The ferghana valley also transliterated as fergana or farghana is historically the main silk road route between kashgar and samarkand. To date there are three main groups of issues that are relevant to environmental and security issues in the region. From this broad 22,000 sq km, flat bowl, the surrounding mountain ranges tian shan to the north and the pamir alay to the south seem to stand back at enormous distances when you can see them, that is. Central asia is an extremely large region of varied geography, including high passes and mountains tian shan, vast deserts kyzyl kum, taklamakan, and especially treeless, grassy steppes. Department for international development dfid, numerous departments within the world bank, the swedish international development agency, john d.
The ferghana valley at the crossroads of world history. Ferghana valley history of ferghana valley dolores. Owing to its arid climate and limited possibilities for rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture has always played and is likely to continue to play a major role in central asia, including the three central asian countries that are the subject of this reportkyrgyzstan, tajikistan, and uzbekistan. Naturesociety linkages in the aral sea region sciencedirect. A hydrosocial investigation into how agricultural water use and management influences water scarcity in the ferghana valley, central asia oliver watson a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of lund university international masters programme in environmental studies and sustainability science. The central asian valley where borders dissolve in grassroots. Security is also a key objective for the eu when it comes to central asia as the european security strategy outlined many of the issues that central asia is currently facing such as terrorism, extremism, organized crime drug trafficking and human trafficking, and weapons proliferation such as wmds, and wmdrelated materials and technology. Despite huge investments in the water supply during the soviet.
The sustainable use of agricultural land is therefore essential to economic growth, human wellbeing, social equity, and ecosystem services. The waterrelated challenges in central asia undoubtedly represent a critical issue for the regions states and the international community to address. Zalerts allow you to be notified by email about the availability of new books according to your search query. This territory included around 200 more or less distinct ethnolinguistic groups.
The ferghana valley is part of the syr darya basin in central asia see. Russia had conquered central asia in the 19th century by annexing the formerly independent khanates of kokand and khiva and the emirate of bukhara. Their unique geographicgeopolitical location and security issues have made them the main reference objects of central and south asian regional security complexes. The vast steppe areas of central asia are considered together with the steppes of eastern europe as a homogeneous geographical zone known as the eurasian steppe. The heart of central asia studies of central asia and the caucasus. Gravity anomalies over the ferghana valley central asia and. Lonely planet central asia free pdf, djvu, doc, txt. The fergana valley is an intermountain depression in central asia, between the mountain systems of the tienshan in the north and the gissaralai in the south. The uzbek part of the ferghana valley is in the center of the valley, and in the extreme southeast of uzbekistan.
The caliphate sent islamic scholars to the ferghana valley and in the ninth. The ferghana valley has the largest population in central asia up to 250 inhabitants per square kilometre, as compared to an average of 14 inhabitants per sq km in central asia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ferghana valley. Promotion of islamic values in and via central asia. Dec 07, 2018 located at the heart of central asia between kyrgyzstan, uzbekistan and tajikistan, the ferghana valley brings together an ethnic mix from these states born out of the collapse of the soviet union. The ferghana valley is situated in the heart of central asia, which includes presentday kazakhstan, uzbekistan, tajikistan, kyrgyzstan, and turkmenistan. Recent political developments in kyrgyztan and uzbekistan have once again drawn the world s attention to the ferghana valley. These days, major part of the valley of ferghana is included in the soviet socialist republic of uzbekistan, which occupies first place among the central asian republics of the soviet russia for size of population and the level of economic development. Westward the kazakh steppe merges into the russianukrainian steppe and eastward into the steppes and deserts of dzungaria and mongolia. I have to join the troops of readers who enjoyed this book. Eight million people, one third of the population, live in this fertile flood plain of the syr darya river sweeps down from the pamirs into a valley approximately 300 kilometres 190 miles long and 170 kilometres 105 miles wide, surrounded by spurs of the tian shanthe chatkal range to the. With some twelve million inhabitants, the ferghana valley is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Welcome to ferghana valley settled for over 2000 years, this green and gentle land is one of the most densely populated parts of the whole of central asia.
Land and water management patterns in ferghana valley. It has been widely acknowledged that a more efficient water. Located at the heart of central asia between kyrgyzstan, uzbekistan and tajikistan, the ferghana valley brings together an ethnic mix from these states born out of the collapse of the soviet union. Gravity anomalies over the ferghana valley, a deep sedimentary basin in the west em tien shan, differ from those expected for local airy isostatic equilibrium by 120 mgal and imply a deficit of mass beneath the basin equivalent to a moho deeper by 10 km than. Later we pause in kokand, ancient capital of the khans of fergana valley, visiting the stunning khudayar khans palace and the famous friday mosque with 98 wooden columns and artisan centre. It is also one of the fastest growing regions within central asia, experiencing a population growth of 32 percent in the last 10 years.
