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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
23-26
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
06 December 2024
ACCEPTED
08 January 2025
PUBLISHED
10 February 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue02 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Some features of the
history of agriculture in
the Ferghana valley
U.A. Usarov
Docent of the Department of "International Relations and History" at
Alfraganus University, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article explores the distinctive features of
the agriculture and history of the Fergana Valley
population, highlighting their extensive experience in
the effective use of land and water resources based on
an analysis of scientific literature on the subject.
Additionally, the article examines the geographic
regions of the valley that are favorable for agriculture
and farming, as well as the climatic conditions, soil
composition, and methods of land use, utilizing various
scholarly sources.
Keywords:
Fergana Valley agriculture, water resources,
rain-fed lands, climatic conditions, farming, waqf, canal,
ena ariq, shokh ariq, uqarik, juyak taqsim, tonop,
mirobs, silkworm, compass.
Introduction:
The Ferghana Valley is one of the key
agricultural centers in Central Asia, having developed
since ancient times due to its favorable geographic
location and climatic conditions. According to
archaeological evidence, one of the earliest agricultural
centers in Central Asia, the “Chust culture” was located
in the Fergana Valley. As early as the Bronze Age,
irrigation farming and animal husbandry had already
emerged in this region [1]. In the subsequent periods of
development, fields such as farming, animal husbandry,
and horticulture flourished in the Fergana Valley, and
the Fergana peasants were rightly known as farmers
who mastered the secrets of agriculture.
RESULTS
Information about ancient Fergana can also be found in
Chinese sources. The earliest known traveler to Fergana
was the Han Dynasty ambassador Zhang Qian, whose
trip to Fergana occurred in 129-128 BC. After returning
home, the ambassador wrote a written report, which
has not survived, but his writings are preserved in the
"Shiji" (Historical Memoirs) by the court historian Sima
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Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
Qian, written in the late 1st century BC. According to
Sima Qian, Zhang Qian describes the Fergana Valley as
follows: “The Great Parkana (Dai
-yuan/Dawon) is
located southwest of the Huns or 10,000 li (5,760 km)
from west of the Han (country). There (the population)
is engaged in agriculture, grows rice and wheat, and
makes wine from grapes”
[2].
Researcher M. Jabborov, emphasizing that the
agricultural territories of the Fergana Valley are likened
to a continuous ribbon, cites the following opinion of
Russian scientists: “This ribbon begins 30 versts
(1 verst
is 1.06 km) west of Kokand city, passes through Kokand
Rishton, turns northeast from Margilan, reaches
Andijan through Asaka, then through Shakhrikhan, and
from there changes its direction to the west, ending 14
versts before the village of Turakurgan after Balykchi
and Namangan. This continuous ribbon of the Fergana
oasis is more than 250 versts long and 30 versts wide.
This oasis is irrigated mainly by the left tributaries of
the Syrdarya flowing from the Alay ridge. These are
Isfara, Sokh, Shohimardon, Isfairam, Nookat and other
streams”
[3]. The Syrdarya, which gives life to the
valley, along with streams formed by numerous
tributaries flowing down from the mountains, has
served as the main source of irrigation farming [4] The
lands around the city of Namangan in the Fergana
region also consisted of loam, sandstone, and marshy
soils. The lands around the city of Namangan were
irrigated through the Peshkurgan, Navkent, and
Karapolvan branches of the Padshok Ata stream. There
were many springs in the areas around Namangan,
such as the Naryn and Syrdarya, Namangan and
Girvansoy, and Kosansoy, and there were 16 streams
and several brooks on the slopes of the Chatkal and
Kurama mountains. The largest and most abundant of
these were Kosansoy, Padshok Ata stream, and
Namangan stream. They were mainly saturated with
ice, snow, and rainwater. In general, the Fergana
Valley, surrounded by the Alai mountain ridges from
the south and the Fergana and Chatkal mountain
ranges from the north [5], also played a leading role in
the Turkestan region.
The first cold days in the valley began in October,
October-November were months with a lot of
precipitation, and from December onwards the days
became colder, but did not drop below zero degrees.
The snow that fell in these months did not last long and
melted quickly, and such days lasted until March, and
the rapid melting of the snow and the warming of the
earth allowed for plowing and preparation for farming,
which also allowed for high yields. In spring, there was
more rain than in the autumn months, and it lasted
until May. In the following months, there was less rain
and dry days began.
Farming began in early spring with the cleaning of
ditches. Over the years, in villages where ditches were
built and canals were built, the population paid constant
attention to the cleanliness of the ditches, and the
cleaning of the ditches depended on the size of the
irrigated land. As the ditches were cleaned, expanded,
and multiplied, the cultivated land reclaimed and
expanded. According to researcher S. Boltabaev, during
the time of the Central Asian khanates, abandoned
lands were reclaimed by the wealthy as a result of
digging ditches and conducting water. In particular,
during the reign of Umarkhan, Eshan Mir Abdurahim
Khalifa had a d
itch dug from the “Sokh” stream and
reclaimed land. In 1816-1817, Umarkhan exempted this
ditch from all taxes, and Muhammadalikhan exempted
the lands belonging to the son of Eshan Mir Abdurahim
Khalifa from taxes. In 1859-1860, Malla Khan approved
a document exempting this ditch from taxes. Later, the
ditch, dug by the eshan Mir Abdurahim Khalifa, was
declared as a waqf property between the reigns of
Muhammad Ali Khan and Malla Khan [6].
