There are two cities on earth with the same name — Osh. They historically emerged at the same time and are located in roughly the same natural conditions. The territories of these cities are almost equal. However, their fates are different. One city, Osh, is located in the French province of Gascony, while the other Osh is situated in southern Kyrgyzstan. Correspondents from the newspaper "Izvestia," Volodin L. and Makarov A., wrote about these two cities, the first about the French Osh and the second about the Osh of Kyrgyzstan.
According to the chief archivist of Gascony, Henri Polge, the word "Osh" has come down to us from the Romans when Caesar conquered Gaul. There was a settlement here that the Romans called Oluz, which later became known as Oz, and eventually transformed into Osh. Osh was once the capital of Gascony and is now the center of the department of Gers. The department has a population of 180,000, while Osh itself has no more than 20,000 residents. The city has limited prospects, as noted by the mayor of Osh, Patrice Broca, with only one brick factory employing 200 workers.
Housing is also a challenge. Few new houses are being built, and the old buildings are 100 to 200 years old. Although Osh in France has remained frozen at the threshold of the 20th century, its population is concerned about the fate of their hometown. The rural population of the department demands decisive changes in agriculture, daily life, and public life.
Makarov A., in turn, describes the life and customs of our Osh. As he narrates, the old, semi-wild native city of Osh, a city of mirages, Eastern legends, and barbaric customs, no longer exists. There is now a Soviet, socialist, labor-oriented, energetic, and cheerful Osh... Osh is a distant city. It is separated from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, by more than a hundred kilometers, and what kilometers they are — the Kyrgyz ridge with its glaciers and gorges. Yet, Osh is not a provincial city. Perhaps it is because there is a significant layer of intelligentsia here, or perhaps because people of various nationalities live here — Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Russians, Ukrainians, and Dungans — or perhaps because the residents are sociable and talkative in a southern way — but there is no sense of boredom, stagnation, or the moral tone of lethargy that the old province was so famous for. Osh is small. That is true.
But it is growing and thriving. This is also true, and it is more important. Most city dwellers climb Mount Suleiman to view their city — white and green, industrial and labor-oriented.
Our native Osh is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. There are three legends about the founding of the city. One legend states that Osh was founded by Alexander the Great, another attributes the founding of the city to the "prophet" Solomon, and the third claims that the city was created by none other than Adam himself. The first legend even specifies that Alexander the Great's troops reached Ishkovan (the territory of the current fourth section of the Tuleklen state farm) in 336 BC and perished here from a locust attack. However, all these legends lack serious foundations, although it is true that people have lived in the territory of Osh since ancient times, as confirmed by numerous archaeological findings.
In the early 20th century, a Turkish-language newspaper called "Vakht" ("Time") published an extensive legend about the founding of Osh in the eastern part of the Fergana Valley. According to the legend, there was once a field where the city now stands. One day, during plowing, a sick ox fell and could not get up. The owner, trying to lift it, kept shouting: "hosh," "hosh." Allegedly, from this, the area later received the name "Osh."
Another Muslim tale on the same topic is directly related to the biblical Suleiman — King Solomon. He led his army into battle, and ahead, he drove a pair of oxen with a plow. When the oxen reached the famous mountain, Solomon said: "hosh" (enough). Thus, it is said, the name of the city of Osh came to be.