Promotion of islamic values in and via central asia m. Contemporary art in a global financial market the rise of turkey ferghana valley. The vast steppe areas of central asia are considered together with the steppes of eastern europe as a homogeneous geographical zone known as the eurasian steppe much of the land of central. Just as uzbekistan is the heart of central asia, the ferghana valley is the heart of uzbekistan. As such, the valley has made an inordinate contribution to the history and culture of the region as a whole, as well as significantly affecting the economic, political and religious spheres. Ferghana valley and elsewhere people buy their drinking water and have it delivered by truck if they can afford this. Prison of nations the national question in the soviet union pranjali bandhu more or less the same territory that was within the tsarist empire came into the ambit of the soviet union after the october revolution of 1917. Over time, economic conditions, corruption, and governance. The heart of central asia studies of central asia and the. Ferghana valley has been identified as one of the most prevalent themes in the study of postsoviet central asia. The ferghana valley and fata, two areas of regional importance, are gathering global consequence. This pdf document preserves the page numbering of the printed version for accuracy of citation.
Get to the heart of central asia and begin your journey now. Ferghana valley uzbekistan travel guide at wikivoyage. After the communists took power in 1917 and created the soviet union it was decided to divide central asia into ethnicallybased republics in a process known as national territorial delimitation or ntd. The aral sea, in reality a landlocked terminal lake with no outflow micklin, 1988, is located within the arid environs of central asia. The challenge of regional cooperation in c e n t ral a s i a. Agriculture is major sector in the economy of central asia. Ferghana valley history of ferghana valley dolores travel. Historical records show that the ruler of ferghana paid taxes to the abbasid caliphate. Despite the prevalence of works on the discourses of danger in the ferghana valley, which reinvented postsoviet central asia as a site of intervention, the literature on the conflict potential in the crossborder areas of kyrgyzstan and tajikistan is fairly limited. The heart of central asia is a remarkable volume that offers a very comprehensive and interesting study on the political and social life of the fergana valley and the three countries that include parts of it, uzbekistan, tajikistan and kyrgyzstan, as well as central asia in general.
Get to the heart of fergana valley with one of lonely planet s. Central asia is bounded on the north by the forests of siberia. This is apparent in the ferghana valley s religious heritage, ethnic demographics, and conflicts over water rights, all of which represent factors in the social tensions and recurrent unrest that. The book is based on two general assumptions that can be easily picked from its title and the introductory words of the editor, s. The heart of central asia crc press book the ferghana valley can reasonably be said to lie in the heart of central asia. Transforming risks into cooperation central asia ferghana osh khujand area. While the population density of central asia as a whole is 40. It is a relatively fertile, populous and prosperous area though much of the surrounding country is mountains, steppe or desert. At this time central asia consisted of two autonomous soviet socialist republics assrs within the russian sfsr. Central asia has been divided, redivided, conquered out of existence, and fragmented time and time again. The central asian valley where borders dissolve in.
The northern half of central asia kazakhstan is the middle part of the eurasian steppe. This book looks at the region over time, from its early history to the present. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Divided into three republics of the former soviet union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the early 21st century was the scene of ethnic conflict. Over the past three decades, world politics has changed significantly, with many nonstate actors providing alternative support for development. Kyrgyzstan lies landlocked in the heart of central asia,1 surrounded by communist china, civil. Advanced study in the history of medieval india set of 3. It provides a balance between concepts and skillsbased exercises. The names of two transboundary tributaries are shakhimardansai shared between kyrgyzstan and uzbekistan and khojabakirgansai shared between kyrgyzstan and tajikistan. Soviet rule and the delineation of borders in the ferghana valley, 19171939, with sergey abashin, ravshan abdullaev and arslan koichiev. Central asia had both the advantage and disadvantage of a central location between four historical seats of power. Religious extremism in ferghana valley 405 this led to the battle of talas in 751 ad which marked the victory of islam and the disengagement of china from central asia.
Divided between kyrgyzstan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan. The uzbek districts of andijan, namangan, ferghana. Working paper prepared for the seminar on social categories in population health, organized by the committee on anthropological demography of the international union for the scientific study of population, cairo, egypt. The local district in kazaly is a branch of the kanzsushar. The study would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the u.
This is the first installment of a twopart series on the fergana valley region of central asia, its complex demographics and the history and future of. The 1926 census and the making of the soviet union. Surrounded by a ring of mountains, the ferghana valley is the fertile confluence of kyrgyzstan, tajikistan and uzbekistan, each home to enclaves of ethnic groups within their territories1. The ferghana valley 19 two massacres 19 is ferghana still a trouble spot. Topography and hydrography of the ferghana valley gridarendal.
The han imperial regime required ferghana horses and imported such great numbers of them that the rulers of ferghana closed their borders to such trade. Development and security in southeast asia is a threevolume series that addresses the complex and difficultbut very importantnexus between the dynamics of development and the challenges to security p. Population 1 million, most of who are ethnic kyrgyz. Roach this paper, in its entirety, can be found at. This is a hard, rural place, with cotton fields worked with sweat and picked by hand. The fall of soviet union has fundamentally altered the conditions for the emergence of nongovernmental organizations ngos in central asia in general and tajikistan in particular. Transitioning to emerging markets the handbook of global outsourcing and offshoring buying into the regime. Ferghana valley area of 22,000 square kilometers, home to 10 million people. Central asia has served more as the battleground for outside powers than as a power in its own right. Bishkek capital city of kyrgyzstan located in the north close to the kyrgyzstankazakhstan border. This fusion of central asian and persian culture was. In geographical terms ferghana valley is a depression between the tian shan mountains in the north and the gissaralai range in the south. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of the author, isbn or anything else.
