Forish District: Dam, Pilgrimage Sites and Springs

Forish District offers a range of themes for a trip: the construction history of the Khonbandi Dam, pilgrimage sites with historical and literary connections, and landscapes shaped by hills and springs. When planning your hotel stay, you can first decide whether architecture, pilgrimage sites or nature experiences will be the focus of your visit.

Getting around on the D048 road

The D048 state road runs through Forish District, connecting the city of Jizzakh, the city of Bog‘don, the village of Qizilcha and the D191. Its total length is 90 kilometers. This figure refers to the entire road, not to a section leading to any one destination. Road conditions can change; check them before you set off.

The Khonbandi Dam and its construction

The Khonbandi Dam, dating from the 10th century, is located in the Osmonsay Gorge. Its crest is 51.75 meters long, its foundation is 24.35 meters wide, and the structure is 15.25 meters high. The crest is the uppermost part of the dam, while the foundation is its base. The three measurements therefore describe different parts and dimensions.

The construction method is also part of the dam’s history: it was built from carefully cut granite blocks joined with a special binding mixture. Its great age, precise measurements and specified materials give the structure several concrete points of interest for anyone interested in historical architecture and construction.

Pilgrimage sites and historical connections

The Uchquloch Ota shrine in the village of Uchquloch was built in the 16th century and is visited today by local and other pilgrims. The Andagen Ota pilgrimage site in the village of Andagen was also established in the 16th century. It includes the khanqah and mosque of the Hazrati-Eshon-Khalifa complex; the complex was built as a khanqah and mosque.

The Khoja Bogbon Ota shrine is located in the village of Qoratosh. It is associated with Khoja Bogbon, who is mentioned among the saints and accomplished clerics in Alisher Navoi’s work Majolis un-Nafois. The Jondahor Ota shrine is in the mountain village of Garasha and is associated with Muhammad Sharif, also known as Mavlono Grekushoh. Local traditions attribute healing properties to the spring at the shrine. The Isar Ota pilgrimage site in the village of Osmonsoy was established between the 6th and 8th centuries.

Springs, hills and places of remembrance

The village of Narvoy lies in the southern foothill steppe of the Nurata mountain range. The landscape is characterized by high hills and numerous springs. At Narvoy Ota, many springs converge to form one large spring; ornamental trees line its banks and provide shade. The Narvoy Ota cemetery contains marble gravestones shaped like cradles, bearing Arabic and Persian inscriptions that attest to the village’s history.

Weighing up excursions and travel interests

Tourism in Forish District includes excursions through mountains and hills, as well as trips along a tourism circuit. A published travel route through the district leads to the area of the Mojrum Arch. Around the Aydar-Arnasay lake system, opportunities for ecotourism, gastronomic tourism and pilgrimage trips are designated within the district.

This offers a choice of different focuses: historic buildings and pilgrimage sites on the one hand, landscapes and springs on the other, as well as the designated tourism opportunities around the lake system. If you are looking for a hotel, you can plan your trip around these interests rather than trying to fit every theme into a single itinerary.

For an overview of the wider region: Jizzax Province.