The City of Osh in the Life of A. Masaliev
Memories of Masaliev
He began his memories of working in the city with its history. In his opinion, Osh is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. The fate of the city has been such that, despite its long existence, during which 50-60 generations of our compatriots have changed, no notable historical monuments have survived here, except for Sulaiman Mountain and various legends surrounding it, as well as some museum exhibits.
However, we know that the Great Silk Road, over 7,000 kilometers long, passed through many cities of Central Asia, including Osh. This route, as historians describe, was established in the 3rd millennium BC. Beginning from the Huang He River in China, it reached the Mediterranean Sea. It connected Asia, Europe, and Africa, with Central Asia being its center. Merchants, scholars, and various travelers traversed this route. Thus, the Great Silk Road played not only a trade and economic role but also an important strategic significance. Presumably, during this period, the city of Osh, among other cities in Central Asia, was a developed center that attracted the interest of representatives from other states. The city of Osh is not accidentally associated with the names of Babur and Alexander the Great. Here, apparently, dozens of prominent individuals from many countries visited, and economic and political issues were resolved. It is a pity that due to the lack of writing among the population of that period, the history of the region and the events that took place here were not documented.
The city of Osh experienced its rapid development thanks to Soviet power after the Great October Socialist Revolution. It was during the years of the existence of the Soviet state and the socialist system that the conditions for the development of the economy and culture were created in the city of Osh, as well as throughout Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian republics, eliminating centuries of backwardness, mass illiteracy, lack of rights, and poverty among the population. Dozens of factories, plants, general education schools, and preschool institutions, as well as specialized secondary and higher educational institutions, were built in Osh. A large-scale modern housing construction project replaced the one-story, unrenovated adobe houses. All layers of the population became literate.
Osh transformed into a major industrial, cultural, and economic center, and in terms of population and the preparation of specialists, it ranks second after the capital of the republic, Bishkek.
A. Masaliev recalls all this not as an outsider but as someone who held various leadership positions in economic, party, and Soviet bodies in the city of Osh and Osh region, contributing to the cultural, social, and economic development of the jubilee city. A. Masaliev has a lot of connections with the city of Osh. Here, from 1958 to 1968, he lived and worked as an assistant chief engineer of the "Kyrgyzugol" trust, an instructor in the industrial transport department of the Osh regional party committee, deputy chairman of the Committee for Party-State Control, and head of the industrial transport department of the regional party committee. He was elected as a deputy of the Osh city and regional councils of workers' deputies. While still an instructor of the regional party committee in 1961, he participated in organizing the construction of a major facility - the Osh meat processing plant with a refrigeration capacity of 3,000 tons of meat for simultaneous storage. A. Masaliev's task was to regularly visit the site, participate in planning meetings, maintain close contact with the primary party organization of the construction and installation department, and assist the team in resolving emerging issues through the city party committee and the regional trust.
The facility was significant and particularly important, as the processing capacities of the food industry were insufficient, and it was necessary to increase production and processing in the meat and dairy industry in the region year after year. A large facility like the Osh meat processing plant with refrigeration capacity was the only one in the region.
He also had to participate in the construction and reconstruction of other enterprises and factories in the city, which were carried out by the decisions of union and republican bodies. A considerable amount of time was spent on creating the capacities of the VLKSM silk factory, the pump factory, and construction industry enterprises. Considering the role and place of the city of Osh as a regional center, the regional party committee assisted the city party organization and the city council of workers' deputies in addressing the issues of urban improvement and strengthening state and party discipline. In the teams, he organized numerous raids and inspections. N. F. Shevtsov, who headed the regional committee for party-state control at that time, deserves kind words in this regard. He showed persistence in combating various violations. A lot of useful work was done by deputies, people's inspectors, and law enforcement agencies in the fight against the theft of socialist property.
A. Masaliev highlighted the contribution to the development of the city made by S. I. Ibraimov, who headed the regional party organization for ten years. In his memoirs, he wrote that he had a good, comradely-business relationship with him. As the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, A. Masaliev came to Osh and met with S. I. Ibraimov regarding issues of industry and capital construction in the region. He shared a lot about the affairs and demonstrated complete awareness and competence on the issues that interested A. Masaliev.
Then S. Ibraimov enthusiastically talked about the plans for the reconstruction of the city. On the left side of the city, against the flow of the Ak-Buura River, there was a narrow, winding, unrenovated street called "Worker-Peasant," and two narrow bridges were laid across the Ak-Buura at the lower and upper parts of the city. Unfolding a map of the city, S. Ibraimov requested support for the proposal from the residents of Osh to expand and straighten the "Worker-Peasant" street to organize two-way traffic on it and later establish a trolleybus line.
In the middle of the city, between the two bridges across the Ak-Buura, to build another, modern wide bridge, as well as to create a bypass road around Sulaiman Mountain towards the Naukat district and the city of Kyzyl-Kiya to relieve the regional center from traffic congestion. A. Masaliev's support in this matter consisted of attracting the attention of the State Planning Committee, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, and the highways of the republic to this issue, advising them to allocate the necessary funds for the reconstruction of the city of Osh. Another issue that I. Ibraimov consulted A. Masaliev about was the reconstruction of the cave on Sulaiman Mountain.
It was planned to expand it, reinforce it in places with strut support, concrete it, improve it, provide a road, and create a recreation area for residents and visiting guests, possibly opening a bar-café.
From there, there is a beautiful view, and the night city of Osh is well visible. The implementation of this task was planned without capital investments, through the efforts of the miners of Haidarkan and Kadamjai. As is known, subsequently all these issues were resolved. However, instead of a bar-café on Sulaiman Mountain, it was advised to organize a museum, as below the cave on the mountainside is a Muslim cemetery, near which it is undesirable to have a recreational establishment. In recounting his memories of the city of Osh, A. Masaliev, in connection with the celebration of its 3,000th anniversary, wished all residents good health and great success in life and work.
The Role of the First Secretaries in the Development of the City of Osh