The ferghana valley can reasonably be said to lie in the heart of central asia. Not only is the ferghana valley a region, where three major ethnic. Reexamining conflict and cooperation in central asia. States and societies from soviet rule to independence, ithaca. The timurids, a turkic people, brought the turkic nomadic culture of central asia within the orbit of persian civilisation, establishing herat as one of the most cultured and refined cities in the world. This is a part of the legendary great silk road that stretched from xian changan in china to kashgar, continued west through central asia and iran to the caspian en route to its ultimate western terminus, the roman empire in europe. The valley is approximately 300 kilometres 190 mi long and up to 70 kilometres 43 mi wide, forming an area covering 22,000 square kilometres 8,500 sq mi. Ringed by semiarid mountains whose topography largely forbids largescale, mechanised agriculture, its unsurprising that this fertile belt that stretches across three countries uzbekistan. Central asia is an extremely large region of varied geography, including high passes and mountains, vast deserts kyzyl kum, taklamakan, and especially treeless, grassy steppes. On arrival in the fergana valley many visitors wonder where the valley is. Other fightersmany from central asias restive ferghana valley, joined in the tajikistan civil war from 19921997, while others carried off sporadic attacks in southern kyrgyzstan. Sample lamb kebabs and nan bread from roadside grills, hike through the spectacular canyons of the kyrgyz alatau range, or marvel at yasaui mausoleums beautiful architecture. In central asia itself, recruitment has been particularly active in the agricultural south of tajikistan khatlon province, 19 isolated mining and oildrilling cities in the western kazakh desert zhezkazgan, aktobe, atyrau and in predominantly ethnic uzbek communities in kyrgyzstans ferghana valley. The fergana valley is a valley in central asia spread across eastern uzbekistan, southern kyrgyzstan and northern tajikistan.
Babar was born at andizhan andijan, thecapial of ferghana,on february 14,1483. Soviet rule and the delineation of borders in the ferghana valley, 19171930 ferghana valley. From its birth before christ, through the heights of the tang dynasty, until its slow demise six to seven hundred years ago, the silk road has had a unique role in foreign trade and political relations, stretching far beyond the bounds of asia itself. Understanding crossborder conflict in postsoviet central. The heart of central asia studies of central asia and the caucasus kindle edition by starr, s. Development and dialogue in the heart of central asia, new york. This collaboratively author, multidimensional examination of the history and current status of the most volatile region of formerly soviet central asia offers unmatched depth and breadth and balance, with contributions by an international, interdisciplinary team of experts on the region. The densely populated region has been long portrayed as a site of latent interethnic conflict. More than many others ive read regarding the romanovs, both fiction and non, this is an unique view of the family as seen from an insider. The environment examines the environmental dimensions of these linkages in southeast asia. The politics of national identity in central asia 16 4. Ferghana valley states fell precipitously in 2014 due to russia s economic recession and the fall of the ruble. Dayuan, north of bactria, was a nation centered in the ferghana valley of presentday central asia, and even as early as the han dynasty, china projected its military power to that area. It has a central position and is the capital of ferghana country4 as the little country of fergana possesses a rich soil, in ferghana, as in transoxianain general, the older in habitants of the towns and of the cultivated country were.
Eight million people, one third of the population, live in this fertile flood plain of the syr darya. Radical islamists have always been interested in central asia, a historic center of classical islam located today in a region of strategic importance. In the era of the global war on terror, they are growing increasingly attractive for terrorists and extremists. This is the first installment of a twopart series on the fergana valley region of central asia, its complex demographics and the history and future of conflicts in the area. Historically, central asia has been an important part of the islamic world. The whole valley, both this part and the parts in other countries, is on the main route of the old silk road route between kashgar and samarkand. The many dimensions of central asian conflict 5 the religious factor 10 the lack of a communications space 3. Ferghana valley the heart of central asia with some twelve million inhabitants, the ferghana valley is one of the most densely populated places in the world. However, salinization, erosion, and desertification cause severe land degradation which, in turn, degrade human health and ecosystem services. Regarding the ferghana valley a central asian specialist wrote, it exhibits the most vivid example of the islamic evolution taking place throughout the region and exposes afghanistans ideological impact on central asia. Westward the kazakh steppe merges into the russianukrainian steppe and eastward into the steppes and deserts of. These are access to and quality if natural resources primarily water and land but also forest and more generally biodiversity resources, existing or potential pollution from industrial facilities, hazardous and radioactive waste sites. A large triangular valley in what is an often dry part of central asia, the fergana owes its fertility to two rivers, the naryn and the kara darya, which run from the east, joining near namangan, forming the syr darya ri. Rimse radical islam monitor in southeast europe seeks to expose islamist activities both violent and non violent in the region of southeast europe.
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