Gijduvan
40 km from Bukhara is another regional center of the Bukhara region - the city of Gijduvan. Full-flowing ditches pass through it, carrying the water of Zeravshan, gardens and vineyards all around.
It is hard to believe that just 15-20 km north of the city lies a real desert - the southern outskirts of Kyzylkum. Here, on the edge of the desert, since 1925 they began to fix the moving sands, planting them with vegetation. Thanks to the planting of saxaul and sandy acacia, the moving sands turned into fixed ones, and agriculture became possible in the border zone with the sands, gardens and fields arose. But during the nineteenth century alone. in the Bukhara oasis, at least 15 thousand hectares of irrigated land were covered with sand. The city of Gijduvan is located in the center of this oasis.
Gijduvan has always been a recognized center of Central Asian ceramic production. Thousands of pilgrims passed through the revered places of “noble Bukhara”, they spread the glory of Bukhara artisans far beyond its borders. Products of Gijduvan masters were exported to adjacent cities and were in great demand everywhere.
Connoisseurs in the old days put Gijduvan ceramics in first place, Kattakurgan in second, Shakhrisabz in third. Samarkand was not taken into account at all. Between Samarkand kuzogars and Gijduvan artists, jealousy has long matured. There is a legend about this rivalry.
“In Samarkand, dyeing and winemaking developed from time immemorial, for which large khums were needed. Therefore, there were many skilled kuzogars in Samarkand. But when the holiday came, and guests came to the city from all sides, the Gijduvan kosagars-nakkoshes were invited to the house first and, as the most honored guests, were seated in the best places. Kuzogars endured, endured and were offended.
In search of justice, they went to the hakim - the ruler. He, not undertaking to resolve a difficult dispute, sent them to the qaziy - the judge. The Samarkand qaziy sent the disputants to the Bukhara spiritual judge - qazikalon, and he - to the mufti, an expert on laws. It was such a difficult job. Complainers were summoned and asked: “What are the mowers doing?” And they answered: "Dishes, braids, bowls - everything that adorns life." And the kuzogars said: "We make khums, jugs - what is usually kept outside the door." And then the wise judges decided: kosagars should be the first everywhere, because they adorn life. (Yu.Khalaminsky. "Roads of legends").
Gijduvan has always been a recognized center of Central Asian ceramic production. Thousands of pilgrims passed through the revered places of “noble Bukhara”, they spread the glory of Bukhara artisans far beyond its borders. Products of Gijduvan masters were exported to adjacent cities and were in great demand everywhere.
Connoisseurs in the old days put Gijduvan ceramics in first place, Kattakurgan in second, Shakhrisabz in third. Samarkand was not taken into account at all. Between Samarkand kuzogars and Gijduvan artists, jealousy has long matured. There is a legend about this rivalry.
“In Samarkand, dyeing and winemaking developed from time immemorial, for which large khums were needed. Therefore, there were many skilled kuzogars in Samarkand. But when the holiday came, and guests came to the city from all sides, the Gijduvan kosagars-nakkoshes were invited to the house first and, as the most honored guests, were seated in the best places. Kuzogars endured, endured and were offended.
In search of justice, they went to the hakim - the ruler. He, not undertaking to resolve a difficult dispute, sent them to the qaziy - the judge. The Samarkand qaziy sent the disputants to the Bukhara spiritual judge - qazikalon, and he - to the mufti, an expert on laws. It was such a difficult job. Complainers were summoned and asked: “What are the mowers doing?” And they answered: "Dishes, braids, bowls - everything that adorns life." And the kuzogars said: "We make khums, jugs - what is usually kept outside the door." And then the wise judges decided: kosagars should be the first everywhere, because they adorn life. (Yu.Khalaminsky. "Roads of legends").
