Based on the analysis of the materials placed in the "Turkestan Collection",
comparing them with other sources, in particular with archival documents and statistical
materials, the article reveals the process of turning the Ferghana Valley into the main cotton base of the Russian Empire. Based on historical facts, it is concluded that at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 20th century, cotton turned into a monoculture in the agriculture of the Ferghana Valley, which was due to the need to provide the Russian textile industry with cheap raw materials.
The article analyzes the literature created in the Soviet era, where the history of the Kokand Khanate is covered to one degree or another. Along with stating the successes achieved in this regard, the shortcomings inherent in the works of Soviet historians, due to the political and ideological situation of that era, are noted