Fergana-Kyrgyzstan to Taskent- Uzbekistan
Having crossed the mountain passes on the Silk Route and stayed at Osh we were bound for Tashkent. First a journey of three hours, that crosses the Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan border the takes gives us to the town of Fregana. The second part, 5 hours, brings us to Tashkent. The photos show some of the farming along the way. A remarkable trip back in history to see silk being spun and woven by hand plus some very old machines. Then another mountain pass as we leave the fertile Fregana Valley and head over the desert to Tashkent.
Daphne adds some editorial. “Crossing both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is the fertile valley of Fergana (22,000 sq km flat bowl). With this rich soil and endless water feed by Tian Shan mountains to the North and the Pamir Alay to the South, the Fergana Valley is Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan most populous and industrial area.
As one of Central Asia biggest oasis, with some of the finest soil and climate the valley has been long prized by conquers. The Russians were quick to realize the valley’s fruitfulness and fertility and Soviet rulers enslaved it to an obsessive raw cotton monoculture that still exists today.
Crossing from Kyrgyzstan into Uzbekistan also reveals a change in living standards as the latter has both oil and mining.
Of all the Stans Uzbekistan is the wealthiest and her newly built national capital, Tashkent, reflects this with institutions of power, wide tree lined streets and endless fountains."