Plan: History

Andijan city
Plan:

1. 
   History
   
2. 
   Geography
   
3. 
   Demographics
   

Andijan (sometimes spelled Andijon or Andizhan in English) (Uzbek: Andijon / Андижон / ئەندىجان; Persian: اندیجان‎, Andijân/Andīǰān; Russian: Андижан, Andižan) is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region. Andijan is located in the south-eastern edge of the Fergana Valley near Uzbekistan's border with Kyrgyzstan.

Andijan is one of the oldest cities in the Fergana Valley. In some parts of the city, archeologists have found items dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries. Historically, Andijan was an important city on the Silk Road. The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Babur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor. Andijan also gained notoriety in 2005 when government forces opened fire on protestors, killing hundreds in what came to be known as the Andijan Massacre.

Andijan was developed into an important industrial city during the Soviet era. Manufactured goods produced in the city include chemicals, domestic appliances, electronics, foodstuffs, furniture, plows, pumps, shoes, spare parts for farming machines, various engineering tools, and wheelchairs.
Toponymy
The origin of the name of the city is uncertain. Arab geographers of the 10th century referred to Andijan as "Andukan," "Andugan," or "Andigan."3 The traditional explanation links the name of the city to the Turkic tribal names Andi and Adoq/Azoq.
Early and recent history
Andijan is one of the oldest cities in the Fergana Valley. Marhamat city of Andijan The ruins of Ershi, the capital of the Davan (Parkana) state, with more than 70 cities with a rich and dense population of the V - IV and IV centuries BC. In some parts of the city, archeologists have found items dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries.4 Historically, Andijan was an important city on the Silk Road.5
The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Babur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor.6
After the formation of the Khanate of Kokand in the 18th century, the capital was moved from Andijan to Kokand. In the mid-19th century, the Russian Empire began occupying the area of present-day Central Asia. In 1876, the Russians conquered the Khanate of Kokand and the city of Andijan along with it.
Andijan was the center and flashpoint of the Andijan Uprising of 1898 in which the followers of Sufi leader Madali Ishan attacked the Russian barracks in the city, killing 22 and injuring 16-20 more. In retaliation, 18 of the participants were hanged and 360 exiled.7
On 16 December 1902, much of the city was leveled by a severe earthquake which destroyed up to 30,000 homes in the region and killed as many as 4,500 residents.58 After Soviet rule was established in Andijan in 1917, the city quickly became an important industrial city in the Uzbek SSR.

Modern history

During the Soviet demarcation of Central Asia, Andijan was separated from its historical hinterland as the Ferghana Valley was divided among three separate Soviet republics. Andijan itself became part of the Uzbek SSR.
During World War II, many Soviet citizens were evacuated to Andijan and the surrounding towns. Of the Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Poland and banished by the Soviets to Siberia and Central Asia, some relocated to Andijan starting in 1941.

In the 1990s, Andijan and the surrounding region became politically unstable. Poverty and an upsurge in Islamic fundamentalism produced tensions in the region. The town, and the region as a whole, suffered a severe economic decline following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Repeated border closures badly damaged the local economy, worsening the already widespread poverty of Andijan's inhabitants.

May 2005 massacre
Main article: Andijan massacre
On 13 May 2005, Uzbekistan's military opened fire on a mass of people who were protesting against poor living conditions and corrupt government.91011 The estimates of those killed on 13 May range from 187, the official count of the government, to several hundred.912 A defector from the SNB alleged that 1,500 were killed.13 The bodies of many of those who died were allegedly hidden in mass graves following the massacre.
The Uzbek government at first stated that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and that the protesters were members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.15 Critics have argued that the radical Islamist label has been just a pretext for maintaining a repressive regime in the country.
Whether troops fired indiscriminately to prevent a colour revolution or acted legitimately to quell a prison break is also disputed.16171819 Another theory is that the dispute was really an inter-clan struggle for state power.11 The Uzbek government eventually acknowledged that poor economic conditions in the region and popular resentment played a role in the uprising.20
Geography
Andijan is located 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level in the south-eastern edge of the Fergana Valley near Uzbekistan's border with Kyrgyzstan.4 By road it is 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Asaka and 68.6 kilometres (42.6 mi) southeast of Namangan.21 Andijonsoy flows along the city.

