2008 Programs And Events
Ambassador Experiences History of Region During Visit to Khorezm (10/14/2008)
Ambassador Richard Norland visited Khorezm Province on Oct. 13-14, 2008, to see the ancient history and contemporary culture and economy that sustain the region.
Norland started his tour in Urgench, where he met with governmental leaders of the region. He had a chance to see the city on the bank of the Amu Darya River that serves as capital to Khorezm, a major rice and cotton-producing region that also boasts fine carpet-making and stone carving. Khorezm is an ancient trading center that was home to Muhammed al-Khwarizmi, the 9th Century mathematician from whose name were derived the words “algebra” and “algorithm.”
From Urgench, Norland traveled to Khiva. He visited the Ichan Qala (Inner City), which in 1990 became Uzbekistan’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. He toured the area’s more than 50 historical monuments, including the 10th Century Djuma Mosque. The Ichan Qala is considered one of the best preserved examples of Islamic architecture in Central Asia.
Norland stayed overnight in a guest house converted from a madrassah, giving him a feel for the city’s heritage. He also visited the Khiva Silk Carpets workshop and other sites during the two-day tour. He then traveled overland to Karakalpakstan, crossing the Amu Darya along the same Silk Road route used by Alexander the Great and the armies of Genghis Khan.
“The visit to Khiva was the Ambassador’s introduction to a gem of a city,” said Carol Fajardo, the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy Tashkent, who accompanied Norland on the trip.
The visit to Khorezm was part of Norland’s plan to visit each of Uzbekistan’s 14 administrative districts.