A small town in the Ferghana region of Uzbekistan, located about 20 kilometers from the regional center, the city of Ferghana. Just like a lot of other cities in the Ferghana Valley, it has a very advanced age. Even until nowadays the exact date of the foundation of the city failed to be definited. However, now archaeological surveys are being held in the city and perhaps we will be able to discover soon many mysteries associated with the development of human civilization in this area. In the meantime, scientists with an accuracy of surgeons try to dig the layers of different times, date to the age of settlements to III century BC.
Actually, nobody knows the name of this village in the beginning, but Arab conquerors who came that place in the X century called this place «Kubo,» which means the same as «tepa» in Turkic language and namely, the «hill» or elevation. And it is not surprising, because as a rule, a new city is lined up on the ruins of the old, gradually facing down mud-brick settlements, which in turn was built on the ruins of the previous one. The same Arab sources it becomes clear that Kuva was a typical Oriental city, consisting of three parts: the citadel of Shahristan, surrounded by city walls and rabad which were trade and handicraft settlements around the city. According to this data, in the early medieval period, the city may have been the larger and more beautiful even than an ancient capital of the Ferghana Valley called Aksikent, possessed the economic and political power, trade and crafts used to flourish there.
Studies of the settlement began in the first third of the last century, during the construction of the Grand and South Ferghana canals and then continued in 1951 year. But still, only the expedition of 1956-1957years brought crucial scientific discoveries.
And the first result of archaeological excavations became the confirmation the version about an all-time peak of crafts in ancient Kuva. Today there are scientific data that the city was a center for the manufacture of glass for the whole Ferghana Valley. Glass in Kuva was so cheap that it was used to fabricate the majority of the household items until the pots for babies. This is also confirmed by the Chinese annals dated with VIII-IX centuries, claiming that the former ruler of Ferghana, presented a «secret of glass making» by sending into the «Celestial Empire» several glassblowers who lived there and found a silica sand suitable for glass making.
To the north of the detected earlier «Shahristan» scientists were able to dig up a whole block, well-preserved buildings, streets and squares. The most interesting finding was the cult complex of Buddhist temple. In the church the statues of various deities of Buddhist pantheon, destroyed the image of the Buddha, fragments of sculpture were discovered. This allowed the scientists to suggest that before the Arab invasion there were pockets of settled Buddhism along with Zoroastrianism in the Ferghana valley,
Since gaining independence, the interest in Kuva excavations has increased again in Uzbekistan. Scientists have not left wondering about the alleged home of Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Kasir al-Ferghani — the famous medieval astronomer and mathematician, who served to caliphs of Merv, Cairo and Baghdad, who also won the fame in Europe under the name of Alfraganus.
That was namely Ferghana archeologists; Ph.D. Gennady Ivanov who suggested that the home of the famous scientist may be a medieval Kuva. Based on the rigorous scientific data and results of the latest archaeological expedition to the ancient castle, the fact that the famous scientist lived in the Kuva was confirmed. Therefore, that led to the opening of the memorial complex on the homeland of the great Ferghani in 1998 year.
The memorial complex is located between the highway leading into the district center and the territory of the ancient Shahristan with a fragment of archaeological sites. The fortress wall was restored and the garden remarkable with its beauty was created here, stretching 350 meters with the fountains along the whole line. On the elevation of Shahristan a hill pavilion with a monument of Al-Ferghani was set, from where two oval staircases will take you into the lower garden.
These days, Kuva, is not only the place of unique beauty with the sweet pomegranates, the city which wallows in the lush greenery of gardens and vineyards. Today Kuva’s excavation and a significant memorial became a bright ornament of the tourist route around the whole Ferghana Valley.