Tamerlane’s Gate and the Il-18 disaster – we were there: many old photos and a painting. What is Tamerlane’s Gate?

Tamerlane’s Gate, also called the Jizzakh Pass (or “Snake Gorge”), is the narrowest part of the Sanzar River gorge between the Malguzar and Nuratau mountain ranges. It’s a vital route from Tashkent to Samarkand. The name comes from the resemblance to a gate formed by two massive vertical slate cliffs.

Geography (Sanzar River, gorge, roads)

Ilyan-uta, or Jilyan-uta, which means “a snake gorge”, is Uzbekistan’s most famous gorge, particularly its narrowest section in the western part of the Pamir-Alay mountain system. The Sanzar River flows through this gorge, separating the Malguzar and Nuratau ranges.

It’s on the way from Tashkent to Samarkand, 15–16 km from the city of Jizzakh. The gorge is 120–130 meters wide, narrowing to 35–40 meters in places.

A road and railway both pass through the gorge, making it one of the oldest trade and conquest routes. One key feature is Persian inscriptions carved 10 meters up on the rock wall (on the right if traveling from Jizzakh to Samarkand).

History: Inscriptions of Ulugh Beg, Abdullah Khan, and Nicholas II

One inscription from 1425 commemorates Ulugh Beg’s campaign against the Jeti and Mongols.

“With the help of the Almighty, the great Sultan, conqueror of kings and peoples, the shadow of God on earth, supporter of the Sunnah and Shariah, the sovereign aiding the faith — Ulugh Beg Guragan — may Allah prolong his reign and rule — marched on the land of the Jeti and the Mongols and returned safely and unharmed in the lunar year 828 [Hijri calendar = 1425 AD].”

It is believed that this inscription was created by order of Ulugbek, an astronomer and ruler of Samarkand, the grandson of Tamerlane.

Another from 1571 records Abdullah Khan II’s victory over a 400,000-strong enemy force.

“Let it be known to those crossing the desert and traveling by land or water, that in the year 979 [Hijri = 1571 AD], a battle took place between the army of the seat of the Caliphate — the shadow of the Almighty, the Great Khagan Abdullah Khan, son of Iskander Khan — with 30,000 warriors, and the army of Dervish Khan, Baba Khan, and other princes numbering 50,000 royal kinsmen and up to 400,000 mercenaries from Turkestan, Tashkent, Fergana, and Dashti-Kipchak.
The possessor of the Fortunate Alignment of Stars was victorious. Having defeated the mentioned sultans, so many were slain or captured that for one month, blood flowed on the surface of the Jizzakh (Sanzar) River. Let this be known!”

A bit gloomy, of course. Abdullah Khan II lived in 1534-1598.

And although both inscriptions were made later than Tamerlane lived (he died in 1405), most likely he also passed through this gorge.

Above both is a brass plaque from 1895 with a gilded Russian state emblem and a signature in gold letters installed by order of Russian Emperor Nicholas II, stating:

“Nicholas II, in 1895, commanded: ‘Let there be a railway.’ In 1898, it was done.”

Unfortunately, this plaque was placed above the historical inscriptions.

Unfortunately, this plaque was placed above the historical inscriptions. It was not nice to install it above them.

The Il-18 Crash near Samarkand

When the article in Russian was published, someone wrote to me on social media that there is (or was?) a white spot on the cliff in that gorge where the plane crashed. The spot is at the very top on the right side, if you’re driving toward Samarkand.
Whether that is the exact place, I don’t know, but information about the plane crash near Samarkand in the winter of 1970 can be found online. I will describe it very briefly.

The Il-18 crash near Samarkand.
On Friday, February 6, 1970, an Aeroflot Il-18V crashed in the Samarkand area, resulting in the deaths of 92 people. The plane was operating domestic flight U-45 from Tashkent to Samarkand. At an altitude of 1,500 meters and 32 kilometers northeast of the airport, the Il-18 struck a snow-covered mountainside at an angle of 15–16°.
The impact tore the fuselage into five parts. The co-pilot and 13 passengers sustained various injuries, while the remaining 92 people (7 crew members, 78 adult passengers, and 7 children) died.

Main cause: crew error.
Contributing factors: air traffic control error.

Crew fatalities: 7 out of 8.
Passenger fatalities: 85 out of 98.

People on social media also wrote to me that those who survived the crash later froze to death because soldiers only arrived a day later. I could not find any confirmation of this.

Tamerlane or Temur?

One more thing. Most likely, the name “Tamerlane’s Gate” is not favored by everyone in Uzbekistan, since the figure is commonly referred to here as Sahibqiran — meaning “the fortunate one” or “born under the conjunction of two planets” — Amir Temur.

“Tamerlane,” on the other hand, means “Timur the Lame.”

That’s why it would be more appropriate to call the place “Temur’s Gate.” However, in the article, I used the established and familiar name of the gorge.