Foundation Islamic Union
Uzbekistan
Official Name: Republic of Uzbekistan (UZ)
Capital : Tashkent
Important Cities: Bukhara, Samarkand, Namangan, Fergana, Nukus, Khiva, Hokand,
Andijan, Urgench.
Area: 448,900 km2 (165,000 km2 of which is the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic)
Population : 30,500,000 (2021)[1]. 41 per cent of the population lives in cities.
Ethnicity: Uzbeks make up 71 per cent of Uzbekistan's population. Russians are in second place with 10% of the population. Other ethnic elements are Tajiks 4.7%, Kazakhs 4%, Karakalpaks 2%, Tatars 1.7%, Crimean Tatars 1%. Almost all Turks are Muslims.
Language: The official language is Uzbek.
Religion: 90% of the people of Uzbekistan are Muslims. About 93 per cent of Muslims are Sunni and Hanafi, the rest are Shiite. There are 9% Orthodox Christians, 0.92% Buddhists and 0.54% Jews.
Geographical Situation: Uzbekistan is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan from the east, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan from the south, and Kazakhstan from the west and north. The main rivers are the Amu Derya and Sir Derya rivers. 80 per cent of its territory consists of plains. A significant part of these plains is the Kyzylkum desert in the south-eastern part of the Amu Derya river. Mountain masses constitute the rest. The Altai Mountains, God Mountains and Hisar Mountains are the most important of these masses. 11.2% of its territory is agricultural land and 48.2% is grassland. Summers are hot and winters are cold in Uzbekistan.
Mode of Government: Uzbekistan has a multi-party democratic system. The country is governed by the constitution that entered into force on 8 December 1992. The supreme head of state is the president and the head of government is the prime minister. The president is elected by universal suffrage. It has a 500-member parliament. Members of parliament are also elected.
Membership of International Organisations: ADB, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC t, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC[2], OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO[3]
Political Parties: Erk Party: Founded in 1991 under the leadership of writer Muhammad Salih, a member of the Supreme Soviet of Uzbekistan. It has a liberal and nationalist approach. It is the party with the widest support among the people. Populist Unity Party: It has a westernist and liberal approach. Democratic People's Party: This party, which is the party of President Islam Karimov, is considered as the continuation of the former Communist Party. Islamic Innovation Party: This party, which adopts an Islamic politics, does not have a wide mass base.
History: It is divided into West Turkistan and East Turkistan. East Turkistan is still under Chinese occupation today and is called Sinkiang. West Turkestan is the region of the four Turkic republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan) and Tajikistan, which gained their independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Islam reached Turkestan quite early, in the early 8th century when this region was under the rule of the Gok Turks. Nizak Tarhan, who ruled in a part of Toharistan between Herat and Merv in South Turkistan between 645-709 under the Gök Turks, became a Muslim in 704 towards the end of his life and took the name Abdullah. After they became Muslims, they were attached to the Umayyad state and came under the command of the Umayyad governor of Khorasan. Again, one of the Karluk beys converted to Islam in the early 8th century and became subject to the Umayyads. In the same period, there were other Turkic beys who became Muslims and joined the Islamic caliphate. The first state ruling over a large area in the region and ruled by Muslim Turks was the Qarakhanid state. The Qarakhanids dynasty started to rule in the region from 848 and Satuk Buğra Khan, who was the third ruler of this dynasty and ruled between 924-955, became a Muslim and took the name Abdulkerim Satuk Buğra. Thus, the Qarakhanid state became a state ruled by Muslims. The Qarakhanids state continued its existence as an independent state until 1040. At this date, it became subject to the Seljuks. In 1042, it was divided into two separate administrations, the Western Khaganate and the Eastern Khaganate. Until that date, those who represented the central administration had the title of Eastern Khaganate. The Eastern Khaganate was subject to the Seljuks until 1157, after which it came under the rule of the Karahitays (Mongols) and was abolished by the Nayman Turk Empire in 1210. The Western Khaganate, on the other hand, remained under the Seljuks until 1157, after which it came under the rule of the Karahitays and in 1207 under the rule of the Khwarezmshahs. The Khwarezmshahs annexed the Western Qarakhanids completely to their own country in 1212. The Khwarezmshahs, who took control of West Turkestan in 1207, disintegrated in 1219 in the face of Mongol attacks. After their disintegration, the region came under the rule of Chingiz Khan, one of the Mongol Turks, and his son Chagatay. After the collapse of the Chagatai state, the region came under the rule of the famous ruler Timur. Timur expanded the borders of his country by organising expeditions to Afghanistan, Iran, India, Anatolia, Iraq and Syria. However, his state disintegrated after his death in 1405. His sons and grandsons established sovereignty in different parts of the lands he had conquered. He was attacked by Uzbeks. In 1428, the Uzbek Khanate was established in and around Bukhara. This khanate survived until 1599 and disintegrated as a result of the defeat of the Uzbek khan Abdullah II to the Safavids. Its lands were divided among Khiva, Bukhara and Hokand khanates. In 1876, it was completely under Russian rule. In 1599, the Bukhara Khanate emerged in Bukhara. In the 18th century it was able to recover a little. In the course of time, the territories ruled by the above-mentioned Shaybanis also largely passed into the hands of the Bukhara khans. In 1227, a khanate called Orda (or Kazakh) Khanate was established. Turkish people did not want to accept Russian domination and started revolts against the invaders in different places. However, since the rebellions were not organised and they moved from region to region, the Russian invaders could easily suppress these rebellions. Meanwhile, some people who were influenced by the Young Ottomans movement that emerged in Turkey formed some groups such as Young Bukharans, Young Khwarezmlis. Those who joined these movements were also influenced by communist propaganda. They later played an important role in the Soviet Union's domination of Central Asia. In March 1917, an Islamic congress was held in Tashkent and a national committee was formed. This committee later established a Turkestan Islamic government in Khokand. However, those who established the government did not have enough staff and power. The Soviet government, established after the Bolshevik revolution in October 1917, occupied and plundered Tashkent in February 1918. After that, Soviet occupation and persecution began in Turkestan. The Soviet government sent the Red Army, which it had established, against the Central Asian Muslims who were trying to recover by taking advantage of the dissolution of the tsarist rule. The Khanate of Khiva was abolished in 1919 and the Khanate of Bukhara in 1920, and they were transformed into the Khorezm and Bukhara People's Republics.
