One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan is Shymkent, with a population that will reach one million in the coming decades. This southern city of republican significance is now one of the fastest growing in the post-Soviet space. In 2011, it was recognized as the best city in the CIS by the International Assembly of Capitals and Large Cities. In Kazakhstan itself, Shymkent is often called Texas, meaning the peculiar character of people from this region, who are distinguished by their special entrepreneurial spirit. According to the citizens, this is one of the most comfortable cities for living, which is facilitated by the warm climate and close proximity to Tashkent and Bishkek. What is the population of Shymkent? How many times has the city been renamed? We will talk about this and not only in the article.
Overview
The history of the city begins in the 12th century, a longtime it passed from one conqueror to another, until in the 19th century the city was stormed by Russian troops and it became part of the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union. In 1991 it became the regional center of the South Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The etymology of the name of the city comes from two Iranian words: "kent", which means city, area and "shym" - basically translated as meadow, grass. Therefore, Shymkent is most likely translated as "green city", "blooming city", "garden city". The settlement almost only changed its name once, for seven years, from 1914 to 1921, it was called Chernyaev. The renaming took place in honor of the 50th anniversary of the annexation of Kazakhstan to the Russian Empire, General Chernyaev led the troops that stormed the city. In Soviet times, it was again renamed Shymkent, in independent Kazakhstan the pronunciation was clarified, making it closer to Kazakh.
This city is one of the largest in Kazakhstan in terms of occupied area - 1162.8 square meters. km. If we take the entire urban agglomeration together with suburban settlements, then the population of Shymkent is 1.8 million people.
Shymkent is the economic and industrial center of Kazakhstan. Large enterprises of the oil refining and chemical industries, non-ferrous metallurgy and mechanical engineering operate in the city. Light industry and pharmaceutical enterprises built in the middle of the 20th century continue to function.
The locality is the third in the country where it was openedmultifunctional employment center. In Shymkent, in this institution, you can get a wide variety of public services, according to the one-stop principle - register at the place of residence, receive preferential vouchers, marriage and birth certificates, register at the labor exchange. It also provides information on pensions and disability. Now in the employment center of Shymkent, services are fully provided in digital format. You can receive all types of services in electronic form, including certificates, consultations of the call center and digital office. The address of the employment center of Shymkent is Baiterekov street 89.
Population
The population of the city of Shymkent is about 989 thousand people, this is the third settlement in the country according to this indicator. At the same time, the city's leadership, focusing on energy consumption and its own assessment, believes that the number has long exceeded one million people. Therefore, how many people live in Shymkent now is not exactly known.
After gaining independence by Kazakhstan, the city became one of the fastest growing in the post-Soviet space. On the one hand, the population of Shymkent was decreasing due to the departure of Russian-speaking citizens, on the other hand, the influx of representatives of the indigenous nation from the village into the city increased.
In addition, the surrounding areas were annexed to the city. For example, due to the unification of the city with three neighboring districts in 2013, the population of Shymkent immediately increased by 120 thousand people. In 2015In the year after the next increment of the territory in the city, there were already 858 thousand people. In connection with the increase in the area occupied by the city, the population density has also changed, in the old borders about 1825 people per square meter, in the new - 733.
After the annexation of areas populated mainly by representatives of the Uzbek nationality, the ethnic composition of the population of the city has changed. The Uzbeks increased to 161,222 and became the second largest national group after the Kazakhs. In 2011, Russians were the second largest population group in the city of Shymkent. 91.3 thousand people accounted for 14.52% of the total population. Kazakhs in the city lived 407.3 thousand people, which accounted for 64.76%. By 2015, Uzbeks began to make up 18.78% of the total, Russians dropped to third place, with a share of 10.91%. For almost the entire Soviet period, Russians made up the majority of the city's inhabitants, starting from the 1939 census, when their total number was 47.26%. Judging by the first census after the conquest of the city, when Russian troops recaptured Shymkent from the Kokand Khanate, the main population was the Sartras, as the settled Uzbeks were called in those days, their share was 84.6%, Russians then were no more than 5.7%, Kyrgyz -Kaisaks (Kazakhs) - 4%.
Friendship of peoples
During the Soviet period, Kazakhstan was a place of forced resettlement of many peoples from all over the territory of the Soviet Union. The population of Shymkent today is represented by more than one hundred and thirty nationalities. Nineteen national cultural centers operate in the city, includingincluding Kazakh, Uzbek, Slavic, German, Korean, which are located in the House of Friendship. S. Seifullin. Compared to the Soviet Shymkent, the population of the city has changed significantly in terms of ethnic composition, the Kazakhs have become the predominant people in the city. After Kazakhstan gained independence, a significant part of the Russian population left the country, there was a mass emigration of Greeks and Germans to their historical homeland.
Thanks to this mixture of peoples, the city offers a wide variety of authentic national cuisines, from Kazakh and Uzbek to Caucasian and Korean. In addition, the favorable hot climate makes it possible to produce unique agricultural products. Many tourists and the townspeople themselves note the excellent taste of barbecue, manti, kazan-kebab, which are offered in numerous national cafes.
