Even in the 50s of the last century, archaeologists found evidence that people lived on the territory that is now known as the Osh region 3000 years ago. The Kirghiz, who came from the Yenisei, have been living here for only 500 years. It was on the slopes of the sacred mountain Sulaiman-Too, which became a World Heritage Site in 2009, that settlements dating back to the Bronze Age were found.
The area of the region changed frequently
There is a mountain near the settlement of Osh, in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Osh is considered one of the oldest cities in Central Asia and is the second largest in the Kyrgyz Republic. On November 21, 1939, it becomes the administrative center of the region of the same name.
In 1959, the Jalal-Abad territorial unit was attached to it, and the significantly expanded Osh region occupied the entire southwestern part of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic. Throughout its existence as part of the USSR, the territory of this administrative unit has changed all the time. In its present form, an area of 29.2 thousand square kilometers occupies the southRepublic of Kyrgyzstan.
Mountain area
In the southeast, the region borders with China. Its northeastern part is located on the Ferghana Range (spurs of the Tien Shan). From the south and west it is surrounded by the Turkestan, Altai, Za altai ranges, belonging to the Pamir-Altai mountains.
Mount Suleiman-Too, rising directly above the city and at the foot of which mosques and minarets have been built by believers for centuries, is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims. And in the cave of the mountain there is a museum.
Water resources of the region
The river network consists of 900 permanent and temporary rivers and rivulets, the total length of which is 7,000 km. From the Fergana and Alai ridges, the waters of the Kara-Darya (Tar) and Yassy, Gulcha, Ak-Burra and Kyrgyz-Ata carry their waters to the Fergana Valley. The Kyzyl-Suu River is a tributary of the river. Vakhsh (Tajikistan).
The Kara-Darya is the deepest watercourse in the region. There are also underground waters of the Aulie-Atin and Kurshab, Akbuura and Osh, Tuya-Muyun and Madyn valleys. They are used for irrigation and household needs. Mountain lake Kulun (4.6 sq. km) is the largest of the 100 existing in this area. Of the artificial reservoirs, the largest is the Papan reservoir (7 thousand square kilometers). There are about 1.5 thousand glaciers in the Osh region. The area they occupy is 1546.3 square meters. km. There are many waterfalls in the area, more than 20 mineral and thermal springs are known.
Favorable geographic location
Oshthe region, located at the junction of the fertile Fergana and Alai valleys, is the main granary of the republic.
Once the Great Silk Road ran here. The area was crossed by his trade routes. Such an advantageous geographical location in many ways has provided the region with the role of the locomotive of the economy of independent Kyrgyzstan.
Population of the region
The population of the Osh region, the largest in the country in this indicator, is equal to a quarter of the population of the entire country, and has 1229.6 thousand people, of which 53% are able-bodied. It so happened historically that many peoples moving along the Silk Road settled on these fertile lands, and therefore now this administrative-territorial unit is the most multinational. 80 peoples and nationalities live in Osh region.
Cities and regions
The region includes the following number of settlements - 3 cities, 2 urban-type settlements, 469 villages.
Administratively, the region is divided into seven districts - Alai and Aravan, Kara-Kuldzhinsky and Kara-Suu, Nookat, Uzgen and Chon-Alai. The cities of Osh region - Uzgen, Kara Suu (satellite city of Osh) and Naukat (Nookat) are settlements of district subordination. Urban-type settlements include Sary-Tash and Naiman.
City of Osh
The administrative center of the Osh region is a city of republican subordination. More than 240 thousand people live in it. ThisThe second largest settlement in the republic after Bishkek is rightfully called the “Southern Capital”. The city is known for its ancient mosques and sacred mountain Sulaiman-Too. The industry is represented by cotton and manufacturing industries.
Uzbeks live in this settlement more than Kyrgyz, the third largest nationality is Russians. The city gained notoriety in 1990 as a result of the conflict between the Uzbeks and the Kyrgyz, called the Osh massacre. The major riots of 2010 cemented this status.
