Urgut
Urgut - the “abode” of fairy-tale creatures and cultural stronghold of Uzbekistan.
The small ancient city of Urgut is located at the foot of the Zaravshan ranges fifty kilometers from Samarkand. The travellers from all over the world visit this region with great interest, as there are a large number of unusual sights and unusual historical places on the area.
The first tourist attraction, of course, is the eastern bazaar - the largest in the whole Republic. Only a walk through the market can spend the whole day. It is unique in that there are concentrated artisans of various industries, which sell both ancient and modern works of national crafts. True connoisseurs of art, handicraft and antiques will be delighted. Among the goods of the bazaar, you will find amazing oriental carpets, hand-made embroidery “suzane”, ceramics and metal products, national decorations and much more.
We can say that Urgut is one huge historical object. Some places in the city look so fabulous that they would be suitable for shooting the movie “The Lord of the Rings”. For example, the hollow Chor-Chinor (in translation means “Four Chinars”), in which more than 500 of the oldest Chinars (Sycamore tree) grow, can capture the imagination. Some trees are between 800 and 1,800 years old, and their trunk reach reaches 16 meters in diameter. A little sunlight passes into the dell, and therefore it is rather dusky inside.
Time here has created a truly fabulous mystical atmosphere. The massive rhizomes of giant trees intertwined and crawled out of the ground, and a cave was formed under one of the largest trees. The base of the tree acts as the ceiling of the cave. Its walls are reinforced with bricks, and at the entrance there is a carved door, which the keeper opens with a special key for tourists. The cave is quite spacious and accommodates up to ten people.
Another mysterious place is the Shaitan Dzhiga Plateau (“Devil's Helmet”), which is located on the outskirts of Urgut in the spurs of the Zeravshan Mountains. None of the residents remember why the field has received such a name. Shaitan Dzhiga is a large array. It consists of granite layers, which stretch for a hundred kilometers from the sources of Mirankul to Karatepe village. The local rocks look more like the creation of human hands than natural formations. On the rocks are clearly visible images of fantastic creatures, faces of ancient gods, demons, monsters, as if frozen in time. Outlines of animals, for example, a tiger or a bear, are also present; there are figures of birds, lizards and a large frog.
Residents try to avoid this place and say that it is not very good to be here. Scientists suggest that in times of paganism - Shaitan Dzhiga was the place where sacrifices were made. However, it is rather difficult to believe that all these drawings are nothing but the work of nature and time.
And all this is only a small part of a large story called Urgut. In addition to the ancient city there is a modern, equipped with the necessary infrastructure. In Urgut, there are many hotels and hotels offering fairly good service.