Osh - "The Southern Capital" of Kyrgyzstan.
The city of Osh is the administrative center of the Osh region and the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The city is located at an altitude of over 1000 m above sea level on the outskirts of the Fergana Valley at the northern foothills of the Kichik-Alai Range. Osh is surrounded on three sides by the spurs of this range, and in the center of the city rises the Suleiman Mountain to a height of over 100 m. It is believed that the prophet Solomon prayed to God here, and his forehead and knee prints remain on the rocks. A large part of the mountain is now part of the National Museum-Reserve "Great Silk Road" and includes the mausoleum of Asaf ibn-Burhiya, the ruins of a bathhouse (11th-12th centuries, now an open-air museum), the Takhti-Suleiman Mosque, and the Jami-Ravat-Abdullakhan Mosque (both 10th-11th centuries). Unique exhibits of the museum tell about the milestones in the development of the material world of the peoples of the region—from the Stone Age to modern times. Mainly, these are
findings of archaeologists, historians, and ethnographers.
Osh is the second most populous city in Kyrgyzstan after Bishkek. The population of the city is over 200,000 people, and the city administration oversees 11 suburban villages with a total population of 25,600 residents. The area under the administration of the city of Osh covers 182 square kilometers. The population of the city with its suburbs is estimated to be over 500,000 residents.
In addition to Uzbeks (48%) and Kyrgyz (43%), Osh is home to Russians, Turks, Tatars, Uighurs, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, and other nationalities.
