Above: Devonaboy Jome Mosque,Second: Statue of Z.M. Babur, Andhjan Chapel of Saint George,Third:Andijan State University, Zubayr Ibn Avvom Jame Mosque,Bottom: Panoramic view ofNavoi Square (all relative items are left to right)
Andijan (/ˌændɪˈdʒæn,-ˈdʒɑːn/AN-dih-JAN, -JAHN), also speltAndijon (Uzbek:[ˌændɪˈdʒɒn]) and formerlyromanized asAndizhan (Russian:Андижан[əndʲɪˈʐan]), is a city inUzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center ofAndijan Region.[2] Andijan is a district-level city with an area of 74 km2 (29 sq mi).[3] Andijan is the most densely populated city with density of 10,000 people/km2 and it had 747,800 inhabitants in 2024.[4] Andijan is located in a tense border region at the south-eastern edge of theFergana Valley near Uzbekistan's border withKyrgyzstan.[5]
At more 2,500 years in age, Andijan is the oldest city in Uzbekistan[6] and 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 centuriesB.C.E. Historically, Andijan was an important city on theSilk Road.
The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace ofBabur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for theMughal dynasty in theIndian 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 theAndijan Massacre.
Andijan experiences frequent seismic activity and was destroyed by alarge earthquake in 1902.[7] This was the worst earthquake to occur in Uzbekistan in the 20th century.[8]
The origin of the name of the city is uncertain. Arab geographers of the 10th century referred to Andijan as "Andukan," "Andugan," or "Andigan."[9] The traditional explanation links the name of the city to the Turkic tribal namesAndi andAdoq/Azoq.[10]
Andijan is one of the oldest cities in theFergana Valley. In some parts of the city, archeologists have found items dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries.[10] Historically, Andijan was an important city on theSilk Road.[11]
The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace ofBabur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for theMughal dynasty in theIndian Subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor.[12]
After the formation of theKhanate of Kokand in the 18th century, the capital was moved from Andijan toKokand. In the mid-19th century, theRussian Empire began occupying the area of present-dayCentral 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 theAndijan Uprising of 1898 in which the followers ofSufi leaderMadali 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.[13]
On 16 December 1902, much of the city was leveled by a severeearthquake which destroyed up to 30,000 homes in the region and killed as many as 4,500 residents.[11][14] AfterSoviet rule was established in Andijan in 1917, the city quickly became an important industrial city in theUzbek SSR.
During the Soviet demarcation ofCentral Asia,[when?] Andijan was separated from its historicalhinterland as theFerghana Valley was divided among three separate Soviet republics. Andijan itself became part of theUzbek SSR.
DuringWorld War II, many Soviet citizens were evacuated to Andijan and the surrounding towns. Of theJewish refugees fleeingNazi-occupied Poland and banished by the Soviets toSiberia andCentral Asia, some relocated to Andijan starting in 1941.
In the 1990s, Andijan and the surrounding region became politically unstable. Poverty and an upsurge inIslamic fundamentalism produced tensions in the region. The town, and the region as a whole, suffered a severe economic decline following thefall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Repeated border closures badly damaged the local economy, worsening the already widespread poverty of Andijan's inhabitants.
On 13 May 2005, Uzbekistan's military opened fire on a mass of people who were protesting against poor living conditions and corrupt government.[15][16][17] The estimates of those killed on 13 May range from 187, the official count of the government, to several hundred.[15][18] A defector from theSNB alleged that 1,500 were killed.[19] The bodies of many of those who died were allegedly hidden inmass graves following themassacre.[20]
TheUzbek government at first stated that theIslamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and that the protesters were members ofHizb ut-Tahrir.[21] 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 acolour revolution or acted legitimately to quell a prison break is also disputed.[22][23][24][25] Another theory is that the dispute was really an inter-clan struggle for state power.[17] The Uzbek government eventually acknowledged that poor economic conditions in the region and popular resentment played a role in the uprising.[26]
Panorama of Navoi Square where the 2005 massacre took place
Detailed French map of 1882, showing position of Andijan (here spelled “Andidjâne”, slightly right of centre) in the Fergana valley
Andijan is located 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level on the southeastern edge of theFergana Valley, near Uzbekistan's border withKyrgyzstan.[10] By road it is 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast ofAsaka and 68.6 kilometres (42.6 mi) southeast ofNamangan.[27]
Andijan has a coldsemi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSk) with cold winters and hot summers, with a verycontinental climate, although winters are milder than one might expect for a location in Central Asia. Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and summers are particularly dry.
Fertile soils, abundance ofheat andlight, long frost-free period (about 210 days a year) favor the cultivation of heat-loving crops -cotton,mulberry, citrus and other subtropical crops in the vicinity of the city.
Andijan is surrounded by thefoothills of thePamir andTian Shan mountains, which in summer are covered with snowy peaks, and in the lower reaches are enveloped by forest groves ofwalnut andconiferous forests.
