The city is located in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountain range at the foot of the small Ayub-Tau mountains, at an altitude of 763 m above sea level in the Kogart valley. The distance to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, is approximately 605 km. The city of Osh is located 105 km to the southwest. The climate is subtropical and dry, with hot summers reaching +43˚C, sunny autumns with rare downpours, and warm winters with increased humidity and an average temperature of around 0˚C. The relative humidity from June to October is low — 30%, and even lower during the hot summer months. Annual precipitation is about 460 mm. The distance from significant water bodies contributes to the continentality and aridity of the climate. The average annual temperature is +13°C, with +25 to +30°C in July, and −3 to −5°C in January.
The area where the city is located is widely known for its mineral springs and therapeutic mud.
It originated as a kishlak (village) near the healing springs located on the Ayub-Tau mountain above the Kogart valley, which were visited by patients from all over the Fergana Valley. In the early 19th century, a fortress of the Kokand Khanate was built here. The locals served the pilgrims to the mineral springs and engaged in agriculture. With the growth of the population of the kishlak, craftsmen appeared: potters, artisans, and cottage industries developed, which later gave rise to small processing enterprises.
In 1870, Russian settlers arrived in the city along with the Russian garrison. A military hospital was built. Since 1876, Jalal-Abad has been part of the Kokand district of the Fergana region of the Russian Empire, and in 1877 it received city status. This period also marks the first mention of the settlement named Jalalabad in official historical documents.
In 1915, a section of the railway from Andijan to Karasu to Jalal-Abad was opened. The line was private and was built by the Fergana Railway Society. After the 1917 revolution, the railway line was nationalized.
In mid-1918, the Basmachi led by Madamin-bek, along with remnants of the White Army, captured Osh and Jalal-Abad. In response, troops under the command of Mikhail Frunze moved south into Kyrgyzstan and by the end of 1919 had driven the Basmachi forces into the mountains. On May 27, 1920, Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze spoke at the railway station before railway workers and sent telegram No. 00031 to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin about the situation in Turkestan, which is commemorated by a plaque on the railway station building.
In 1928, a section of the railway from Jalal-Abad to Bagish (14 kilometers long) was put into operation, and in 1932 the railway line was extended to Kok-Yangak (15 kilometers long) to supply Jalal-Abad and Uzbekistan with coal.
Since 1935, a pedagogical college has been in operation.
For a long time, the Jalal-Abad station was the terminus for long-distance passenger trains in the Fergana Valley. Only suburban trains ran to the Kok-Yangak station, and on the section from Karasu to Osh, only suburban trains also operated, and train services ceased in 1978 (despite the fact that Jalal-Abad was one of the district centers of the Osh region at that time, and its population was several times smaller than that of Osh). Among the reasons were the presence of a locomotive maintenance point and workshops for equipping carriages in Jalal-Abad, which had never existed in Osh, the light profile of the track on the Karasu-Jalal-Abad section, and probably a nod to tradition — the Jalal-Abad station was established before the Osh station. Historically, the city of Jalal-Abad has been the main "railway gateway" of the region.
