Objects worthy of the Khwarizmi name
On May 1 President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Khorezm region with an aim to get acquainted with the regional development, life of the population and determine new prospective tasks.
Khorezm has a rich historical and cultural heritage, which makes the region attractive for tourism. Business visits have also increased in recent years due to economic growth. However, the current infrastructure of Urgench International Airport does not meet the increased demands of local residents and visitors. Its capacity is limited - no more than 400 passengers per hour, which restrains the development of air communication.
Within the framework of the visit, the Head of State was presented information about the project of modernization of the airport and its transfer to management.
The open tender, announced on August 1, 2024, was held in two stages and gathered eight companies from France, South Korea, Türkiye, Qatar and other countries. By the decision of the interdepartmental tender commission, the South Korean company Incheon International Airport Corporation was recognized as the winner.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev talked to the management of the company and the project.
The corporation's president noted that Incheon airport is the third in the world in terms of capacity and one of the leaders in terms of service quality. Urgench will be the second airport managed by the company. He shared plans for its renovation and effective management.
The Head of State expressed satisfaction with the prospect of cooperation with such an advanced company and expressed ideas to expand the mutually beneficial partnership.
- Modern hotels, recreation areas and shopping centers are being actively built in Khorezm. We set a goal to increase the tourist flow to 5 million people. If the airport matches this scale, it will bring mutual benefit and revenue growth, - emphasized the President.
The issues of attracting additional airliners in cooperation with foreign airlines and expanding passenger transportation were also discussed. The President noted the need to adopt South Korean experience in the field of service, as well as to train and improve the qualifications of domestic specialists in this area.
The total cost of the project is $223 million. The project includes the construction of a new runway, passenger and cargo terminals, installation of modern lighting and signaling systems in accordance with ICAO standards, as well as the purchase of specialized equipment.
Construction and reconstruction works are scheduled to be completed in 2025-2027. After modernization, the airport will be able to receive large aircraft such as Boeing 747 and Airbus A350. The total area of the new terminal will be 39 thousand square meters, and its capacity will increase to 1,300 passengers per hour.
Therefore, Urgench Airport will become one of the most convenient air hubs, contributing to the growth of Khorezm's attractiveness for foreign tourists and the development of the country's aviation industry as a whole.
The concept of future terminal was also presented. The President gave recommendations on reflecting national culture in external and internal design of the building.
During the visit, the Head of State also talked with the journalists. It was emphasized that the goal of the visit to Khorezm is to determine new frontiers of development, increase economic indicators, improve the living conditions of over 2 million region’s residents, create jobs and increase revenues of the population.
* * * * * * *
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev toured the construction of Al-Khwarizmi town.
The Head of State laid the foundation stone of the town in August 2022. Engineering networks have been laid and 72 apartment buildings for 1,773 apartments have been commissioned. This year it is planned to build 28 more houses for 1 thousand apartments. In total, there will be more than 5 thousand housing units in the town.
The town is being built on an area of over 130 hectares near Urgench International Airport. This modern and well-appointed complex will be the first thing that guests arriving by airplane will see.
A majestic monument to the great scientist Al-Khwarizmi will be erected in the central part of the town.
The concept of the monument was presented to the President.
The monument will be installed at the entrance to a 20-hectare park being created within the city. Its height will be 22 meters, and together with the pedestal it will be more than 30 meters.
The responsible persons have been instructed to improve the design of the monument both from the architectural and content points of view, as well as to expand the green areas in the town.
The previous day, the President signed a decree on the establishment of Al-Khwarizmi University and a specialized school affiliated with it. The university will have three faculties: mathematics and computer science, aerospace engineering and artificial intelligence. The educational process will be organized based on the experience of New Uzbekistan University in cooperation with leading higher education institutions of the UAE, China and the UK. The start of student enrollment is planned for 2025-2026 academic year. The total number of students will be about 4-6 thousand people.
A branch of Tashkent's Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi School will also be opened on the campus. Fourth grade graduates will be selected for it. The final two years of education will focus on initial engineering training.
In addition, a technology park and office buildings, medical and cultural centers, alleys, schools and kindergartens, sports complexes, shopping and household facilities will be created in the Al-Khwarizmi town.
