Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Margilan

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Margilan is an important city in the Fergana Region of eastern Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan adm location map
Uzbekistan adm location map

It sits in the southern part of the Fergana Valley. The city is near the foothills of the Alay Range mountains.

UZ-Fergana-Province
UZ-Fergana-Province

It is located just 9 km northwest of the regional center, Fergana. A railway station on the Andijan-Kokand line helps people travel there. As of the 2024 census, the city has 253,500 people living in it. Many different groups live together, with more than 30 nationalities represented.

Margilan
Margilan

This city is famous for making beautiful silk fabrics.

Margilan silk production1
Margilan silk production1

One special place is the Yodgorlik Silk Factory, which started in 1983. This factory uses traditional ways to make handmade goods. Workers feed silkworms mulberry leaves to start the process. Then, they use natural dyes from plants and minerals to color the silk. The Margilan Silk Factory is much larger and uses modern machines. At its peak, it employed 15,000 workers to make 22 million square meters of silk every year.

History tells many stories about this ancient place.

Khonakhan Mosque
Khonakhan Mosque

One legend says Alexander the Great founded the city. The story says he was offered chicken and bread during a meal. In Persian, these words are "murgh" and "nan." People say the name Margilan comes from these words combined. Other records show the city was a major stop on the Silk Road by the 9th century. Archaeologists even found that people used irrigation for farming here as far back as the 3rd or 4th century BC.

There are many interesting places to visit in the city.

Margilan marketplace
Margilan marketplace

The Kumtepa Bazaar is a very lively market. It happens on Sundays and Thursdays about 5 km west of the city center. You can find textiles, household goods, and fresh food there. You can also visit the Khonakhan Mosque, which was built in the 16th century.

Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan
Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan

It has two tall minarets that reach 26 meters high. These towers stand above beautiful wooden pillars carved from cedar.

Margilan has always been a busy center for trade and culture. In the early 16th century, a leader named Babur wrote about the area. He said the apricots and pomegranates were superb. He also noted that white deer could be found nearby. During the Soviet days, the city was a major center for commerce and markets. Today, the city continues to be a place where people work in many ways. Many residents work in handicrafts, shops, or public jobs. The city remains a strong part of the Fergana Valley's identity.

414 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:Uzbekistan adm location map.svg
Uzbekistan adm location map.svg
File:Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
File:Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
File:Khonakhan Mosque.jpg
Khonakhan Mosque.jpg
File:Margilan .jpg
Margilan .jpg
File:Margilan silk production1.JPG
Margilan silk production1.JPG
File:Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan (496141).jpg
Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan (496141).jpg
File:Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan (496142).jpg
Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan (496142).jpg
File:Margilan marketplace.jpg
Margilan marketplace.jpg
File:Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan.jpg
Khonakhan Mosque, Margilan.jpg
File:UZ-Fergana-Province.PNG
UZ-Fergana-Province.PNG
More to explore

🔗 What's this?

Concepts mentioned in this article

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.