Osh. Economic Activities
Coat of Arms of the City of Osh
Agriculture and farming have always played an important role in the economy of Osh during the pre-revolutionary period. This is similar to other late feudal cities in Central Asia, whose populations were equally closely tied to the land.
Most of the Osh farmers were residents of the old ("indigenous") part of the city, which was even designated as a separate tax district within the Osh county. Its lands were located around the city. In 1903-1905, the crops of the Osh district amounted to 8,927 desiatinas, including 3,916 desiatinas of wheat and 2,693 desiatinas of corn. The residents of Osh primarily grew cereal crops, the range of which was the same as that of the sedentary farmers in the county.
In 1915, the Osh residents sowed 3,934 tanapas of land with cotton.
Some of the Osh farmers engaged in gardening and melon growing. Many households had small gardens. The assortment of fruit trees was dominated by local species — apricot and mulberry, traditional for southern Turkestan horticulture. With the beginning of the 20th century, beekeeping began to develop in Osh, initiated by the Osh forester, who imported bees from the Caucasus: In 1905, his apiary had more than 50 hives. By 1911, three Osh beekeepers had a total of 161 hives.
Animal husbandry played a predominantly supplementary role for the townspeople. In the early 20th century, the residents of the city had 9,000 to 11,000 heads of livestock — almost half as many as in the mid-1890s. The composition and ratio of animal species show that the townspeople primarily kept working cattle — oxen and horses (the latter were also owned by Osh residents engaged in transportation). Sheep were raised for personal use, while wealthier households raised them for sale. Goats and donkeys were kept by less affluent townspeople, whose means did not allow them to feed a cow or horse. The breeds of livestock and horses were mainly local. In 1914, a breeding stable with 8 stallions of Swedish blood was opened, which gave a certain impetus to the further development of horse breeding.
Interestingly, the traditional economic activities of the residents of Osh (agriculture and, to a lesser extent, animal husbandry), as well as the notable feature of its territory (Suleiman Mountain) and the legendary Muslim traditions of the local population, found a certain reflection in the materials for designing the city coat of arms and in its very depiction.
Thus, the Osh City Economic Administration proposed the following coat of arms project for the city: "A shield divided. In the upper part of the shield, the mountain [Suleiman] with a beam of light cast upon it; in the lower, silver part, a pair of oxen harnessed to a plow. In the free part, the shield is crowned with a golden imperial crown and surrounded by two golden ears of corn (highlighted by us — ed.)." An interesting detail in the description of this first coat of arms project noted that, according to local residents, Suleiman Mountain resembles a camel with an elongated neck, and it was suggested to send a photo of it if necessary. Although the initial project of the city coat of arms (the corresponding protocol was signed by one of the deputies of the city economic administration, a certain Salimbaev, on June 14, 1904) was later modified during its consideration in the heraldic department of the Senate's heraldry department, the image of the mountain continued to be included out of respect for local tradition, "that on the mountain Takht-i Suleiman, at the foot of which the mentioned city is located, King Solomon erected a mosque, or according to another version — his throne."
According to heraldic tradition, the coat of arms shield of cities where agriculture and grain trade occupied a significant place was adorned with an Alexander ribbon with two golden ears of corn. New details appeared in the modified coat of arms of Osh, proposed by the head of the heraldic department at the Senate's heraldry department: "In a red shield, a silver peak of the mountain, accompanied from above by a golden crescent, horns up. In the green base of the shield, two ox heads with red eyes. In the free part of the shield, the coat of arms of the Fergana region. The shield is adorned with a silver tower crown with three teeth and surrounded by two grapevines, connected by an Alexander ribbon" (highlighted by us — ed.). Traditionally, different types of crowns — the main decoration of the coat of arms shield — indicated the different status of the city.
For example, images of silver crowns with three teeth served for county towns. As can be seen from the image and description of the coat of arms emblem of the city (the coats of arms of ten Central Asian cities, including Osh, were approved by the tsar on October 22, 1908, as reported in the "Collection of Laws and Regulations of the Government under the Governing Senate" on May 12, 1909), these distinctive symbols of Osh remained: a mountain with a crescent above it, reminiscent of the "sacred" mountain Takht-i Suleiman revered by local townspeople, and the heads of oxen, indicating the livestock breeding of the Osh residents.