* * * * * * *
During his trip to Khorezm region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited a new small industrial zone for furniture production established in Khonka district.
Such industrial zones are created in accordance with the decree of the President dated June 21, 2021 on the development of furniture industry in areas with high potential.
Khonka district has long been famous for its furniture masters. Today, more than 140 entrepreneurs are working in this area, and small workshops are operating in more than 500 houses. Until recently, many of them worked in cramped and uncomfortable conditions.
In this regard, 10 hectares of land were allocated and a small industrial zone was created, including furniture production on the cluster principle, as well as exhibition and trade areas. Sixty-one enterprises with a total investment of $10 million have started working here. 650 workplaces have been created.
The enterprises have installed modern equipment delivered from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Türkiye and China. Capacities allow producing furniture for homes, offices, hotels, restaurants, trade and social facilities worth 108 billion soums annually.
The President toured the production process in the workshops. He noted the need to maximize the use of the growing pace of construction in Khorezm region - building of housing, hotels and facilities - to form orders for the products of the enterprises and localize new types of products.
A training center for designers and technologists has also been set up in the small industrial zone, bringing in qualified specialists from Türkiye.
The President discussed with them the issues of improving the quality of production and qualification of young people in this sphere.
It is planned that the products manufactured here will be supplied to foreign markets as well. The export volume is expected to exceed $3 million.
Another important feature is attention to energy efficiency: solar panels have been installed at all enterprises.
The Head of State inspected the samples of products presented in the showroom and praised their quality and design.
In general, over 300 enterprises are engaged in furniture production in Khorezm region. More than 200 entrepreneurs work individually, and over 1,3 thousand people are self-employed.
* * * * * * *
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the “Sobirjon Yusuf” farm in the Khonka district.
Its head, 73-year-old Oyimjon Otajanova, has devoted more than forty years of her life to growing seedlings. On three hectares of the farm's land fruit and ornamental trees are grown, and another two hectares are allocated for horticulture. In addition, seedlings of about 40 kinds of flowers are grown in a 12 hectare greenhouse. The greenhouse is equipped with modern water-saving technologies, and the necessary microclimatic conditions are created in each of its compartments depending on the type and characteristics of plants.
The hard-working woman has also involved her family members in this business. More than 50 thousand seedlings are grown and sold here annually, generating more than one billion soums of income per year.
It is especially noteworthy that seedlings grown in this farm are supplied not only to neighboring districts, but also abroad - to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
More than 7 thousand people live in Guliston mahalla, where the garden is located. Oyimjon-ona has become a model of diligence for young people and women and actively promotes their employment. She has trained more than 200 apprentices, 300 unemployed people were taught the basics of growing seedlings. Cooperation with neighbors in the mahalla has been established.
This year, the dedicated farmer donated 2 thousand pine saplings to all schools and kindergartens in the district, contributing to the Yashil Makon project and the improvement of the country.
Together with the Ministry of Employment and the bank, a training center has been opened on the adjacent site, where, based on the experience of the farm, they teach the use of homestead plots to generate income all year round. This contributes to the expansion of entrepreneurship in the mahallas and additional income for families.
In view of her merits, diligence and example for the younger generation, the President made a decision to award Oyimjon Otajanova with the honorary title “Honored Worker of Agriculture of Uzbekistan”.
* * * * * * *
With the growing activity of the population and rapid development of tourism in the Khorezm region, transportation services are also improving. For this purpose, the enterprise “Bunyod yo'lovchi tashish” purchases 80 modern buses worth almost $8 million. As of today, 50 of them have already been delivered.
During his visit to the region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the conditions created for the convenience of the population.
The new buses meet Euro-5 environmental standards and have a capacity of 70 passengers. Due to the low floor level, they are convenient for the elderly and people with disabilities. The buses are equipped with Wi-Fi and video surveillance systems. The residents are satisfied with such comfortable public transportation.
If earlier each small-sized bus carried 200-300 people a day, the new bus serves up to 1,000 passengers. Traffic intervals have been halved to 5-12 minutes, which has brought the level of public transportation use in Urgench to 38 percent.
Most importantly, the improved conditions help to eliminate transportation deficit and reduce congestion on the streets, ensuring free movement of citizens.
