Osh
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Osh (Kyrgyz: Ош) is the seicont lairgest ceety in Kyrgyzstan, locatit in the Fergana Valley in the sooth o the kintra an aften referred tae as the "caipital o the sooth". The ceety is at least 3,000 year auld, an haes served as the administrative centre o Osh Province syne 1939. The ceety haes an ethnically mixed population o aboot 220,000 (in 2003), comprisin Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Roushies, Tajiks, an ither smawer ethnic groups.
Osh Ош | |
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Ceety | |
Panoramic view o Osh | |
Coordinates: 40°31′48″N 72°48′0″E | |
Kintra | Kyrgyzstan |
Province | Osh Province |
Population (2003) | |
• Total | 220,000 |
Osh is a lively place, wi the lairgest an maist croudit ootdoor market in aw o Central Asie. The ceety's industrial base, established during the Soviet period, lairgely collapsed efter the break-up o the Soviet Union an haes stairtit tae revive ae gradually. The proximity o the Uzbek border, which cuts throu historically linkt territories an settlements, deprives Osh o muckle o its umwhile hinterland an presents a serious obstacle tae tred an economic development. Daily flichts link Osh - an hence the soothren pairt o Kyrgyzstan - tae Bishkek an the north, an the recent upgradin o the lang an arduous road throu the muntains tae Bishkek haes greatly improved communications.
The ceety haes several monuments, includin ane tae the soothren Kyrgyz "queen" Kurmanjan Datka an ane o the few remainin statues o Lenin. A Roushie Orthodox kirk, reopened efter the demise o the Soviet Union, the lairgest mosque in the kintra (situatit beside the bazaar), an the 16t-century Rabat Abdul Khan Mosque can be foond here. The ae Warld Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan, the Sulayman Muntain, affers a splendid view o Osh an its environs. A cave in the muntain is the site o a museum containin a collection o archaeological, geological an historical fynds an information aboot local flora an fauna.