Travel Guide Kuva

The archaeologists still wonder about the age of the city of Kuva. It was estimated that it was built in the 3rd century BC, but recent discoveries attest to an earlier existence. The city was built according to the principle prevailing at the time: two walls marked the limits of the inner and outer city. Razed twice, Kuva rose again and experienced three glorious periods: the first before the Arab invasion, the second before its destruction by the armies of Genghis Khan, the third before the general decline of the cities of the Silk Road in favor of the great maritime routes.The most important discovery is that of a Buddhist temple, destroyed during the Arab invasion in the 7th century. The statue of Buddha was transported to the Museum of Uzbekistan History in Tashkent. Zoroastrian ossuaries and a Nestorian cross were also found at the site, emblematic of the pre-Islamic religious diversity in the region. In the large vacant lot where the excavations are taking place, one can observe the plan of some dwellings, but the whole is less striking than in Aksikent, near Namangan. The entrance to the site is guarded by a gigantic statue of Al-Ferghani, 7 m high: the great medieval mathematician and astronomer would indeed have been born in Kuva around 800 AD. Under the patronage of the Caliph of Baghdad, he carried out some of the greatest astronomical works of the 9th century. He is best known in Europe as Alfraganus: the crater Alfragnus located on the visible side of the Moon was named in his honor.