Winters are usually mild and short.Winds are weaker than in the western parts of the valley, averaging 5 m/s, and average annual precipitation is 232 mm per year.Summers are comparatively less hot than in Central Asia.
"Andijonsoy"canal, which crosses Andijan from south-east to north-west (urban length of the canal is 20 km withstream bed width from 5 to 10 meters);
2 rowing canals in the north-west suburb of Andijan (according to the newsite plan they are not included in thecity limits) are parallel and have a length of about 2.8 km with a width of 35-45 meters;
TheKara Darya River flows from the north-east to the north-west of Andijan and its suburbs 3-5 km from the city limits.
Despite the fact that in some places the urban neighborhoods of Andijan'ssuburbs and the buildings of theTashkent State Agrarian University are adjacent to the river, thewaterfront was not included in the new general plan of Andijan (adopted and approved in 2017) and in the city limits.
Thevegetation of Andijan is diverse and rich. The city itself is decorated with exotic, ornamental, subtropical, fruit, citrus, nut, coniferous and deciduous crops of trees and shrubs.Floriculture andhorticulture are widely developed.
In the years of Uzbekistan's independence, great importance was attached to planting exotic and subtropical crops to replace the year-round weedychinar.
In the city streets, squares, alleys and near administrative buildings began to be planted:
Andijan has been an important craft and trade center in theFergana Valley since the 15th century. Afterannexation 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.[30] Several hospitals, pharmacies, banks, and printing houses were established in the city during that period. AfterSoviet rule was established in late December 1917, bothlight andheavy industries developed significantly. Andijan became the first city in Uzbekistan to be fully supplied withnatural gas.[30]
The etymology of the name of the city of Andijan is complex and yet to be fully determined, involving as it does not only the speculation of certain scholars but also the cautious interpretation of several local folk legends:
The emergence of the city is associated with the name of the Turanian princess Adinajan, daughter ofAfrosiab, the legendary ruler of ancient Turan. In search of a cure for her chronic ill-health, the ailing princess sought and found healing in one of the mountain valleys of the foothills ofTakht-e Soleymān. To commemorate her miraculous recovery, Afrosiab built for his beloved daughter a castle, surrounded by a great and wondrous garden, in the lush valley which had restored her to health. Consequently this area, located in the lower reaches of the mountain river Oshsay, was named Adinajan, after the princess, and the city, which later grew up around her castle, was given the name Andijan, a modified form of her name. To do her further honour, the doting Afrosiab made Andijan the capital of his majestic kingdom ofTuran.
The origin of the toponym is directly connected with the Turkic-speaking peoples "Adok", "Azok" and "Andi". Folk rumor says that in ancient times these lands were inhabited by the Andi tribe, i.e. Hindus, and therefore the area was called "Andukan" (or "Hindu refuge").
The name of the city is connected with the name of the so-called "discoverer" of the region, who laid the foundation of the future city. His name was Andi. So, in honor of the ancient builder-architect the city was named "Andijan".
Russian historian V. P. Nalivkin supposes that the toponym "Andigan" appeared due to the name of the Turkic tribe Andi. The fact is that until some time residents of neighboring regions often called Andijan Uzbeks by the name of Andi, and claimed that Andi were of the same origin as those Turks who lived in the cities ofCentral Asia.
According toVasily Bartold, Andijan was founded byMongol Khans at the end of the XIII century. Turks from different tribes and clans were transferred here. At the end of the XV century Andijan was considered a predominantly Turkic city in Fergana.[31]
The state of Andia existed in the southern part of theCaspian Sea.[32]
Andi is a place of meeting andkurultais ofTurkic tribes to solve friendly and important issues.
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. In 2022,Andijan state institute of foreign languages was founded, being the only state institute where foreign languages are taught. 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.[30]
Andijan Jame Mosque Complex architectural monument (late 19th century). It consists of a mosque, a madrasa, and a minaret. In the mid-19th century, the city status was granted to settlements with a mosque inUzbekistan.[33] The construction of the Mosque Complex took place from 1883 to 1890[34][33][35] and it covers a total area of 1.5 hectares.[35]
^Pospelov, E. M. (1998).Geographical Names of the World. Toponymic Dictionary (in Russian). Moscow: Russkie slovari. p. 36.ISBN5-89216-029-7.
^abcdeZiyayev, Baxtiyor (2000–2005). "Andijon".Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi (in Uzbek). Toshkent.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^abc"Andijon".Ensiklopedik lugʻat (in Uzbek). Vol. 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.JSTOR130563.
^Beehner, Lionel (June 26, 2006)."Documenting Andijan".Council on Foreign Relations. Archived fromthe original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved7 April 2014.
^abBurnashev, Rustam; Irina Chernykh. "Changes in Uzbekistan's military policy after the Andijan Events".China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly.5 (I):67–73.
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