The Andijan Regional State Museum of History and Culture holds in its collection more than 50 thousand archaeological objects covering the period from the Early Paleolithic to the 15th century, relating not only to the history of the Fergana Valley, but also to the entire history of Uzbekistan.
After our republic gained independence, archaeological field research took on a new character. In 1994-1995, under the leadership of Professor S. Jalilov, the old part of Andijan was studied. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of the city walls and arches from the time of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, as well as valuable information about the ancient urban development of Andijan.
During 2020-2022, under the leadership of B. Abdullayev, a researcher at the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology and an archaeologist from Fergana, archaeological sites "Khanabad-I" and "Khanabad-II" were discovered in the city of Khanabad, Andijan region. They were burial mounds of nomadic pastoralists who lived in these territories 2700-2500 years ago. Various decorative ceramics, bones, shells, jewelry made of stone and metal, and other items found here decorate the museum's exhibition halls.
The museum's collection also includes items taken from the population or found during construction, field work, and similar activities in the region. One of them is BALBAL, which entered the museum in 1964.
Another exhibit in the museum's history department deserves special attention. This is a tombstone, discovered in the village of Butaqora, Andijan district, Andijan region, and one of the mature examples of calligraphic art. This tombstone dates back to 1323, on which the following text is written in Arabic script:
"This mausoleum is the sayyid, the great imam, the scholar, the worshipper, the noble ascetic, the pious, the praiseworthy, the bearer of fatwas, from whom judgments are derived, and it (in jurisprudence) distinguishes (classifies) the corrupt, destructive movements of Islam (i.e., their fatwas in terms of Sunni creed), the pride of the Yasin family, the fruit of the great tree of the end of the prophets (Muhammad s.a.w.), the exemplary example of the descendants of Mustafa and Ali Murtaza (Muhammad s.a.w.), the perfection of those who bring rational proofs, solving difficult issues that cannot be solved in jurisprudence, the sword of Truth and Religion, the luminous and fragrant tomb of Mawlana Sayyid Hasan ibn Mahmud ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari, known as the sheikh of Islam and sheikhs. May Allah envelop him in His mercy and be pleased with him. He passed away on Saturday night in the nineteenth month of Safar in the year seven hundred and twenty-three, having reached the age of seventy-five given by Allah. May Allah make his afterlife prosperous."
Among the random findings, a special stone artifact with holes in the upper part, discovered during construction work in the Andijan region in 1964, is also interesting. Some scientists called it a "weighing stone," while others thought it was a weight that wrestlers would lift during training. Until now, such stones have been found only in Bronze Age settlements, temples, or tombs. Therefore, the number of people who said that these objects "must be objects related to worship" increased.
