Things to see and do Ferghana

This is where the people of Ferghana come to get some coolness on the hottest days. A little higher up is the tomb of "Grandfather Satkat", on the very spot where he fought against the hordes of Genghis Khan who swept over his country. He repulsed the first attacks of the Mongols but this did not prevent them from breaking into his camp one night and killing him to end the resistance. The tomb is a small place of pilgrimage, next to which an imam prays for visitors who come to pay their respects.

The former Governor's Gardens have been redeveloped into a municipal park and Mustakillik Avenue, which borders it, into a pedestrian street. This is where the department stores, banks and post office are located. The park is a walking area where you can breathe surprisingly well, almost forgetting that you are in the country's second largest industrial city. It is common to see wedding convoys passing by, taking photographs in front of the gigantic statue of Al-Ferghani, a local scientist known for his work in astronomy.

A very classic regional museum, with an exhibition of regional objects from the 19th and 20th centuries, numerous reconstructions from the prehistoric era to cotton cultivation, some unavoidable stuffed animals in very poor condition, a three-dimensional map of the Ferghana valley... The most interesting pieces are old black and white photos of the Soviet conquest and the Andijan revolt. On the second floor, don't miss a room dedicated to handicrafts, especially Rishtan ceramics.

In this cemetery lies, to the left about thirty metres from the entrance, the French explorer in Central Asia, Joseph Martin, who died in Ferghana in 1892. Falling in love with the steppe, he undertook explorations in Siberia. His work earned him many distinctions in France and Russia. In 1888, he made his third trip, but contracted malaria between Lanzhou and Hotan. It was almost blind that he finally joined Marguilan and Ferghana. He was rushed to hospital, but could not be saved and died on May 23, 1892.

The bazaar of Ferghana is worth a detour: it is the largest and busiest bazaar in the Ferghana valley, at least in the Uzbek part of the valley. The atmosphere is at its most intense on Sundays and the din is most deafening under the covered area. Like many bazaars in Uzbekistan, products such as meat and fish are concentrated under a single glass hall, and clothing and textile vendors each have their own small shop. Around it, the atmosphere remains more authentic. Bread, fruit, vegetables, always skillfully arranged..