The city has a population of 242,462 (2020). It historically developed around theSyr Darya river and was the site of aKokand fortress. The population of the city with nearby villages is 312,861 (2020).[2]
A settlement existed underSeljuk, the founder of the Seljuk dynasty. The modern city began in 1817[3] as the site of aKokand fortress known asAk-Mechet, orwhite mosque.[4] The later-famousYaqub Beg was once the fort's commander, but he was not in command during the final battle. In 1853, during theRussian conquest of Turkestan, the fort was taken by Russian troops under GeneralVasily Perovsky.[4] The Russians established a new fort and called itFort-Perovsky (Форт-Перо́вский), after the general.
The town ofPerovsk (Перо́вск) inRussian Turkestan later developed around the fort.[4] In 1925, the city was renamed Kzyl-Orda (Кзыл-Орда)[4] and was designated as the capital of theKazak ASSR. The name meansa red city, from the Turkic "кзыл" (red; used here in the commonSoviet ideological connotation) and the Turkic Mongolian "орда" (city).[4] In 1927, the capital was relocated to the southeastern region andAlma-Ata.
Since independence, many of theouthouses were erected in several apartment buildings used as dormitories during Soviet rule due to a lack of sewage systems forindoor plumbing. ARFE/RL report in April 2018 stated that theKazakh Republic government was planning to modernize Soviet-era buildings.[5]
Kyzylorda has a colddesert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWk) with hot summers and cold winters.Precipitation is low throughout the year, particularly in the summer months. Snow is common, though light, in winter. The lowest temperature on record is −36.1 °C (−33.0 °F), recorded in February 1969, and the former highest temperature was 46.0 °C (114.8 °F), recorded on July 7, 1975,[6] with the current record high temperature of 46.5 °C (115.7 °F) being recorded on July 7, 2021.[7]
Climate data for Kyzylorda (1991–2020, extremes 1856–present)
Kyzylorda State University (KSU) afterKorkyt ata[10] is the leading center of education, a science and culture center in theAral region of the RepublicKazakhstan. Established in 1950, the university trains highly skilled specialists in 54 specialties at 11 faculties.
Points of interest for tourists in the Kyzylorda region include the vanishedAral Sea and theBaikonur cosmodrome, archaeological excavations inSauran andShyganak, the memorial complex of Korkyt Ata, and several ancient mausoleums.[11]
^Valikhanof et al, The Russians in Central Asia, 1865, page 315, says " according to Kirgiz accounts, about the year 1817." Kirgiz meant Kazakh at that time.
Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary." Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.
