introduced new government structures and appointed a new government comprised mainly of younger, reform-oriented politicians. In December 1990, the Supreme Soviet voted to change the republic's name to ...

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Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan - Early History, Kyrgyzstan - The Soviet Era, Kyrgyzstan - Independent Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan - Politics, Kyrgyzstan - Provinces, Kyrgyzstan - Geography, Kyrgyzstan - Enclaves and exclaves, Kyrgyzstan - Economy, Kyrgyzstan - Demographics, Kyrgyzstan - Culture, Kyrgyzstan - Flag, Kyrgyzstan - Holidays, Kyrgyzstan - Miscellaneous topics

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On August 31, 1991, Uzbekistan reluctantly declared independence, marking September 1 as a national holiday. While the Baltic States led the fight for independence, Central Asian states were afraid of it. "The centrifugal forces pulling the Union apart were weakest in Central Asia. Well after the August 1991 coup attempt, all Central Asian countries believed that the Union might somehow be preserved," wrote Mi ...

See also:

History of Uzbekistan, History of Uzbekistan - Early history, History of Uzbekistan - Middle Ages, History of Uzbekistan - Russian influence, History of Uzbekistan - Independence

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The Ferghana valley was probably inhabited by Sogdians during the 1st millennium BC, but little more is known about this period. Fergana Valley - Hellenistic settlement. In 329 BC, Alexander the Great founded a Greek settlement with the city of Alexandria Eschate "The Furthest", in the southwestern part of the Ferghana valley, on the southern bank of the river Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes), at the location of the modern ci ...

See also:

Fergana Valley, Fergana Valley - Geography and geology, Fergana Valley - Climate, Fergana Valley - History, Fergana Valley - Hellenistic settlement, Fergana Valley - Interaction with China, Fergana Valley - Islamization, Fergana Valley - Russian Empire, Fergana Valley - The Soviet Period and After, Fergana Valley - Agriculture, Fergana Valley - Industry, Fergana Valley - Trade, Fergana Valley - Transportation, Fergana Valley - Demography, Fergana Valley - Administrative divisions, Fergana Valley - Sources & Further Reading

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In April 1399, some three months after quitting the capital of Mahmüd Toghluk, Timur was back in his own capital beyond the Oxus (Amu Darya). It need scarcely be added that an immense quantity of spoil was conveyed away. According to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, ninety captured elephants were employed merely to carry stones from certain quarries to enable the conqueror to erect a mosque at Samarkand. The war with the Turks and Egyptians, which followed the return from India, was rendered notable by the capture of Aleppo and Damascus. He ...

See also:

Timur, Timur - Early life, Timur - Military Leader, Timur - Rise to Power, Timur - Period of Expansion, Timur - India, Timur - Last Campaigns and Death, Timur - Contributions to the Arts, Timur - Exhumation, Timur - Fiction

Read more here: » Timur: Encyclopedia II - Timur - Last Campaigns and Death