history of fergana
More than 2’000 years ago was a settlement called Sim-Tepe in Fergana’s city area. However, it was not an important village. The inhabitants were active in agriculture, cattle breeding and hunting.
In 1875 Tsarist Russian troops marched into the Fergana valley and dissolved the Kokand Khanate. The area was assigned to Russian Turkestan. Since Kokand, the capital of the former Kokand Khanate, was too densely built, the Russians decided to establish a new regional centre. Thus began the city’s construction.
names of fergana over time
The newly constructed city was called New Margilan, as it is located only 12 km from the historic town Margilan. The town was convenient to control the whole valley administratively and strategically. In 1907, the city was renamed Skobelev in honour of the Russian general Mikhail Skobelev, who led the conquest of the Fergana Valley and later became the region’s first general governor. In 1924, the city received its final name Fergana.
Due to its history, the city was initially being largely populated by ethnic Russians. Since the “Perestroyka” of the Soviet Union in 1991, many Russian-born inhabitants started to leave the city. Today mainly Uzbeks live in the town, but there are still many representatives of other ethnic groups.
Fergana is a very green city, and until a few years ago, it had many trees. Recently, many of them have fallen victim to urban planning, but new seedlings have also been planted.
Famous personalities
The famous astronomer, geographer and mathematician Ahmad al-Fergani (Alferganus) was born in the Fergana valley. In his honour, there is a monument in the city of Fergana.
Air connections: The city has an international airport. There are local flights to Tashkent and international flights to Russia.
Railway connections: there are connections to the other cities of the Fergana Valley as well as to Tashkent.