history of navoi
The city was founded in 1958, is located next to the historic town of Kermine (Karmana). Kermine played an important role in the times of the Bukhara Emirate. The second last emir (king) of Bukhara, Seid Abdulahad Khan, was born and buried in Kermine. There were originally two residences of Bukhara emirs in the city, but no longer preserved. Meanwhile, Kermine is a suburb of Navoi.
Navoi is a vivid example of Soviet planning in the 1960s. Unlike most other cities of Uzbekistan, there are no traditional clay buildings here; Soviet architecture dominates. An artificial bathing lake was built near the town’s centre.
navoi in economy of uzbekistan
Although the city is relatively small, it nevertheless plays an essential role in Uzbekistan’s economy as an industrial location. Navoi was originally conceived as a mining centre for rare precious metals and uranium. Today Navoi has been declared a free trade zone: Companies that settle here are exempt from paying some taxes. The duration of this privilege depends on the amount of investment and averages between three and seven years. Therefore, a cargo hub was built here for Uzbekistan Airways and Korean Air.
In the Navoi province, in the desert Kyzylkum, lies the city Zeravshan, in whose proximity there is a large gold and uranium deposit “Muruntau”. Uzbekistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of total gold reserves and ninth in terms of production. During the Soviet era, many Russian miners and skilled workers settled in Navoi. Even today, a comparatively high proportion of ethnic Russians can be seen.
About 30-40 km away from Navoi, on the slopes of the Nurata mountain range, lies the historical, cultural and scenic museum-reserve Sarmysh Gorge (known as Sarmyshsay), with an area of about 5,000 hectares. It is primarily known for rock paintings (petroglyphs), which date from the Bronze Age. Some of the petroglyphs are said to be up to 8,000 years old.
General information
- Population: 135,000 (2017)
- Elevation: 365 m
Air connection: The city has an airport, which is mostly used for cargo flights. For passengers, there are local connections to Tashkent and international flights to Russia.
Rail connection: From Navoi, trains run to many different cities in Uzbekistan. The express train “Afrosiyob” that connects Bukhara with Samarkand and Tashkent stops in Navoi.