Ungurlikan ( Uzbek. Ungurlikon / Ungurlikon ) - a turquoise mine developed in ancient times on the northern slope of the Kuraminsky ridge , on the left bank of the Akhangaran River. It is identified with the “ turquoise mine of Ilaka ”, which makes it the largest turquoise deposit in the ancient state of Chach . According to modern ideas, the origin of the toponym Chach itself is associated with the turquoise of Ungurlikan and, indirectly, the name of the city of Tashkent .
Ungurlikan is located on the northeastern slopes of the Kuramin Mountains , off the coast of a small watercourse Ungurlisay , a tributary of the Pistalisay ( Abjazsai river basin ). The area lies at an altitude of about 1000 m.
In ancient times, extraction of turquoise from quartz porphyrite was organized in Ungurlikan. Historical ore mining sites are represented by numerous large and small workings, grouped in the western, central and eastern zones. Archaeological research indicates the extraction of the mineral from the first centuries of our era until the medieval period. The total area of the mine, together with the dumps, exceeds 16 thousand m², the estimated volume of recovered rock is at least 320 thousand m². A tremendous amount of work puts Ungurlikan among the largest mines of Ilak .
Analyzes also show the presence of gold for the Ungurlikan ores. Archaeologist Yu. F. Buryakov allocates 50 thousand m³ of the total output to the noble metal field.
Al-Biruni reported on the “Ilaka turquoise mine” from the words of a certain jeweler:
 | I saw the Ilaka turquoise, which weighed two hundred dirhams and then valued it at fifty dinars , but now its price is two hundred dinars, since the Ilaka mine has dried up and is abandoned. |  |
It is now customary to associate the name of the Chach state and, accordingly, the city of Tashkent with turquoise Ungurlikan. According to Chinese sources, to the east of Chach is a mountain famous for the extraction of the dark blue Sese gem. Located on the Great Silk Road, Chach was the main exporter of this product to the countries of the East, while stone penetrated into China through the mediation of Khotan . It is known that in the XII century even artificial sese was made, apparently, which was a blue paste.
There are a number of arguments about the identity of Sese and Turquoise, the mentioned deposit and Ungurlikan. It is known that in ancient times turquoise was a rare commodity, valued as a "stone of victory." The ancient Turkic name of turquoise sounds like čeč. By its origin, Sese was considered mainly an Iranian jewel. The paste for jewelry of the 11th – 12th centuries imitates the color of Chacha and blue turquoise in color. Yu. F. Buryakov allegedly concludes that the name of the gem was extended first to possession, and then to the capital .
Literature
- Buryakov Yu.F. Mining and metallurgy of medieval Ilaka. V - the beginning of the XIII century. - Moscow: Nauka, 1974. - S. 43-45. - 140 p. - 1250 copies.
- Toshkent: encyclopedia. / Bosch Taҳirir Kayati A. Akromov , B. Sh. Alimov , M.N. Aminov wa boshқ. - Tashkent: “Uzbekistan Milly Encyclopedia” Davlat Ilmiy Nashrieti, 2008. - P. 231. - 784 p. - ISBN 978-9943-07-096-7 . (Art. Ungurlikon) (Uzbek)
- Buryakov Yu.F. Genesis and stages of development of urban culture of the Tashkent oasis. - Tashkent: Fan Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1982. - P. 51. - 212 p. - 1000 copies.