Two other cities in the region
The city of Uzgen, located 53 km from Osh, is famous for its architectural complex of the 11th-12th centuries, which includes the Uzgen tower 27.5 meters high and a group of mausoleums. The interregional highway Bishkek - Osh - Kara-Suu - Urumqi (China) passes through the city of Kara-Suu. The railway line Jalalabad - Kara-Suu - Andijan also passes through it. These routes connect the countries of the CIS, East Asia and Europe. There is nothing surprising in the fact that it is in this city that the largest, one of the main in the southern region of Central Asia, the Kara-Suu market, which, in fact, is a transshipment base for Chinese goods, is located.
Mineral deposits
Where the Osh region is located, there are all conditions for the successful development of agriculture, so this region is agricultural. But the industry is also developing here, especially mining, energy, transport and tourism. Osh region,located at an altitude of 500 m above sea level, rich in minerals. In large quantities there are such mineral resources as gold, silver, ores of mercury, antimony, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, tin, lead and zinc. There are many deposits of cutting and ornamental stones, such as jasper, onyx, amethyst and many others. Everywhere the region is rich in building materials - marble, limestone, shell rock.
Alai and Chon-Alai regions
Osh region, whose districts are characterized by socio-economic differences, seeks to develop them in accordance with the greatest benefit for everyone. Thus, the main sector of the economy in the Chon-Alai region, located along the mountain river Kyzyl-Suu, is cattle breeding and sheep breeding. The village of Daarut-Kurgan is a district center. Occupied area - 4860 sq. km, or 16.6% of the region. The district is divided into three districts (aiyla): Zhekendi, Chon-Alai and Kashka-Suu. Of the 25,000 population, 99.9% are Kyrgyz. The region was formed in 1992 by separation from the Alai region, the center of which is the village of Gulcha. The area occupied by this administrative unit is 7582 sq. km. 72 thousand people live here. Its territory is divided into 13 aiyls (districts), there are 60 settlements on it. The region is located in Alai and Gulchinskaya valleys. The main industry is animal husbandry. The village of Nura became widely known after the magnitude 8 earthquake in 2008, which killed 75 people.
One more
The high-mountain district of the Kara-Kulchinsky region with the administrative district of the same nameThe center is located at the junction of the Fergana and Alai ranges. The main economic sectors are traditional animal husbandry and fodder crops. The district is divided into 12 aiyl districts. On its territory of 5712 sq. km is home to 88 thousand inhabitants.
Industrial area of the region
The multinational city of Nookat subordination, located at an altitude of 1802 meters above sea level, is the administrative center of the district of the same name, located in the Nookat depression. The population of the Osh region in this area is represented by Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Hemshils, Turks, Russians and Tatars. There are other nationalities as well. This area is industrial.
Food and woodworking, coal and light industries are developing here. The population is slightly less than 240 thousand inhabitants. The region is divided into 16 rural districts. In the urban-type settlement of Naiman, along with the above industries, ecological tourism is developed.
Broken in two
Aravan region consists of two parts (western and eastern) separated by Nookat region. The administrative center is the village of Aravan. The very same administrative-territorial unit is a densely populated agricultural valley, in which the Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis, Tajiks and Tatars live, the total number of which exceeds 106 thousand people.
Kara-Suut and Uzgen regions
Uzgen district with an area of 3.4 thousand square meters. km. and a population of almost 230 thousand people, also agricultural andmultinational. It is divided into 19 rural districts and the city of Uzgen, which is the administrative center.
Last of the seven, the Kara-Suut region is the most densely populated. About 350 thousand people live in it. Its territory stretched from north to south. The district has a small weight in the region's economy, but is famous for its, as noted above, the largest wholesale market.
Tourism-promising area
Osh region (photo of the most beautiful places you could see above) is now focused on the development of tourism. There are many noteworthy sights here. It is impossible not to mention the caves of Il-Ustun, which, according to legend, were discovered by Alexander the Great. He, cutting his way with his sword, went to the grotto with beautiful petrified trees.
