Fergana

The Fergana Valley is a valley in Central Asia spread across eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan.Divided into three republics of the former Soviet Union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the early 21st century was the scene of ethnic conflict. A large triangular valley in what is an often dry part of Central Asia, the Fergana owes its fertility to two rivers, the Naryn and the Kara Darya, which run from the east, joining near Namangan, forming the Syr Darya river. The valley’s history stretches back over 2,300 years, when Alexander the Great founded Alexandria Eschate at its southwestern end.

The valley was formed millions of years ago, and its floor, which slopes gently from an elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) or more in the east to 1,050 feet (320 m) at Khujand, is composed of a thick bed of deposits brought down from the surrounding mountains. At the foot of the latter, and separated from them in places by a depression, is a belt of low, barren hills, called adyr. The numerous rivers descending from the mountains cut through the adyr zone to irrigate an almost unbroken chain of fertile oases that surround an area of salt marshes and sand dunes in the lowest part of the valley. The climate is continental, with moderately cold winters and hot summers, and precipitation is low, particularly in the western part of the valley. The main river is the Syr Darya, which flows along the northern edge of the valley. Most of the other rivers are entirely used for irrigation, and there are several major irrigation canals, including the Great (Bolshoy), Southern (Yuzhny), and Northern (Severny) Fergana canals.