Food: Andijan is also known with fascinating dishes, one of the most popular food is Plov also known (Osh) in the local language. Nevertheless, there are some other delicious foods as well such as Somsa, Monti and Dolma in the local language. However, Andijan is also known for its dance called Andijan polka and it has been reported that this dance history goes all the way back to the old centuries.

In 2000, Andijan had a population of 333,400.4 Representatives of many ethnic groups can be found in the city. Uzbeks are the largest ethnic group, followed by Tajiks.

Andijan has been an important craft and trade center in the Fergana Valley since the 15th century. After annexation by the Russians in 1876, the economy of the city started to grow significantly. Several industrial plants were built in Andijan after the city was connected with Russia with a railway line in 1889.24 Several hospitals, pharmacies, banks, and printing houses were established in the city during that period. After Soviet rule was established in late December 1917, both light and heavy industries developed significantly. Andijan became the first city in Uzbekistan to be fully supplied with natural gas.24

Andijan remains an important industrial city in independent Uzbekistan. There are 48 large industrial plants and about 3,000 small and medium enterprises in the city.4 Manufactured goods produced in the city include chemicals, domestic appliances, electronics, foodstuffs, furniture, plows, pumps, shoes, spare parts for farming machines, various engineering tools, and wheelchairs. Andijan is also home to over 50 international companies,citation needed five of which produce spare parts for GM Uzbekistan.
There are four higher education institutions in Andijan City. Andijan state university, Andijan medical institute, Andijan machine-building institute and Andijan branch Tashkent state agrarian university. The Andijan Medical Institute is the largest of the four. The city is also home to four colleges, one academic lyceum, 21 vocational schools, 47 secondary schools, three music and art schools, nine sports schools, and 86 kindergartens.

Babur (1483–1530) — an emperor and founder of the Mughal Empire in Medieval India25

Nodira (1792–1842) — a poet and stateswoman26
Choʻlpon (1897–1938) — an influential poet, playwright, novelist, and literary translator27
Abbos Bakirov (1910–1974) — a film actor and director, People's Artist of Uzbekistan (1939)28
Halima Nosirova (1913–2003) — an influential opera singer, People's Artist of Uzbekistan (1937)29
Mukarram Turgʻunboyeva (1913–1978) — dancer, People's Artist of Uzbekistan (1937); generally regarded as the founder of modern Uzbek stage dance30
Fotima Borukhova (1916–2009) — opera singer, People's Artist of Uzbekistan (1950)31
Shahodat Rahimova (1919–1979) — singer and actress, People's Artist of Uzbekistan (1940)32

Muhammad Yusuf (1954–2001) — poet and a member of the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan, People's Poet of Uzbekistan (1998)33

Robert Ilatov (born 1971) — Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu.34
Ruslan Chagaev (born 1978) — WBA heavyweight boxing champion
Andijon – the Fergana Valley’s largest city of over 350,000 people and its spiritual mecca. Both culturally and linguistically Andijon is probably the country’s purest Uzbek city, and the best place to observe Uzbeks in their element. Andijan has a rich past and vibrant Uzbek culture but a troubled recent history, and consequently few foreign tourists come hero unless they're passing quickly through en route to Kyrgyzstan.

Andijan was founded sometime in the 9th century and was known in the tenth century as the village of Andugan. Andijan's steady growth ensured it the full force of Mongol destruction. It was just getting onto its feet when Genghis Khan rode through and razed it back to the ground. Yet in the late 13th century Kaydu Khan, great-grandson of Genghis Khan, saw potential in the ashes and rebuilt the town into his capital. This was a shrewd move, as the city became the lucrative gateway between Samarkand and Bukhara in the west, and Kashgar and Chinese Turkestan in the east. It remained the capital for the next three centuries, giving its name in Chagatai Turkish to the whole valley.

In 1483 Andijan's foremost son was born, one Zahiriddin Mohammed Babur, great-great- great-grandson of Tamerlane. Having lost his homeland, and Samarkand three times, Babur fought his way to India to found the Mogul empire. He recalled in his memoirs, Andijan produces much grain, fruits in abundance, excellent grapes and melons. In the melon season, they are usually given away at the beds... After Samarkand and Shakhrisabz, the fort of Andijan is the largest in Mawarannahr. It has three gates. Its citadel is on its south side. Into it water goes by nine channels; out of it, it is strange that none comes out at even a single place. Andijan has good hunting and fowling. Its pheasants grow so surprisingly fat that rumour has it four people could not finish one they were eating with its stew.

