Namangan (Russian:Наманган), is a city (1994 pop. 341,000) and the capital of Namangan Province, in the northern edge of Fergana Valley of eastern Uzbekistan. Namangan is about 430 km east of Tashkent, about 65 km west of Andijan, and about 75 km north of Fergana. It is located at 40 98 N, 71 58 E, 1561 feet (476 meters) above sea level. The Qoradaryo and Naryn rivers join together to form the Syr Darya just outside the southern edge of the city. Namangan Province (Uzbek:Namangan viloyati / Russian: Наманган вилояти) is an administration division, or viloyati of Uzbekistan, located in the southern part of the Fergana Valley in far eastern Uzbekistan. ... The Fergana Valley (also Ferghana Valley) is a region of Central Asia spreading across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. ... Tashkent Tashkent (Toshkent or Тошкент in Uzbek, Ташке́нт in Russian; its name is Turkoman language for Stone City It is the current capital of Uzbekistan. ... Andijan is the capital of the Andijon province, which includes the Ferghana Valley Andijan (Andijon in Uzbek; also Andizhan, Andizan, Андижан) is the fourth-largest city in Uzbekistan, and the capital of the Andijan Province. ... Fergana Fergana (also spelt Ferghana or Фергана) is a city in the Ferghana Valley, capital of the Fargona Viloyati of Uzbekistan. ... Syr Darya (also known as Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a river in Central Asia. ...

Namangan was known to have been a settlement in the 15th century and a part of the khanate of Kokand by the middle of the 18th century. It takes its name from the local salt mines (namak kan). At the time of the Russian occupation, Namangan was a bastion of Islam, with 20n madrassahs and over 600 mosques. After annexation by the Russians in 1876, cotton production and food processing became the dominant economic activity. Namangan suffered a destructive earthquake in 1926. Islam   listen? (Arabic: al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... Madrassa in the Gambia The word madrassa in the Arabic language (and other languages of the Islamic nations such as Persian, Turkish, Indonesian etc. ... A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... Food processing is the methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food for consumption by humans. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a trembling or a shaking movement of the Earths surface. ...

Since Uzbekistan independence, Namangan has gained a reputation for Islamic fundamentalism, with many mosques and schools funded by the ultra-conservative Wahabi sect from Saudi Arabia. This has also translated into political opposition against the secular government of Uzbekistan. The majority of the women have discarded traditional colorful scarves for large white veils or even the black paranja. The phrase Islamic fundamentalism is primarily used in the West to describe Islamist groups. ... Wahhabism (sometimes spelled Wahabbism or Wahabism) is a movement of Islam named after Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (1703–1792). ...

Main Tourist Sights of Namangan

• Mullo Kyrgyz Madrasseh – built in 1910, and welcoming non-believers
• Mosque of Ota Valikhan Tur – built in 1915, and one of the largest in Central Asia; now home to local branch of the Wahibi sect. Non-believers can go to hell
• Namangan Natural History Museum – housing local archaeological discoveries
• Hadja Amin Kabri Architectural Complex – ornate terra-cotta façade from the 18thc.-19thc.
• Akhsykent ruins - 1st century AD settlement located 25 km west of Namangan, on the Syr-Darya River. Formerly capital of Fergana Valley, it was destroyed by the Mongols, rebuilt by the Timurids and abandoned in the 17th century for Namangan after an earthquake.