#didyouknowthat Bukhara was once the capital of Uzbekistan?

Well, not contemporary Uzbekistan, but the Uzbek SSR, and not for long. On 13–15 February 1925, in Bukhara, the First Uzbek Congress of Soviets declared the establishment of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. The city was chosen as the capital. But why?

Bukhara had already served as the capital of the Emirate of Bukhara and later the Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic, so it was a natural administrative centre during the transition. Yet only a few months later, in May, the capital was moved to Samarkand. Again, why?

Samarkand’s central location within the new republic, along with its stronger infrastructure and transport links, likely made it more suitable for governing the diverse regions that had just been brought together under the Uzbek SSR.

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#didyouknowthat Britain had a chance to kill Hitler?

It was the 20th of April 1939 when Noel Mason-MacFarlane was watching Hitler’s fiftieth anniversary saluting podium from the balcony of a sixth-floor apartment in the Charlottenburger Chaussee. Noel had a mixture of awe and horror looking down at the fast-spreading Nazi regime. He was not just a spectator, though. General “Mason-Mac’ was the British military attaché in Berlin. The Führer was well within the rifle range: "I am tempted to take advantage of this," Noel muttered, adding that he could “pick the bastard off from here as easy as winking.” He even made a formal request to London to assassinate Hitler. Sadly, it was turned down. The British might have feared the escalation of a conflict with Germany — there was still hope they could avoid it. One shot would have saved millions of lives, or it could have brought even more deaths. I guess we never know.

Source: Ben Macintyre, A Spy Among Friends.

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#didyouknowthat it was in Samarqand where paper first spread to the world?

The Chinese were reluctant to share their paper-making skills for over 600 years. It was the year 751 AD when the battle between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang Dynasty took place. The Abbasids won, imprisoning some Chinese, including paper-makers, among them. Smoothly polished glue-sized paper then emerged in Samarkand.

Soon paper was everywhere: Baghdad, North Africa, Spain and Europe. A pivotal instrument in sharing knowledge was now fueling the Islamic Golden Age and the European Renaissance later on.

What connects the revolutionary scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Al-Biruni, Ibn Khaldun and Copernicus? They all used paper that roots back to Samarkand. Algebra, Astronomy, medical canons and Islamic philosophy would hardly exist without the valuable resource. Gagarin would not have flown to space and computers would not have worked if not for the stolen Chinese paper production technique.

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#didyouknowthat long before Arabic letters, Turkic peoples of Central Asia used their own script?

The Old Turkic alphabet, also known as the Orkhon or runic script, was in use as early as the 8th century. Inscriptions carved on stone monuments in Mongolia and the Yenisei region testify to a rich written tradition of the early Turkic states. Later, during the 9th–10th centuries, the Uighur alphabet spread across Central Asia, and it was with this script that some of the earliest Turkic literary works were recorded. Later, when Islam arrived, Arabic script gradually replaced them, shaping the written culture of Uzbekistan for centuries.

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You might have heard of the method of 5 “whys” — five “why” questions people ask themselves before working on a problem. This technique helps you clarify the root causes and see what solutions work best. Asking “why” makes us think deeply and stay objective.

We believe asking the same question, though not necessarily five times, is essential for learning one of the most biased and debated subjects: history. Because history is not straightforward. It is shaped by power, memory, ideology, and the perspectives of those who record it. Asking “why” forces us to move beyond the surface and examine what lies underneath.

This simple question helps us uncover motivations, hidden interests, and structural forces that are not immediately visible. It turns history from a list of dates and events into an inquiry about human nature and motivations. The habit of questioning teaches us to compare sources, recognise bias, and understand that multiple explanations can coexist.

This is the foundation of honest historical thinking — and the central idea behind our project.

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📜 HISTORY COMPETITION
Changing the way we engage with the subject.

Since the 5th grade, we’ve learned history through the lens of who, what, when, and how. But this method often misses what lies at the heart of history and everything — asking why.

Project ‘WHY?’ aims to change that. We encourage you to think, analyse, and research — not just memorise dates, times, and names.

Join the ‘WHY?’ event on the Aral Sea Crisis this Thursday to uncover the whys behind one of the greatest disasters in our country’s history.

📍 Sodiq school
🗓 December 11th, 4 P.M.

✨ Benefits:
- Explore the causes of a vital historical problem;
- Strengthen critical thinking and research skills;
- Connect with peers who share your academic interests.

REGISTER HERE (Hurry up!)

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