Qoqand
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| City nickname: "NICKNAME IN LOCAL LANGUAGE" ("NICKNAME IN ENGLISH") | |||||||||
 Location of Qoqand in Turkestan | |||||||||
| Province | Üzbekistan | ||||||||
| Äkim | NAME OF LEADER | ||||||||
| Area | AREA km² | ||||||||
| Population - Total (as of 2009) |
Qoqandıs 213,000 | ||||||||
| Time zone - summer (DST) |
Turkestan Time (UTC+6hrs) Turkestan Summer Time (UTC+7hrs) | ||||||||
Qoqand is a medium-sized city in eastern Üzbekistan Vıloyat, and is the seat of one of the several ancient Xanates of Central Asia. It has a long and illustrious history, though it was often in the shadow of the Emirate of Buxara.
Geography
Qoqand is located on the Sırdarya River, and was one of the ancient Silk Road trading cities. The Xans of Qoqand controlled one of the easier crossing-points of the Sırdayra, though the river is still quite large at the point it passes through Qoqand, and no bridge was built until the 1930s.
History
In its days as a Silk Road trading city, Qoqand controlled the main route of access into the fertile Ferğana Valley, and the Xans were thus quite powerful until they were overshadowed by the rising power of Buxara.
Qoqand was briefly used by Ibrahim Enver as a headquarters-capital city from 1917-1918, and its ruler Ömron Xan (1886-1927) was a member in high standing of the Basmaçı Council.
During the early Qurultaı period, it rivalled Buxara in influence, but it has since waned in importance, and now, though it is still an important city, it is no longer in the top tier of most influential cities.
Economy
Qoqand is still a major trading city; its bazaars are large and regionally-known, and its Xudayr Xan Aerodrome is one of the largest cargo-handling centres in Turkestan.
In addition, the city gains a substantial amount of revenue from tourism, and is also a minor processing centre for fruits and vegetables from the Ferğana Valley region.
Tourist Sites
- Xudayr Xan's palace
- Adur Dahaka Temple - largest Zoroastrian temple in Turkestan
- Daxma-i-Şokkon - necropolis of the XIX Century Xans of Qoqand
- Somıd Sardar Xan Square - named after the celebrated Air Force commander
- Dawlat Bazar - largest permanent market in the city
- National Aviation Museum
Sports Teams
- Aybat ("Force") – Kökbörü