The inhabitants of the Fergana Valley knew how to use
the soil, depending on its composition, and were able to
obtain sufficient yields. The land areas in the valley were
divided into irrigated “watery land” and non
-irrigated
“spring land”, “rocky land” or “barren land”. The land
was used in two ways. In the first, mainly the fields that
had been cleared of crops were left to rest, and in the
second, the fields were plowed. Both methods were
used under different names in different parts of the
valley. For example, in the Sokh district of the Fergana
Valley, the method of giving the land a rest was called
“Dam dodan”, and the method of plowing the land was
called “black plough”. Plowing began with the onset of
the month of “khamal” according to the solar calendar,
which fell from March 21 to April 21 according to the
current ca
lendar. Peasents used their own “traditional”
methods of water extraction through irrigation canals
and ditches.
Peasents also built melioration structures. The
structure, commonly known as “zavur”, was widespread
on all irrigated lands. When necessary, the water in the
zavur was used for irrigation. In the Fergana Valley,
especially around Kokand, zavurs were dug 1-1.8 meters
deep. Zavurs mainly passed along the borders of each
peasent’s land plots, and if the plot was large, a zavur
was also dug in the middle of it. The presence of such
zavurs clearly defined the boundaries of the plot, and it
was cleared by at least two neighboring farms. Zavur
waters were discharged into irrigation ditches, and
there were no cases of crops drying out from salinity or
yield reduction. The land in plots with zavurs was
flooded throughout the winter. Low salinity lands are
washed once or twice, highly saline lands up to 5-6
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times, some lands are not washed at all, because the
soil salinity is washed away due to winter and spring
rains and watering before sowing. In the winter and
spring seasons, water from the zavur was also used for
drinking [7]. Such methods were convenient for
washing the salt of the land.
A.F. Middendorf emphasized that the peasents of the
valley were not at all afraid of excess salt in the soil,
knowing that salt itself easily leaches from the soil, and
in this regard, it is necessary to study the experience of
the peasents of the Fergana Valley [8]. The author calls
on his contemporaries to study the experience of the
peasents of the Fergana Valley and use it in practice.
He is especially impressed by the intelligence of the
elderly. The experience of the peasents of Fergana
inventing many innovations in irrigation and land
reclamation, and in producing high yields is also
reflected in their knowledge of local methods of
fertilization to improve the agrotechnical condition of
the land. For example, in the Fergana Valley,
fertilization of the land mainly lasted from late autumn
to early spring. One of these methods was to fertilize
the land by pouring the topsoil of old mud-built houses
into the field [9]. According to researcher U.
Dzhakhanov, this method of fertilization was also
called “salty” in some parts of the Fergana Valley [10].
Another method of fertilizing the land in the valley was
by applying manure to the land. In the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, manure was considered the main
fertilizer for the peasents of the valley [11]. The
nomadic population of the Fergana Valley even
brought manure to the markets for sale and sold it for
10-15 kopecks [12]. Another method of fertilization
was called “fecal”, which consisted of using the
droppings of silkworms and various birds. Also, in order
to increase the productivity of land, another method of
fertilization which was composting human hair fibers,
old skin, wool and other products by burying in the
ground was used [13].
Fertilizers were rarely applied to the fallow lands in the
valley, or wheat fields were not fertilized at all. A.
Middendorf, who also got acquainted with the
experiences of local peasents in this regard, writes that
“Fergana peasents were far ahead of Western Europe
in improving the land reclamation conditions and
preparing local fertilizers”
[14].
The local population also paid special attention to the
factors that were harmful to agriculture. For example,
there were strong winds - gales, which damaged crops
and led to the drying out of crops. Although this wind
did not occur every year, sometimes repeated several
times a year. Gales occurred in June, July, and August,
and the local population believed that 10-15 minutes
of such a wind was enough to dry out crops. Gales
usually lasted 5-6 hours at sunset. Well-irrigated cotton
was not damaged by the gales, but this wind had a more
harmful effect on rice [15]. According to Professor K.M.
Mirzajonov, peasents in the Fergana Valley took all
measures to prevent similar harmful situations. For
example, a large number of trees were planted in the
Fergana Valley from ancient times. They allowed for
regular monitoring of land reclamation.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, agriculture has been developed in the
Fergana Valley since ancient times, and the valley was
distinguished from other historical and cultural regions
of Central Asia by a number of features, such as natural
and geographical conditions, the fact that the majority
of the population has been living a sedentary lifestyle
since ancient times, and the diversity of its ethnic
composition. In the past, this region had potential in
Central Asia due to its moderate climate, abundant
water resources, and favorable natural conditions for
growing agricultural crops. The inhabitants of the valley
also had unique historical traditions in the development
of agricultural culture. Undoubtedly, the experience and
observations accumulated by representatives of the
local population over several thousand years served as
the basis for this. It is on the basis of this experience that
the peasents laid the foundation for the method of
incorporating the ethno-national traditions and
technologies of productive use of natural resources,
especially land and water, and the cultivation of crops
with hard work.
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