Early history
The settlement on the site of the modern city existed already in the 11-12th century. The first written mention of Shymkent refers to 1425, in the "Book of Victories", by the ancient historian from Central Asia Sharafadin Iezdi, when describing Timur's conquest campaigns. It was written in it that in 1365-1366, going on a campaign to Mongolia, the commander discovered his military carts in the village of Chimkent near Sairam.
The city was repeatedly raided by various conquerors, until at the beginning of the 13th century the Sairam oasis was captured by the troops of Genghis Khan, after which Shymkent became part of the Mongol Khanate. In the 16th century, the city became part of the Kazakh Khanate, in the 17-18th centuryShymkent was constantly attacked by the Dzungarian troops, one of the Mongol-speaking peoples. The invasions of the conquerors have repeatedly ravaged the flourishing land, but the region was still distinguished by developed agriculture, gardening and crafts.
For a long time, from the end of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, the Bukhara and Kokand khanates fought for control of the city. As a result, in 1810-1864, Shymkent became a well-fortified fortress, where a large army settled and the residence of the Kokand Khan's governor was located. In 1821, the rebels under the leadership of the Kazakh Sultan Tentek-tore were able to storm Shymkent and Sairam, but after several lost battles by numerous troops approaching from Kokand, the uprising was crushed.
Together with Russia
In July 1864, Colonel Chernyaev managed to take the fortress of Shymkent, which was considered impregnable. A small detachment of Russian troops entered the city through a water conduit, the Kokand garrison was so demoralized by the sudden appearance of the enemy that there was almost no resistance. Since that time, the city has become an important logistics hub connecting the metropolis with the Central Asian territories. In 1885, the first pharmaceutical enterprise was built - a santonin plant, which became one of the largest in Soviet times, now it is Chimpharm JSC, part of the Polish Polpharma group of companies.
During the war years, 17 plants and factories that produced spare parts for tanks were relocated to Shymkent (as the city was called in Soviet times),optical instruments and other military products. Two of the three bullets were made from metal produced at the Chimkent lead plant built in the 1930s.
In the subsequent years of the 20th century, the city developed rapidly, the largest industrial enterprises were being built, this caused a rapid growth in the population of Shymkent. The city received a well-developed infrastructure and social sphere.
Industry
The bulk of large industrial enterprises were built in the Soviet era, many of them survived the difficult times of devastation in the 90s, when almost all of them were idle. The construction of these industrial facilities contributed to a significant increase in the population of Shymkent, as the city was called at that time, mainly due to the arrival of specialists from other regions of the Soviet Union.
Most of the industrial enterprises were built in the Soviet era and continue to function even now, however, sometimes with a significant decrease in production volumes. The largest enterprises of the petrochemical industry of Kazakhstan "PetroKazakhstan Oil Products", the former Chimkent oil refinery engaged in oil refining and INCOMTYRE operate in the city. The former Chimkent Tire Plant, which produces tires for passenger cars, also operates in the city. One of the largest enterprises in the pharmaceutical industry is Chimpharm, which produces a wide range of medicines.
Engineering industry is represented by three enterprises. After several years of inactivity, the Cardanval plant, which specializes in the production of cardan shafts for cars and tractors, has started working again. The enterprise supplies spare parts mainly to the countries of the Eurasian economic space. JSC "Yuzhmash" specializes in the production of forging and pressing equipment, machines and spare parts. In Soviet times, the enterprise widely exported its products, including to Japan, for the Toyota concern. The production of electrical products is carried out by Electroapparat LLP, which also produces power switches.
An enterprise of the metallurgical industry is still operating - the former Chimkent lead plant, now Yuzhpolimetall JSC, which was one of the main producers of lead bullets during the Great Patriotic War. The enterprise produces lead and related polymetals.
In the 1960s and 1970s, in order to reduce the disproportion in the supply of women's jobs, several large light industry enterprises were built in the city. At this time, the population of Shymkent and Kazakhstan as a whole grew rapidly due to the arrival of specialists from other regions of the Soviet Union. One of such enterprises is the Voskhod factory, which is engaged in sewing women's and men's garments. The company has excellent Italian equipment and is now mainly engaged in tailoring uniforms for Kazakh law enforcement agencies. The factory "Elastic", whose socks were exported to many countries of the world, is now loaded slightly. Textile enterprise "Adal"has incredible capacity and is capable of producing 3.5 tons of cotton yarn and 7 million meters of gray fabric per year, the factory is focused on the use of cotton grown in the region.
As in any large regional center, the city has food industry enterprises that provide the population with almost all food products, including milk, refined butter, and drinks. The most famous enterprise in the industry is JSC "Shymkentpivo", a plant built in the 70s by Czechoslovak specialists, which produced real "Czech" beer. According to the opinions of the townspeople and many guests, Chimket beer is still one of the best in the country.