The khanate of Kokand pushed Andijan out of the limelight. Yet the Russians met stiff resistance on their first advance against the town, losing at least 50 men, until General Skobelov secured victory in January 1876. The rebel spirit resurfaced in May 1898 when Nakshbandi ishan Madali led a three-day revolt, put down after much bloodshed. The Trans Caspian Railway, harbinger of Russification and modernization, arrived in 1899, three years before an earthquake took 4,500 lives and most of the old town. The Andijan you see today is mostly of 20th-century construction: an earthquake in 1902 more or less levelled the Old Town. In the Soviet period Andijan industrialised and grew wealthy on the profits of black and white gold: oil and cotton.

Andijan of today
Today Andijan is an industrial city and capital of Uzbekistan's most densely populated province. The growth is still based on oil and cotton: the region is the premier oil producer in the republic and the most intensive cotton farmer in the CIS, with about 75 per cent of irrigated land turned over to 'white gold'.

Architecturally there’s not much to see here – an earthquake in 1902 took care of that. Rather, it’s Andijon’s bazaars and chaikhanas, brimming with colour and life, that make a trip worthwhile. The Jahom Bazaar (daily 09.00-18.00) on Biruni is Andijan's commercial centre, and though it is open daily, it is significantly larger on Sunday and Thursday when the villagers flock into town. Head first to the fringes of the market where you'll find blacksmiths banging and clanging away in their forges, knife makers shaping and polishing steel blades, and the occasional dusty carpentry workshop. Among the craftsmen, keep your eyes peeled for the wizened old pigeon fanciers; their dove-grey birds sit twitching and cooing and watching the world with alert, beady little eyes. The people-watching here is unrivalled, and the photographic opportunities somehow sum up life on the Silk Road. In addition to fresh produce (the melons are enormous!) you can pick up spices, emroidered hats, good silks, embroidered skull caps and the traditional Fergana knives, all (so long as you haggle) without the usual tourist mark-up.

Andijonians are warm and friendly, and whatever concerns they have about their government appear not to have negatively affected their demeanour. Most travellers who pass through Andijon are on their way to or from Kyrgyzstan and don’t linger long. Make no mistake: the local police are on their guard here. Have your papers in order and take the normal precautions.

Orientation

Museums, medressa, shops and the post office are clustered in the old town around the central farmers market, known as Eski (Old) Bazaar. The neighbouring bus and train stations and a few hotels are near Yaangi Bazaar in the new town, 3km to the south.

Transport

Andijan airport, ten kilometres from the Hotel Oltin Vody, launches four weekly flights to Tashkent, plus weekly departures for Bukhara and Urgench (tickets sold at airport). Two trains per week head for Tashkent, but share taxis are far quicker. To Namangan (1 hour) share taxis from Andijan cost around US$2 per person. Andijan's main bus station, close to the train station on Amir Timur St, has no services to Tashkent, but connections throughout the valley. Shared taxis to Tashkent run from the bus station and near Pushkin Park.

References

"Andijan". SPR (in Russian). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
"Andijan travel guide". Caravanistan. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
Pospelov, E. M. (1998). Geographical Names of the World. Toponymic Dictionary (in Russian). Moscow: Russkie slovari. p. 36. ISBN 5-89216-029-7.
Ziyayev, Baxtiyor (2000–2005). "Andijon". Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi (in Uzbek). Toshkent: Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi.
"Andijon". Ensiklopedik lugʻat (in Uzbek). 1. Toshkent: Oʻzbek sovet ensiklopediyasi. 1988. pp. 42–43. 5-89890-002-0.
Manz, Beatrice Forbes (1987). "Central Asian Uprisings in the Nineteenth Century: Ferghana under the Russians". Russian Review. 46 (3): 267–281. doi:10.2307/130563. JSTOR 130563.
Khalid, Adeeb (1998). The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia. Comparative studies on Muslim societies. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 59. ISBN 0-520-21355-6.
Kislov, D. (13 July 2007). "Paging through old journals: Evidence of the 1902 Andijan Earthquake". Ferghana (in Russian). Retrieved 7 April 2014.
"Preliminary findings on the events in Andijan, Uzbekistan, 13 May 2005". Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Warsaw. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
Beehner, Lionel (June 26, 2006). "Documenting Andijan". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 7 April 2014.