Nature · Uchquduq District
Jaraquduq — the Stone Forest and dinosaur beds
A Cretaceous seashore in the middle of the Kyzylkum
Modern · Uchquduq District
Uchquduq and the Three Wells monument
Uchquduq, in the middle of the Kyzylkum, grew up around uranium mines in the 1950s. Its Three Wells monument — the town's very name — and a hit song by the band Yalla made it famous across the USSR.
Photo: Bobyrr · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The town's story
In 1952 an aerial survey picked up a strong radioactive anomaly near the Uchkuduk well on the southern slope of the Altyntau (Bukantau massif). Exploratory drilling began in 1955, and the deposit's reserves were approved in 1957–1958. Building of the settlement began in spring 1956; Uchquduq became an urban-type settlement on 2 March 1961 and a town in 1978. Until 1979 it was a closed, secret strategic site.
The name means 'three wells', and the Three Wells monument in the centre is the town's emblem. Uchquduq became famous throughout the USSR thanks to Yalla's 1981 hit 'Uchkuduk — Three Wells', with lyrics by Yuri Entin. The Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company still mines uranium and gold here.
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