The City of Kyok-Dzhangak

City of Kök-Jangak (Kyrgyz: Көк-Жаңгак) — a city of regional subordination in the Jalal-Abad region of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Population (2017) — 10.2 thousand people.

The city is located in the northeastern part of the Jalal-Abad region, at an altitude of 1200—1450 meters above sea level. The terrain is mountainous and rugged. The climate features cool summers and harsh winters. During the spring and autumn, there is a significant amount of precipitation in the form of rain, often of a torrential nature. In winter, snowfall exceeds 1,000 mm, and winter lasts from October to March. Winter temperatures can drop to −30 °C, while summer temperatures can rise to +30 °C.

Kök-Jangak is located approximately 660 km from Bishkek and 29 km from the regional center, the city of Jalal-Abad. It is the terminus of a railway branch from Andijan. Since 2008, railway service has been inactive.

Economy
The economy of the city is primarily based on the extraction of coal, which, by its chemical composition, belongs to the energy coal grade "DR" with a calorific value of 5,100 calories.

There are also loess-like silty clays, deposits of native clays, quartz sand, and dolomites.

History

During the Russian Empire
In 1900, during the wheat harvest on the land of the bai Batyra Kurmanaliev, one of the workers named Bashir was tasked with preparing lunch. He lit a fire on a hill and cooked food. The harvest continued, and as they moved forward, the cooking location changed. After three days, the cook had to return to the old spot. He saw that his fire had not gone out and, to his surprise, thought the ground was burning. Bashir dug into the ground and discovered black stone. He showed it to his companions, but none could decipher the mystery of the find. Bashir then went to Ivanovka (Oktyabrskoye) to show his find to Russian settlers.

One of the villagers, Pavel Andreevich Karunets, who had once worked in the mines of Donbass, immediately identified it as coal.

In 1910, Karunets organized a team of 10-15 people and began extracting coal.

In 1912, Bukhara merchant Mikhail Samsonovich Madatsman arrived and rented a plot of land from bai Batyra Kurmanaliev, where the coal seam surfaced. Displacing small entrepreneurs, he became the owner of the deposit.

During the USSR
In 1931, a railway from Jalal-Abad was completed to the settlement. By the end of that year, all the mines of Kök-Jangak were united into the coal management "Kök-Jangakugol," which became part of the trust "Sredazugol." In January 1932, "Kök-Jangakugol" as an independent organization received its first state plan, which was immediately exceeded. During that year, 160.5 thousand tons of coal were extracted, which was 60 thousand tons more than all the coal mines in Kyrgyzstan produced together in 1913. From 1931 to 1940, 11 residential quarters with shops, canteens, schools, clubs, and libraries were built and put into operation in the settlement.

By the beginning of 1932, a building for the primary school operating in tents was constructed. A second primary school was opened, which was transformed into a Kyrgyz incomplete secondary school in 1934. Kalakbay Sartbaev was appointed as the director of this educational institution, later becoming a professor at the Kyrgyz State University. The first hospital with 10 beds was established in the settlement.

In 1934, a hospital with 80 beds was built and put into operation, with Efim Naumovich Poltoratsky serving as the chief physician for many years. The residents of Kök-Jangak regarded him as a skilled, tireless doctor and a kind-hearted person. By 1940, the number of hospital beds increased to 120. Round-the-clock nursing shifts were organized at two mines. A two-story building for a nursery with 100 places was put into operation.

By the beginning of 1935, six two-story houses for production leaders were built in the settlement. They were called Stakhanovite houses. That same year, a seven-year school for adults was opened.

In 1937, the "Kapitalnaya" mine was built. It was one of the most mechanized modern mines in the Jalal-Abad region. Electric locomotive haulage was introduced, marking the end of horse haulage. Powerful electric trains replaced horses in the mine.

In the second half of 1937 and throughout the following year, extensive exploratory work was carried out to find industrial coal reserves in the northern section of the Kök-Jangak deposit, located between the Kurghan-Tash and Uch-Malay valleys. The exploratory work was completed in a short time.

In 1938, the construction of the first secondary school in the city was completed, which was taught by and later directed by Irmagomet Alzhanov. He later headed the city department of public education. That same year, a club was built, and a library was opened.

