“Qiyat,” “Kipchak,” and “Choshtepa”: The above-ground stations of the Tashkent metro are named

On August 10th, new names were assigned to 19 underground metro stations in Tashkent. In connection with this, the government adopted the decision titled "On the Naming of Stations of the Tashkent Metro."

According to the decision, the names "Thirty Years of Independence of Uzbekistan" will be given to stations 1-14 of the "Dostlik-Koyliq" line on the above-ground metro ring road, and "Almazor-Sergeli" will be assigned to stations 1-5 of the "Chilonzor" route, totaling 19 stations.

Most of the selected names for the subway stations are derived from the surrounding neighborhoods or notable landmarks. However, the choice of ethnotoponyms like "Qiyat" and "Kipchak" as station names stands out.

For context, "Qiyat" is the name of an Uzbek clan that lived in Mongolia during the 11th and 12th centuries. The Qiyatlar participated in Genghis Khan's campaigns in the 13th century and later migrated to Dashti Kipchak alongside their grandson Jozhikhan, settling as part of the Golden Horde state. After the Golden Horde's dissolution, they became part of the Uzbek dynasty founded by Abulkhairkhan in 1428. In the 16th century, Qiyat and his grandson Shaibani Khan ventured into Movarounnahr, with a portion of them establishing roots in Khorezm alongside Elbars Khan.

According to Abulghazi Bahadirkhan's work "Shajarayi Turk," "qiyat" is the plural of the Mongolian term "kiyan," signifying "flood flowing from the mountain." The Qiyat clan branched into three groups: three-branded, combed, and hammered. They primarily settled in the upper regions of Kashkadarya, the Khorezm and Bukhara oases, and the middle stretches of Zarafshan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, engaging in agriculture and livestock husbandry.

Likewise, the name "Kipchak" is an ethnotoponym. The Kipchaks, a Turkic clan known since the Middle Ages, were first mentioned in the work of the Persian geographer Ibn Khordadbeh's "Book of Roads and Kingdoms." The Kipchaks inhabited regions between Samarkand and Kattakorgan, along the right bank of the Amudarya, and the northeastern and northwestern parts of the Fergana Valley. They adhered to theism from ancient times and later embraced Islam. The ethnonym "Kipchak" is present among numerous Turkic peoples, with about 15 villages in Karakalpakstan bearing variations of the name.

The name "Choshtepa," chosen for the first station on the "Almazor-Sergeli" route, also carries a rich historical significance. "Choshtepa" translates to an artificially constructed hill, earth mound, hillfort, or guard hill. These watchtowers served as observation posts in the past. Villages bearing the same name are found in Pakhtachi, Urgut, Payariq of Samarkand region, Sariosiya of Surkhandarya, and Khatirchi of Navoi, Shahrisabz, and Dehqonabad districts of Kashkadarya in Uzbekistan. Such hill formations, like Choshtepa, Shoshtepa, and Shishstepa, are prevalent in Central Asia, particularly in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

It is important to note that several historical names were proposed for the remaining stations. However, following the completion of the station naming voting process, most of these names were not selected.

A reminder that a vote was conducted in April of this year to name the 19 stations of the Tashkent metro.