To cover the areas poorly provided with public transportation, 30 more buses are planned to be delivered in the near future.
The Head of State gave instructions on effectively connecting the districts with the public transportation system, making the routes even more comfortable, paying attention to road maintenance, increasing drivers’ qualifications and improving technical maintenance quality. It was noted that all this serves as an important factor for prolonging duration of buses’ exploitation.
* * * * * * *
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with domestically manufactured cars and toured the electrified Urgench-Khiva railroad.
As of today, the 465-kilometer long Bukhara-Urgench-Khiva railroad is fully electrified, protective fences have been installed along it, and engineering structures have been built. Six high-speed electric trains of Hyundai Rotem Company will be purchased from South Korea for this route. From next year they will run on the route Tashkent - Khiva under the name “Jaloliddin Manguberdy”.
As a result, the railroad will be able to serve more than 3 million passengers a year. If now it takes 14 hours to travel from Tashkent to Khiva, electric trains will reduce the travel time to 7 hours and 40 minutes.
Freight capacity will increase to 6 million tons, while now this figure is 1 million tons.
Based on the Presidential Decree dated October 10, 2023 on the fundamental reform of the railway transport, the wagon fleet is being actively renewed. In particular, $50 million from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development has been allocated to strengthen the railcar building industry. The first 10 passenger wagons were built in the first quarter of this year.
The Head of State examined the conditions created in the new cars.
In the next two years it’s planned to increase the number of passenger wagons to 70 and gradually phase out the outdated models. This will additionally allow to serve over 1 million passengers per year.
The President traveled on a new train from Urgench to Khiva together with members of the public. En route, he observed the landscaping along the trail and the saplings planted along the edges of the fields.
About 10 million trees and shrubs were planted in Khorezm region last year as part of the Yashil Makon national project. Large industrial enterprises have also created their own green belts.
This spring, the scale of farming was also expanded: more than 1,100 hectares along fields and canals were sown with profitable crops. Entrepreneurs have guaranteed purchase of produce. Through the Agroko'makchi mobile application, information on available plots is provided to the public.
* * * * * * *
In Khorezm region, the work on unlocking its tourism potential is yielding noticeable results. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that the number of foreign tourists visiting the region has increased 30 times compared to the indicators of seven or eight years ago. Due to the positive changes in the industry, the region's tourism exports grew from $7 million in 2017 to $380 million last year.
Previously, when talking about tourism in the region, most people only envisioned Ichan Qala. However, in the recent years, this perception has changed: more than forty new tourist routes have been developed, and their total number has reached one hundred.
Now there is one more unique site - the Arda Khiva tourist complex, the opening of which was an important event during the President's trip to Khorezm region.
The complex is a city within an ancient city. It is a unique project with an architectural solution combining historical motifs and modern forms.
The center is built on 25 hectares of previously unproductive and saline land. One side of the complex overlooks the 150-hectare Govuk Lake, with green areas around it, making the location even more attractive to tourists.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev toured the territory of the complex, visited construction facilities, exhibitions of folk crafts and arts, as well as rows of oriental bazaar.
All conditions are created for tourists here. 20 hotels in the style of ancient city with a capacity of 1 thousand places have been built, a water and amusement park, an amphitheater for 3 thousand places and a musical fountain have been opened.
Moreover, the guests are interested in 11 crafts houses in the historical style, the oriental market and “Ancient Urgench” museum. Another highlight is the possibility of gondola rides along the two-kilometer-long canal.
The complex also includes five cinemas and concert halls, many restaurants, a jewelry center, shopping malls, a jet ski area and a spacious parking lot. A unified heating and cooling system has been created for all facilities. Power supply is provided by solar panels.
The complex is designed to receive up to 3 million visitors a year, more than 2 thousand people will be employed here.
If Ichan-Kala is the historical face of Khiva, then Arda Khiva becomes its modern business card.
On the territory of the complex the Head of State also talked to the youth of Khorezm.
- Any natural resources are exhausted with time. But our ancestors left us the greatest spiritual heritage and great monuments that have served the people for centuries. We must utilize this wealth for the good of the country. Much has already been done, but there are more tasks ahead. I believe in you, young people. If you strive for heights, gain knowledge and master modern professions, we will surely achieve our goals, - said President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
In the course of the conversation, the young people's successes in their studies, their dreams and aspirations were discussed.
