Vobkent

Vobkent is a city in the Bukhara Region of Uzbekistan and the capital of Vobkent District, about 28 km from the city of Bukhara on the highway that links Bukhara with Samarkand and Tashkent. English Wikipedia gives its population as 17,800 in 2016. It is best known for its minaret, built in 1196-1198 under the reign of Ala ad-Din Tekish. The town is believed to have been founded before the Arab campaigns in Central Asia and was mentioned in the 10th century by the Bukhara historian Narshakhi; later sources know it as Vabkana and Kamat, and a mint worked here in the Timurid and Shaybanid eras. Its economy includes a textile industry, poultry farming, a cotton factory and a handicraft workshop, and Uzbeks are the largest ethnic group.