Internal Problems: Ethnic diversity is a problem in Uzbekistan as it is in Kazakhstan. Before independence, there were some conflicts between Meshet Turks and Meskhet Turks living in the country.
External Problems: Russian pressure on Uzbekistan continues. Russia wants not to lose its economic interests on these republics. China is also a threat to Uzbekistan.
Islamism in the country: Uzbekistan has a rich heritage of Islamic culture and civilisation. Cities such as Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent, which are today within the borders of Uzbekistan, have been important centres of knowledge throughout history. Uzbekistan had a special position for Central Asian Muslims during the Soviet Union. The religious administration of Central Asian Muslims was located in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Both of the two madrasahs that the Soviet administration allowed to operate were in Uzbekistan. After independence, Islamic activities have further revitalised and new mosques and masjids have been opened for worship. In addition, new madrasas and institutes teaching Islamic sciences were opened. One of them is the Imam Bukhari Institute, which provides 4 years of religious higher education where various Islamic sciences are taught. However, since the administration is concerned about Islamic developments and awakening, some Islamic activities are prevented. After independence, Sufi orders also gained vitality and started to carry out intensive activities. Naqshbandî, Kubrevî, Yassawî, Qadirî and Kalenderî sects are the most important of these orders.[4]
Economy: Uzbekistan's economy is based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The share of income from these sectors in gross domestic product is 42% and 29% of the working population is employed in these areas. The main agricultural products are cereals, cotton, rice, corn, maize, tobacco and various vegetables and fruits. It ranks first among the CIS member republics and third among the world countries in cotton production. Uzbekistan has important underground riches. The most important of these are oil, gold, uranium, natural gas, coal, copper, zinc, lead and molybdenum. It is among the world's leading countries in terms of gold production and reserves. It produces an average of eighty tonnes of gold per year.
Currency: Som
National Income per Capita: USD 11,600[5]
Foreign Trade: The main export products are some foodstuffs and agricultural products, various mineral ores, especially gold ore, electricity and natural gas. The main imports are transport vehicles, machinery, petroleum products, chemicals and some foodstuffs. Foreign trade is mostly with CIS countries, Eastern European countries, European Union countries and Japan.
Industry: Industry is more developed compared to other Central Asian republics. Factories producing tractors, agricultural machines, cotton picking machines, engines, oil processing machines are the leading industrial establishments. In addition to these, there are also industrial organisations in the fields of cement, chemistry, steel, food, etc.
Energy: The average annual electricity consumption per capita is 2565 kw/hour.
Transportation: There are 4 airports with scheduled flights, including the capital Tashkent, which is open to international traffic. It has 6.800 km. railway and 89.210 km. highway, 74 km of which are asphalted. In addition, the Amu Derya river is utilised in waterway transport. In this country, there is one motorised transport vehicle for an average of 28 people.
Health: There are 1400 hospitals in Uzbekistan, a total of 75 thousand doctors and dentists, 243 thousand midwives and nurses. On average, there is one doctor for 292 people.
Education: Education is free. There are about 9 thousand primary and general secondary schools and 250 vocational secondary schools. There are about 55 higher education institutions and about 350 thousand students are studying in them. The literacy rate is about 90 per cent. The language of education is Uzbek. However, Russian is also taught from the early years.
Administrative division: It is divided into 13 districts.
[1] www.ticaret.gov.tr(November-2021 Access)
[2] www.oic-oci.org
[3] www.ticaret.gov.tr(November-2021 Access)
[4] www.enfal.de(November-2021 Access)
[5] www.ticaret.gov.tr(November-2021 Access)