* * * * * * *
A solemn ceremony for the opening of “Arda Khiva” international tourist center was held in the city of Khiva. In his address, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the great past of Khorezm and its dynamically developing tourism potential.
- Khorezm is truly the pearl of the East, it has made an invaluable contribution to the development of world civilization and culture. This ancient land is the home to the scientists and philosophers known in the whole world, commanders and rulers, theologians, talented poets and khafis, - said the Head of State.
It was underlined that the great historical monuments of the region are a true treasure. The city-museum under the open sky – architectural ensemble Ichan-Qala is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are over 260 objects of cultural heritage in the region, each of them with its unique architecture represents a living history not only of Uzbekistan but of all Central Asia.
Building on this rich heritage, tourism development is defined as one of the strategic areas. The historical monuments and objects of cultural heritage are safely maintained and are actively integrated in the global tourism industry.
At the same time major projects are implemented integrating history and modernity. The new “Arda Khiva” complex – another result of such plans. There are 17 hotels and guest houses, 9 restaurants, an open and closed water park, amphitheater for 3 thousand places, 5 cinema and concert halls, exhibitions pavilions, 70 shops, 300 trade stalls, 11 crafts houses, an oriental bazaar, a jewelry center, fountains and a promenade, on its territory.
Thanks to this, the inflow of 1 million more tourists per year is expected, the volume of services provided will increase by 1.2 trillion soums, and the number of new jobs will amount to at least 2 thousand.
- I am convinced that “Arda Khiva” will open a new page in the development of tourism in Khorezm and become its second “visiting card”. Taking this opportunity, I express my sincere gratitude to entrepreneurs and investors, builders and specialists, all those who have made a worthy contribution to this noble endeavor, - said the President.
Another news was also presented during the ceremony: 2.4 thousand hectares of land of Khiva district were transferred to Khiva city, where a new tourist complex “Sahro Yulduzi” (“Desert Star”) will be built.
It will accommodate hotels, entertainment centers, gastronomic and shopping streets, museums, eco-houses, summer camps and areas for extreme tourism.
Safari and hunting tourism will also be developed in Tuprakkala district on the territory of 5 thousand hectares of steppe. Along the banks of Gazavat, Palvan and Shavat canals flowing through Urgench, Shavat, Koshkupyr, Khiva and Khazorasp districts, 80 service, trade and entertainment facilities worth $50 million will be organized. Tourist villages will be established in Bogot, Gurlen, Yangibazar and Urgench districts.
A smart open-air museum “Great Thinkers” will be created in front of the Ma'mun Academy on an area of 2 hectares. Here, the rich spiritual heritage and life path of dozens of prominent ancestors who glorified Khorezm will be presented to tourists in an interactive form and in several foreign languages.
The President emphasized that Khorezm and Karakalpakstan are two nations united by nature and fate, and the development of tourism in the region will be carried out on the basis of a unified concept and in close interconnection between the two regions. For this purpose, the project of the tourist ring “Khorezm - Karakalpakstan” will be developed, and the highway “Urgench - Gurlen - Mangyt” will be completely reconstructed.
In recent years, a railroad has been brought to the city of Khiva, a new railroad station has been built, and the line “Bukhara - Urgench - Khiva” has been fully electrified. From 2026, modern high-speed trains called “Jaloliddin Manguberdy” will start running along this route. In the future, such trains will also run to Nukus.
Speaking at the ceremony, the President also warmly greeted the foreign guests and expressed respect and good wishes to the partner countries.
- Today, despite the difficult situation in the world, Uzbekistan is firmly following its own path. Our people live in an atmosphere of peace and well-being, friendship and cooperation, in the spirit of creation. All our goals and plans, every reform is aimed at improving people's lives, and we will steadily continue this work. I am certain that together by working hard, my dear, we will transform Khorezm and Karakalpakstan to one of the most beautiful and improved regions in the world, where science and innovation, culture and art are developed, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The ceremony ended with a festive concert.
Official web-site of the President of Uzbekistan
