Ferghana region (Turkestan ASSR)

The Ferghana region is one of the five regions of the Turkestan ASSR as part of the RSFSR . It was formed on April 30, 1918 , instead of the region with the same name , which was part of the Turkestan Territory (Governor General) of the Russian Empire . The Ferghana region of the Turkestan ASSR occupied exactly the same territory as the Ferghana region of the Turkestan region of the Russian Empire. The name of the region comes from the Ferghana Valley .

Ferghana region of Turkestan ASSR
Uzbek فرغانا ولایاتی
Map of Turkestan ASSR. Ferghana region is highlighted in gray-blue color.
A country	the USSR RSFSR
Included in	Turkestan ASSR
Includes	5 counties
Adm. Centre	Skobelev
History and Geography
Date of formation	April 30, 1918
Date of Abolition	October 14, 1924
Square	160 141 km²
The largest city	Kokand
Dr. big cities	Namangan , Andijan , Osh , Margilan , Jalalabad
Population
Population	About 2 million people
Nationalities	mostly Uzbeks , also Kyrgyz , Russians , Tajiks , Pamir peoples and others
Denominations	mostly Muslims - Sunnis , also Christians and Zoroastrians
official languages	Russian and Uzbek
Continuity ← Ferghana Region (Russian Empire) Uzbek SSR → Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic → Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region →

The Ferghana region of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished on October 14, 1924 , and its territory, along with the other regions of Central Asia, was divided between the newly formed union republics during the national-territorial demarcation . The territory of the Ferghana region was divided between the Uzbek SSR , the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in its composition, and the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Region as part of the RSFSR .

The administrative center of the region was the city of Skobelev (now Ferghana) . The largest city in the region was Kokand . Other large cities of the region: Namangan , Andijan , Osh , Margilan and Jalalabad . The region was divided into 5 counties : Andijan, Kokand, Margilan, Namangan and Osh, the administrative centers of which were Andijan, Kokand, Skobelev, Namangan and Osh, respectively.

In the north and north-west it bordered on the Syr Darya region of the Turkestan ASSR, in the north-east it bordered on the Dzhetysu region of the Turkestan ASSR, in the west on the Samarkand region of the Turkestan ASSR, on the south-west with the Bukhara emirate (then the Bukhara People’s Soviet Republic and the Bukhara Socialist Soviet Republic ), from the south with the Emirate of Afghanistan , and from the east with the Xinjian region of the Republic of China .

About 2 million people lived in the region. The bulk of the population were Uzbeks . Also, a significant number of Russians , Tajiks and Kara-Kyrgyz (i.e., Kyrgyz) , as well as the Pamir peoples , Uyghurs , Tatars and others lived . The population mainly professed Sunni Islam, but at the same time there were a fairly large number of Ismaili Muslims . Also, a large proportion of the population professed Christianity (mainly Orthodoxy ) and Zoroastrianism . The region was one of the main centers of Uyghur immigration from neighboring China.

Due to the very fertile soil and nature, the region’s economy was based on agriculture (mainly growing vegetables and fruits , cotton and wheat ), animal husbandry , silkworm breeding , beekeeping . Also, the textile industry , as well as folk crafts and crafts, such as carpet weaving , the production of clay and ceramic dishes and products, the manufacture of knives , goods and clothes from leather and wool and the like, also brought part of the region’s income.

The main part of the region was located on the territory of the very fertile Ferghana Valley , surrounded by highlands. The Pamir mountains surrounded the region from the south, and the Tien Shan mountains from the east and north. On the territory of the Ferghana region was the source of the longest river in Central Asia - the Syr Darya .