Kokand

Kokand (also Khoqand, Quqon or Qo'qon) is a city on the southwestern edge of the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan. Population was about 200,000 as of 1999.

Understand
Kokand is a trading city on the Silk Road, at a junction where a route going north to Tashkent branches off the main trail from Samarkand through the Ferghana Valley and over a pass to Kashgar. It has existed for at least a thousand years.

The city's glory days were 1709-1876 when it ruled the Kokand Kanate, which included parts of what are now four countries. The Russians put an end to that. Yakub Beg, who was born near Kokand and started his career in the Khan's army, built a kingdom around Kashgar and ruled much of what is now Xinjiang in the late 19th century, but Chinese forces ended that.

By train
Uzbek Railways operates daily trains from Tashkent, additionally there are 1-2 services per week from Moscow.



See
At one time, Kokand had over 300 mosques; some of those survive.