Some information about the history of agriculture in the Fergana Valley in the Timurid era in "Boburnom"

Abstract

The Fergana Valley, is a mountain range in Central Asia, one of the largest mountain ranges in Central Asia. It is surrounded by the Tianshan Mountains in the north and the Gissar Mountains in the south. Mainly in Uzbekistan, partly in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Most of it is triangular in shape, extending to the northern slopes of the Turkestan and Olay ridges, surrounded by the Qurama and Chatkal ridges in the northwest and the Fergana ridge in the northeast. In the west, a narrow corridor (8–10 km wide) is connected to the Tashkent-Mirzachul basin through the Khojand Gate. Uz. 300 km, width 60–120 km, widest area 170 km, area 22 thousand km. Its height is 330 m in the west and 1000 m in the east. Its general structure is elliptical (almond-shaped). It expands from west to east. The surface of the Fergana Valley is filled with alluvial and proluvial-alluvial sediments of the Quaternary period. The valley was curved in the Coal Age, and in the Middle Ages it was covered with sandy-loamy sediments. During the Cretaceous, there was a shallow sea. By the end of the Paleogene, it was completely dry. The ridges around the valley began to rise sharply in the alpine fold, but were again eroded during denudation. The seabed at the bottom of the valley is covered by continental deposits (300-400 m thick). The surface structure of the Fergana Valley can be divided into several stages (zones). The first stage of the relief occupies the central part of the valley and the lands up to the present headwaters of the Syrdarya at an altitude of 300-400 m. The slope of 200 km in this area is 80 m to the east, southeast and southwest. Accumulative rocks, marine lake deposits, and wind-blown rocks are common on marine deposits. This range includes sand dunes, lakes, and sandy hills.The second stage of the gorge consists of rocky areas (400–600 m) that cover a wide area of ​​rivers and streams. Quaternary alluvial deposits are common, encircling the valley like a ring. The third rung of the relief is the hill zone with a height of 600-1200 m. The Konibodom, Shursuv, Rishtan, Chimgan, Avval, and Muyan hills, which surround the Fergana Valley in the south, are composed of rocky deposits, and the Navkat and eastern hills are composed of lyoss and lyossized clay rocks; large rocky cliffs and cliffs are typical for the terrain. The southern slopes of the Namangan, Chuyet, and Pop hills in northern Fergana descend steeply toward the Syrdarya valley. The plains behind the hills are covered with alluvial rocks. The mountains that surround the valley begin in these accumulative plains. Zahiriddin Muhammad Bobur's  book "Boburnoma" also provides information about the climate, geographical structure of the Fergana valley, agricultural products - fruit trees, melons and grains. It is one of the most important sources on the history of Amir Temur and the Temurids. This article describes the state of agricultural development in the Fergana Valley on the basis of information from the memoir "Boburnoma".