Kudayar-khan chebi, fastness
Batken regijn.
A kyrgyz khan Kudayar by name was elected 3 times for a kokhand altar and
was a unique strong personality.
The fastness was built by him for defense aims. From the top of its there
was good survey, all road around were under the control. The big khan’s
army settled down there. The thick walls were safety protection.
The fastness with magnificent walls and loads of loop-holes took a way
of 5 hectares.
Clay, stones were lifted up from far located places. Some old people told
that thousands of people were brought in, put in a line to pass great deal
of jars with water in any weather conditions. Guilty people and rebels were
mured into the walls and their remain, covered into chapans were found after
many years.
This forceful defensive equipment was needed to the government of kokhand
khanate, one of the youngest form in the Central Asia, appeared in Ferghan
valley at the end of 18 century - beginning of 19 century. Khokand dwellers
took every opportunity to widen their territory and used for this purpose
tajik mountains inhabitants, nomad tribes, where a tribe of China-kipchaki
stood out with their bellicosity .The khanate captured a lot of expanses
– the Syrdaria valley - and installed its outposts in kyrgyz nomadizing places
in Pamir. In 1820 s the bound of this country reached towards town Jizaka
the west-till Turkestan, in the north the governess of Khokand boosted on
the kazakh and kyrgyz tribes next to Balhash lake and Ili river. There
was expansion to the east. The governors built about 20 fastnesses on the
captured areas.
As the tradition said, the life of Kydayar-khan was full of unexpected
adventures and suddenness. He lost his ascendancy several times, captured
it again and once he was captured and was in a captivity in russian army
in Orenburg and ran away because of miracle event.
He coursed the deaf of many people, send his soldiers to die, when he was
unkinged, he pilgrimaged to Mecca, where he prayed and asked for being forgiven
for all he had done.
During engineering of the fastness, Hudayar-khan invited very famous singer
Bekboto by name so that he entertained Khan’s wives by his singing. The
beauties liked the singer so much that took him to Khokand. It is said that
the descendants of the singer are spread around all the Central Asia. Nowadays
the fastness is destroyed. Local people took some clay for building their
own inhabitations. The small house in front of the fastness was also conceived
by this sad lot. But some parts (duvaly) were reconstructed. People were
frightened by the spirit of Hudayar-han, which has guided his fastness so
far.
The fastness of khokand governor – the unique historical memorial, but
it hasn’t been protected by the government so far.
In the 1970s during a soviet Saturday cleaning day-an apricot garden was
planted inside the fastness. Top
VB -12. 07. 2004