| Andijan | |
| Native Name: | Andijon/Андижон |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Uzbekistan |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 290 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Uzbekistan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name: | Uzbekistan |
| Subdivision Name1: | Andijan Region |
| Established Title: | First mention |
| Established Date: | V-IV BC |
| Leader Title: | Hokim |
| Leader Name: | Bakhromjon Khaydarov |
| Area Total Km2: | 74.3 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Total: | 747,800 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | UZT |
| Utc Offset: | +5 |
| Timezone Dst: | not observed |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +5 |
| Coordinates: | 40.7833°N 92°W |
| Elevation M: | 500 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 170100[1] |
| Area Code: | +998 74 |
| Other Name: | Андижан |
Andijan (sometimes spelled Andijon or Andizhan in English) (Uzbek: Andijon / Андижон / اندیجان; Persian: اندیجان, Andijân/Andīǰān; Russian: Андижан, Andižan) is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region.[2] Andijan is a district-level city with an area of .[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 the Fergana Valley near Uzbekistan's border with Kyrgyzstan.[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 centuries B.C.E. Historically, Andijan was an important city on the Silk Road.
The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Babur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian 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 the Andijan Massacre.
Andijan was developed into an important industrial city during the Soviet era. Manufactured goods produced in the city include chemicals, domestic appliances, electronics, foodstuffs, furniture, plows, pumps, shoes, spare parts for farming machines, various engineering tools, and wheelchairs.
Andijan experiences frequent seismic activity and was destroyed by a large 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 names Andi and Adoq/Azoq.[10]
Andijan is 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 centuries.[10] Historically, Andijan was an important city on the Silk Road.[11]
The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Babur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor.[12]
After the formation of the Khanate of Kokand in the 18th century, the capital was moved from Andijan to Kokand. In the mid-19th century, the Russian Empire began occupying the area of present-day Central 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 the Andijan Uprising of 1898 in which the followers of Sufi leader Madali 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]
See main article: 1902 Andijan earthquake.
On 16 December 1902, much of the city was leveled by a severe earthquake which destroyed up to 30,000 homes in the region and killed as many as 4,500 residents.[11] [14] After Soviet rule was established in Andijan in 1917, the city quickly became an important industrial city in the Uzbek SSR.
During the Soviet demarcation of Central Asia, Andijan was separated from its historical hinterland as the Ferghana Valley was divided among three separate Soviet republics. Andijan itself became part of the Uzbek SSR.
During World War II, many Soviet citizens were evacuated to Andijan and the surrounding towns. Of the Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Poland and banished by the Soviets to Siberia and Central Asia, some relocated to Andijan starting in 1941.
In the 1990s, Andijan and the surrounding region became politically unstable. Poverty and an upsurge in Islamic fundamentalism produced tensions in the region. The town, and the region as a whole, suffered a severe economic decline following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Repeated border closures badly damaged the local economy, worsening the already widespread poverty of Andijan's inhabitants.
See main article: Andijan massacre. 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 the SNB alleged that 1,500 were killed.[19] The bodies of many of those who died were allegedly hidden in mass graves following the massacre.[20]
The Uzbek government at first stated that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and that the protesters were members of Hizb 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 a colour 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]
Andijan is located above sea level on the southeastern edge of the Fergana Valley, near Uzbekistan's border with Kyrgyzstan.[10] By road it is northeast of Asaka and southeast of Namangan.[27]
Andijan has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with cold winters and hot summers, with a very continental 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 of heat and light, 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 the foothills of the Pamir and Tian Shan mountains, which in summer are covered with snowy peaks, and in the lower reaches are enveloped by forest groves of walnut and coniferous 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.
Main water arteries of Andijan city:
Despite the fact that in some places the urban neighborhoods of Andijan's suburbs and the buildings of the Tashkent State Agrarian University are adjacent to the river, the waterfront was not included in the new general plan of Andijan (adopted and approved in 2017) and in the city limits.
The vegetation 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 and horticulture 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 weedy chinar.
In the city streets, squares, alleys and near administrative buildings began to be planted:
Conifers have been well established in Andijan for many decades, and over the last 25 years coniferous and fir trees have become very popular in the city (especially picea abies and blue spruce, archa, juniper, fir, cupressus, pine and cedrus).
Chestnuts and walnuts are also being planted in Andijan, almonds, pistachios, diospyros, elaeagnus angustifolia, jujube, pomegranate trees, wine trees (yellow and black figs), laurus and various fruit trees are growing in the courtyards.
In 2022, Andijan had a population of 458,500.[4] Representatives of many ethnic groups can be found in the city. Uzbeks are the largest ethnic group.
Andijan has been an important craft and trade center in the Fergana Valley since the 15th century. After annexation 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.[28] Several hospitals, pharmacies, banks, and printing houses were established in the city during that period. After Soviet rule was established in late December 1917, both light and heavy industries developed significantly. Andijan became the first city in Uzbekistan to be fully supplied with natural gas.[28]
Andijan remains an important industrial city in independent Uzbekistan. There are 48 large industrial plants and about 3,000 small and medium enterprises in the city.[10] Manufactured goods produced in the city include chemicals, domestic appliances, electronics, foodstuffs, furniture, plows, pumps, shoes, spare parts for farming machines, various engineering tools, and wheelchairs. Andijan is also home to over 50 international companies, five of which produce spare parts for GM Uzbekistan.
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:
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.[28]
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 in Uzbekistan.[31] The construction of the Mosque Complex took place from 1883 to 1890[32] and it covers a total area of 1.5 hectares.[33]