The miners built a park, where a cinema operated during the summer.

In 1939, a decision was made to construct mine No. 40 and a tunnel in that area. That same year, the Kök-Jangak Mine Construction Management was organized under the trust "Sredazshakhtostroy."

Since 1942, the city newspaper "Path of the Miner" has been published in Kök-Jangak, with four small format pages and a print run of 1,300 copies.

The first journalists of Kök-Jangak were the spouses Evgeny Emmanuilovich Kabo and Augusta Nikolaevna Kabo (Medvedeva), M. N. Vishnyakova, and N. S. Kirasirova.

In 1943, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR, Kök-Jangak was transformed from a workers' settlement into a city.

During the Great Patriotic War, more than 250 residents of Kök-Jangak laid down their lives defending the Motherland.

In 1952, the Palace of Culture was put into operation, featuring an auditorium with 500 seats. The Palace housed a library and a billiard room. A city music school was opened.

In 1955, coal production increased more than threefold compared to 1932, and more than 600 times compared to 1913.
In 1956, a building for the household combine "Red Miner" was constructed in the city. It housed sewing and shoemaking workshops, a photo studio, and hairdressers. Production of soft drinks was organized in the city, four baths were in operation, and a new collective farm market was built and paved, along with parts of the central streets and sidewalks.

By 1957, 80 conveyors were operating in the mines, along with more than 10 electric locomotives and a rolling stock of nearly 500 wagons. All underground points of the mines were mechanized. A night health resort for miners was opened, allowing miners to improve their health without interrupting production. Construction of new residential buildings and a cinema continued in the area of Quarter 23.

By 1958, coal extraction was taking place in three mines: "Kapitalnaya," No. 40, and No. 10-11. The city produced gross output worth 73 million rubles per year, of which 64 million rubles came from the mines. Approximately 50,000 square meters of public and residential housing were built in the city. More than 3,000 individual houses were constructed by miners with state assistance, with payment spread over 10 years. Thus, instead of two dozen yurts in 1917, the city grew to 24 residential quarters with water supply and electric lighting. A park named after the 40th anniversary of October was built.

Previously, miners had to travel to Jalal-Abad for necessary products and goods, but by 1958, there were already 24 retail and food stores operating in the city. In 1928, a suburban farm was established in the settlement. It had 30 hectares of land, 5 cows, and 6 horses.

By 1958, it had become a multi-sector state farm with a total area of 4,000 hectares. The farm employed 280 agricultural workers and specialists. There were more than 400 heads of cattle, 350 pigs, and 2,000 sheep. Beekeepers from the farm serviced 1,500 bee families.

In the 1960s, the construction of a new large mine No. 45-46 in the Sary-Bulak area was completed, the city stadium was equipped, a park was arranged, and a swimming pool was built. A House of Pioneers was established. All intra-city roads were paved. A highway was built connecting Kök-Jangak — the village of Oktyabrskoye — Jalal-Abad.

In the Kyrgyz Republic
The city has a well-developed infrastructure from the Soviet era. Institutions in Kök-Jangak operate in the fields of education, healthcare, and culture. The population of Kök-Jangak cultivates vegetable, grain, melon, oilseed, and fruit crops. Agricultural land totals 370 hectares, which includes pastures, arable land, perennial crops, and hayfields.

Industrial enterprises in Kök-Jangak are represented in the coal mining, machine engineering, metalworking, and chemical industries. They are in state and private ownership. Banks and credit companies operate in the city. Entrepreneurship development institutions include the city branch of the employment center, the city council for the protection of entrepreneurship, the city economic council for attracting investments, and a working group for attracting grants.

Significant support is provided for retail trade. The city has a livestock market, a central market, and five mini-markets.
In the mines built during the Soviet era, coal extraction is mainly done manually for local needs, and production has sharply declined compared to the Soviet period.

Population
As of 2004, the population of Kök-Jangak was 10,341 people, or 1.2% of the regional population. The number of employed individuals was 1,630. The city is home to representatives of about 30 ethnic groups. As of 2009, the population included: Kyrgyz — 8,400, Uzbeks — 640, Russians — 540, Tatars — 210, Kazakhs — 140, and representatives of other nationalities — 411.