Charvak Reservoir

On one hand, Uzbekistan is known for one of the biggest man-made ecological disasters of 20^th century – the Aral Sea. One the other hand, it’s also known for an artificial mountainous lake Charvak. Charvak Reservoir is called “Pearl of Western Tien-Shan”. It was created in 1970, by building a dam 168 meters of height that joined Pskem, Koksu, and Chatkal rivers. The area of Charvak Reservoir used to be full of ancient settlements, petroglyphs, and many others historical monuments. Today the majority of monuments is lost under layers of slime and ooze.

Why would Uzbek government destroy important historical objects and create a reservoir? The reason is that Uzbekistan, or Soviet government at that time, had no choice. After  a disastrous earthquake in 1966, Tashkent was damaged severely. Soviet government had to find a source of cheap,yet ecologically clean, energy. It was decided to build Charvak Reservoir, there wasn't any other fitting place. Archaeologists and historians studied the area and all 150 historical monuments in advance.

Today Charvak is one of the most popular destinations for leisure, it's 60  away from Tashkent. Coastline of Charvak is full of resorts, children's camps, and hotels. There are some villages: Yangikurgan, Bogustan, Brichmulla and Yusuphana. The biggest recreation area is called "Chorvoq Oromgohi". It offers nice beaches with playgrounds for children and different entertainments like windsurfing or catamarans.

The landscape around reservoir is colorful and picturesque; snow-topped mountains blend in with green slopes. Charvak Resercoir also has historical monuments like ancient settlement Hodzhikent or rock cravings. Hodzhikent is translated as "holy town"; it's known for its healing spring. Petroglyphs show hi taping scenes and animals that used to inhabit Charvak surroundings.