A historical and cultural region, a separate state that existed in the first centuries BCE, Fergana (Davan) was the homeland of a unique breed of horses.
That was the region where "glorious Argamaks sweating blood" - the hardy, graceful and fast "heavenly horses of Fergana" - were bred.
They were the cause of the Chinese-Davan war in 104–102 BCE.
These horses "sweated blood", which for the Chinese was a sign of their divine origin. They considered them "heavenly horses", which can carry one to the "land of immortality". In an effort to capture these amazing animals, the Chinese attacked Fergana, but were defeated. However, the desire to possess the horses was so great that China again attempted to attack Davan. This time, Fergana had to compromise: the government pledged to supply the Chinese emperor with 300 horses for his army every year.
The secret of the Argamaks' extraordinary ability to "sweat blood" lied in that their skin was eaten by parasites, which caused this unusual effect.
Even more amazing historical facts can be found in the book-album Collection of the State Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia) from the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections series.
The general sponsor of the project "Cultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections" is the oilfield services company Eriell Group.