{"product_id":"uzbekistan-p-77-25-sum-1994-u","title":"Uzbekistan P-77 25 Sum 1994 UNC—Samarkand UNESCO","description":"\u003cp\u003eUzbekistan P#77 25 So'm 1994, graded Uncirculated or better.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBanknote Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e State emblem of Uzbekistan and national ornaments; Cyrillic inscriptions reading \u003cem\u003eCentral Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTwenty Five So'm\u003c\/em\u003e; legal tender clause in Uzbek Cyrillic\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shah-i-Zinda (Shohizinda) Complex — the celebrated necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand; Cyrillic inscriptions reading \u003cem\u003eTwenty Five So'm\u003c\/em\u003e and counterfeiting warning\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Numeral 25\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing Bank:\u003c\/strong\u003e Central Bank of Uzbekistan (\u003cem\u003eO'zbekiston Respublikasi Markaziy banki \/ Ўзбекистон Республикаси Марказий Банки\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Second so'm (ISO: UZS, 1994–2020)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e 25 So'm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 142 × 69 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rectangular\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 March 2020\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e GPO Davlat Belgisi (ГПО Давлат Белгиси), Tashkent, Uzbekistan (1995–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e Part of Russian Empire (to 1917); Turkestan ASSR \/ Uzbek SSR as constituent republic of USSR (1917–1991); Independent Republic of Uzbekistan (1991–present)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eShah-i-Zinda — The Avenue of the Living King\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBackground \u0026amp; Significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShah-i-Zinda (\u003cem\u003eShoh-i Zinda\u003c\/em\u003e, meaning \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Living King\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e) is one of the most sacred and visually breathtaking architectural ensembles in Central Asia. Located in the north-eastern quarter of ancient Samarkand, it is a \u003cstrong\u003enecropolis\u003c\/strong\u003e — a city of the dead — composed of a long, narrow lane flanked by mausoleums built across nearly a millennium, from the 9th through the 19th centuries. The complex is named after the legend of Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who is said to have brought Islam to the region and, according to tradition, never truly died but lives on in an underground garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eKey Architectural Achievements\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ensemble reached its \u003cstrong\u003egreatest splendor \u003c\/strong\u003eunder the \u003cstrong\u003eTimurid\u003c\/strong\u003e-era dynasty in the 14th and 15th centuries, when Samarkand served as the \u003cstrong\u003eimperial capital of Timur (Tamerlane) \u003c\/strong\u003eand his successors. The mausoleums of this era are celebrated for their \u003cstrong\u003eextraordinary tilework \u003c\/strong\u003e— deep cobalt and turquoise faience mosaics, intricate geometric and floral patterns, and calligraphic friezes that rank among the \u003cstrong\u003efinest examples of Islamic decorative art anywhere in the world.\u003c\/strong\u003e The tomb of Shirin Bika Aqa, sister of Timur, and the mausoleum of Tuman Aqa are among the most studied structures in the complex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical \u0026amp; Political Context\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSamarkand's position on the \u003cstrong\u003eSilk Road\u003c\/strong\u003e made it a crossroads of civilizations — Persian, Turkic, \u003cstrong\u003eMongol\u003c\/strong\u003e, and later Russian imperial influence all left their mark. Under Soviet rule, Shah-i-Zinda was preserved as a heritage site but \u003cstrong\u003ereligious practice was suppressed\u003c\/strong\u003e. With Uzbek independence in 1991, the complex was reclaimed as a living symbol of national and Islamic identity. Its appearance on the very first series of Uzbek banknotes — including this 25 So'm note of 1994 — was a deliberate act of cultural sovereignty, anchoring the new nation's currency in its pre-Soviet, pre-Russian heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLegacy \u0026amp; Enduring Symbolism\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday Shah-i-Zinda is a \u003cstrong\u003eUNESCO World Heritage\u003c\/strong\u003e Site (as part of the Historic Centre of Samarkand) and one of the most visited \u003cstrong\u003epilgrimage\u003c\/strong\u003e and tourist destinations in Central Asia. Its image on Uzbekistan's early banknotes made it one of the most widely circulated representations of Uzbek cultural identity in the 1990s and 2000s — seen daily in the hands of millions of citizens navigating a newly independent economy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUNESCO World Heritage\u003c\/strong\u003e Site (Historic Centre of Samarkand, 2001)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eActive \u003cstrong\u003epilgrimage\u003c\/strong\u003e site — Kusam ibn Abbas shrine draws Muslim visitors year-round\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTimurid\u003c\/strong\u003e-era tilework considered among the finest surviving Islamic decorative art\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatured on the inaugural 1994 Uzbek so'm banknote series\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational symbol of Uzbekistan's pre-Soviet Islamic and \u003cstrong\u003eSilk Road\u003c\/strong\u003e heritage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Final Reflection: The Wall That Outlives Empires\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a kind of permanence in tile. Empires rise and dissolve; borders are drawn and redrawn; currencies are issued and demonetized. Yet the cobalt mosaics of Shah-i-Zinda have absorbed the light of Samarkand for six hundred years, indifferent to the names of those who ruled above them. The craftsmen who set each tessera into place did not know they were building for posterity — they were simply doing the work in front of them, with full attention, with full care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor numismatists specializing in post-Soviet transitional issues, Central Asian paper money, or the Timurid cultural sphere, this 25 So'm note represents the opening chapter of Uzbekistan's monetary independence. It belongs to the foundational 1994–2019 circulation series — the notes that built a nation's economic vocabulary from scratch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51799017980215,"sku":"UZ77U","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/77r_d095c34b-a2c1-47c7-8eb4-cfbca7c5359d.jpg?v=1774037115","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/uzbekistan-p-77-25-sum-1994-u","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}