Not only that. Avicenna and al-Kharezmi both Uzbeks who lived in a first millenia are probably among the greatest scientists ever. The latter was first who theorized modern decimal mathematics and brought the concept of algorithm on which computer codes are working (he did it 1200 years ago). He also was an astronomer and cartographer, making maps which are very precise even by European standard of 17 century.
As for Tamerlane tomb I don’t know is it true or myth but as far as I know an Intourist hotel was getting built nearby and on June 16, 1941 a water pipe was damaged by earth moving machinery. in order to save it from flooding it was decided to excavate the site and move relics including mummies of Tamerlane and his relatives to Moscow.
There was a warning written on a tomb that the one who disturb his rest would unleash unimaginable troubles and there won’t be peace on Earth anymore. There was some mysticism around Tamerlane for locals and Muslims started rioting over this fact but excavation took place anyway and ended on June 21, 1941. Hitler invaded on a next day.
In 1942 Stalin ordered to load Tamerlane’s bones into aircraft and flew it over Germans. It has allegedly improved morals of Muslim troops on Soviet side.
Wow, what a story about Tamerlane’s tomb!
Speaking of Muslim riots nearby, in 1985 I wrote my master’s thesis called “The Ethnic Factor in the Soviet Army Officer Corps”. One of my sources (CIA pub) had mentioned draft riots in Karshi in 1916 when Imperial army began drafting Uzbeks due to terrible Russian losses in WWI.
Thousands of Uzbeks were killed each day in these riots. Nowadays I am unable to find much info on the Karshi incident on the internet, for some reason.
How strange that I would later be deployed to Aviabaza Karshi Khanabad just outside Karshi, with the U.S. Army.