Infrastructure
Shymkent has always been famous for its delicious drinking water, according to the guests of the city, it is cold and clean, it is one of the best in the country. Which is not surprising, because the water comes from the purest underground sources - the Kyzyl-Tu spring, the Badam-Sairam and Tassay-Aksu deposits. The length of water supply networks provides 82% of the population of Shymkent with fresh water.
The district heating system provides heat to downtown areas and buildings in areas where large heat sources are located, usually near industrial plants, and covers about 40% of the city. Decentralized heat supply is dispersed throughout the territory. A significant part of the residential sector, which is traditionally represented by private low-rise buildings, is heated individually - by gas. This town is one of the mostgasified in the country, a developed system of gas pipeline networks provides 80.5% of the population of the city of Shymkent.
Sewage treatment facilities for domestic and industrial wastewater, built mainly in Soviet times, provide most of the central and industrial areas of the city. Centralized sewerage covers only 60% of the population of Shymkent. The need for electricity is fully met, mainly by flows from other regions of the country from Zhambylskaya GRES (42% of the total demand) and Ekibastuzskaya GRES-1 (33%).
Sightseeing: old city
In ancient times, around the impregnable fortress of Shymkent, the population began to gradually develop the surrounding territories. The old city began to be built up with houses and workshops of artisans and farmers. The modern district was built on the site of an old settlement, and the new streets are located in the same way as the streets of past centuries. Unfortunately, now only two architectural monuments of the 19th century remain intact: this is the residential building of the county chief and the Koshkar Ata mosque. In the last years of the Soviet period, the preservation of the Old City as an open-air ethnographic museum was planned, with strict requirements for new buildings in order to preserve the historical appearance of the city. However, the plan was never implemented.
After the conquest of the city by Russian troops, the house of the county chief was built for the new leadership sent from the metropolis. Many famous people who came to the city stayed in this house, including the world-famous orientalist VasilyBarthold. Ahmet Kenesarin, the son of the last Kazakh khan, also worked here.
The Koshkar Ata Mosque was built in 1850-1856 by Ferghana artisans in the traditional style and frontal composition. Initially, the building was built of mud brick, so it gradually collapsed over time due to periodic flooding of a nearby river. Therefore, the mosque was rebuilt in 1891-1893, using burnt bricks for this.
The main square of the city - Ordabasy - is located on the site where in the 19th century the eastern outskirts of Chimkent were located, the population of which at that time was about 11 thousand people. The eastern fortress gates were located here in the direction of the roads leading to Taraz and Sairam. On this side, under the fortress walls, there was a bazaar, an eastern market, because of this, in those days the square was called "Bazaar". Streets converge on it, named after the three great biys (judges) of the Kazakh people6 Tole bi, Aiteke bi, Kazybek bi. In the center of the square is the main monument of the city. The monument "Otan Ana" is a high stele on which there is a figure of a young Kazakh woman releasing seven swallows into the sky. Not far from the stele, the Koshkar Ata River flows, a whole complex of fountains is installed right in it. According to tourists, this is one of the best places in the city to relax in the hot season.
Sights: streets
In ancient times, the city grew around the citadel of the old fortress and consisted of many small winding streets thatchaotically developed without any plan, however, this did not interfere with the population of Shymkent. No one could determine how many people lived in the old city. In 1867, after joining the Russian Empire, the city became the county center of the Syrdarya region and the construction of the New City began, the layout of which had a rectangular regular shape and was divided into quarters.
The oldest street runs along the border between the Old and New Towns, founded in the 19th century by the district authorities appointed by the Russian Empire. It started near the citadel of the ancient settlement from the Market Square and continued in new areas. From the moment of construction until the October Revolution, it was called Nikolaevskaya, then it was renamed Sovietskaya, and in independent Kazakhstan it was renamed again in honor of the legendary Kazakh judge - Kazybek bi.
Attractions: parks
At the end of the 19th century, two gardens were laid out: the Cathedral and the Public City Gardens, which are still a favorite vacation spot for citizens and tourists. Now these are no longer gardens, but Ken Baba and Central parks, respectively.
Known to all guests of the city in Soviet times as Children's, the park "Ken Baba" is now a popular recreation place for citizens and tourists, who are attracted by numerous attractions for children and catering establishments offering national dishes of different nations. According to tourists, the most comfortable conditions are created here for those who want to take a walk with children and have a delicious meal. There are a lot of reservoirs with pure spring water,artificial waterfalls, canals and decorative ponds, in which beautiful fish and many waterfowl swim. There are many oaks and other trees of valuable species planted in the 19th-20th century in the park.
In "Ken-baba", at one time it was called the Cathedral Garden, in 1914 the St. Nicholas Cathedral was opened, built according to the project of the architect Matsevich. One of the most beautiful religious buildings of that time in Soviet times was a library, after the domes were dismantled, then the Palace of Pioneers worked here. Currently, the building has been given to the regional puppet theater.
