Fergana Valley

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Introducing Fergana Valley

The first thought many visitors have on arrival in the Fergana Valley is, ‘Where’s the valley?’ From this broad (22,000 sq km), flat bowl, the surrounding mountain ranges (Tian Shanto the north and the Pamir Alay to the south) seem to stand back at enormous distances – when you can see them, that is. More often these spectacular peaks are shrouded in a layer of smog, produced by what is both Uzbekistan’s most populous and its most industrial region.

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It’s also the country’s fruit and cotton basket. Drained by the upper Syr-Darya, the Fergana Valley is one big oasis, with some of the finest soil and climate in Central Asia. Already by the 2nd century BC the Greeks, Persians and Chinese found a prosperous kingdom based on farming, with some 70 towns and villages. The Russians were quick to realise the valley’s fecundity, and Soviet rulers enslaved it to an obsessive raw-cotton monoculture that still exists today.

The valley’s eight million people are thoroughly Uzbek – 90% overall and higher in the smaller towns. Despite this, on the whole its towns are architecturally uninspiring. But the province has always wielded a large share of Uzbekistan’s political, economic and religious influence. Fergana was at the centre of numerous revolts against the tsar and later the Bolsheviks. In the 1990s the valley gave birth to Islamic extremism in Central Asia. President Karimov’s brutal crackdown on alleged extremists eventually came to a head in the form of the Andijon Massacre in 2005.

The post-Andijon crackdown has increased the police presence in the valley, but it’s not something that’s likely to affect most tourists as long as they keep a low profile. The valley’s people remain the most hospitable and friendly in the country. Other attractions are exceptional crafts, several kaleidoscopic bazaars and the proximity of the mountains, most of which lie in Kyrgyzstan.

Last updated: Mar 24, 2009

Thorn Tree forum discussion

Recent posts

  1. daniviyana avatar
    Re: Uzbekistan beyond the obvious?

    by daniviyana 10 September 2011

    Hi, Urgut market close to Samarkand is really worth to see. You can make a trip by Taxi or Marschroutka from Samarkand. Surchandarya…
  2. daniviyana avatar
    RE: Uzbekistan route + visas for Central Asia & Asia

    by daniviyana 08 September 2011

    Hi, for one more week I would suggest the Ferghana valley especially Andijan or the Surchandarya area (Boysun/Termez). Not so much famous…
  3. daniviyana avatar
    Travelling from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan by train

    by daniviyana 06 September 2011

    Dear travellers, my plan is to visit Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in october/november for three weeks. As Uzbekistan is concerned it is my…

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