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Ferghana: The "General's City" and the Gateway to the Valley

The youngest of Uzbekistan's recognizable cities: it's less than 150 years old, and you won't find antiquities here. But Ferghana is a convenient, green base from which roads radiate to everything of interest in the valley: to the silk of Margilan, the ceramics of Rishtan and the palaces of Kokand.

A Kvazar guide · Updated 2026 · ~6 min read

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Ferghana confuses those who expect ancient madrasas and blue domes from an Uzbek city. There are none here — and that's not an oversight but the essence of the city: Ferghana is young, not yet a century and a half old, and was built on a completely different logic from Samarkand or Bukhara. Once you understand that, you stop looking for "antiquity" in it and start valuing it for what it's actually good at — its role as the convenient gateway to the country's most fertile valley. Let's look closer.

In short: Ferghana is the administrative center of the Ferghana region and the youngest of Uzbekistan's well-known cities: it was founded in 1876–1877 by the Russians as a military-administrative center under the name New Margelan (later Skobelev, and from 1924 Ferghana). There are almost no ancient monuments here; the city wins you over with its green colonial layout of wide streets and its role as a convenient base for trips around the valley — to Margilan, Kokand, Rishtan, Andijan.
In this guide What makes Ferghana special A city under 150 years old What to see in the city itself Ferghana as a base for the valley FAQ

How is Ferghana different from other cities?

In that it's young and "European" in layout. Unlike ancient Samarkand and Bukhara, Ferghana was built at the end of the 19th century as a colonial military-administrative center, so it has wide straight streets, boulevards, parks and pre-revolutionary building instead of medieval ensembles. There are few historic sights — Ferghana is valued not for them but for its convenience and greenery, and above all for its role as a starting point for the Ferghana Valley.

It's the same logic that sets Tashkent apart from the museum-cities: what you should look at isn't "antiquity" but the character of the place. Ferghana is a calm, green city with a center pleasant for walking, and it's more honest to see it as a comfortable base rather than a destination in itself.

Samarkand was built over centuries, Ferghana over decades. It's not a museum-city but a crossroads-city: from here it's convenient to travel to everything else.

Why is Ferghana under 150 years old?

The city was founded by the Russians in 1876–1877 after the conquest of the Kokand Khanate — as a military-administrative center to control the annexed territory. At first it was called New Margelan (after the old silk Margilan nearby), in 1907 renamed Skobelev — after General Mikhail Skobelev, who initiated the city's creation — and in 1924 given its present name, Ferghana, after the valley.

Hence the appearance: Ferghana was designed from the start as a regular city with straight streets and green boulevards, rather than growing up over centuries around bazaars and mosques. The valley itself is ancient — this is its young administrative "newcomer." The name goes back to the Iranian root "marg" — "meadow, glade," which precisely describes the fertile green land.

What is there to see in Ferghana itself?

There aren't many sights in the city itself, and they suit its age: the pre-revolutionary architecture of the center, the Friday mosque, the city market, a monument to the scholar al-Farghani (after whom the valley is named in world science) and the "Grieving Mother" memorial. The center, with its old buildings and boulevards, is simply pleasant to stroll. Half a day is enough for the city itself.

Don't expect a "wow effect" of ancient ensembles from Ferghana — its pleasure is different: unhurried walks through the green colonial center, cafes, a calm rhythm. And everything brightest in the region is in the neighboring cities, all a stone's throw away.

Three names for one city: New Margelan (1876) → Skobelev (1907) → Ferghana (1924). The whole history of the region can be read in its changing names — from the Russian conquest to the Soviet era.

Where do you go from Ferghana?

Ferghana's main value is its location: it's a convenient base for the whole Ferghana Valley. 12–15 km away is Margilan with its silk workshops; nearby is Rishtan, the "pottery capital" of Central Asia with a hundred ceramic workshops; and in the valley are Andijan (Babur's birthplace) and Kokand with the Khudayar Khan palace. Based in Ferghana, you can tour all of this in a few days.

The typical scenario: stay in Ferghana and make radial trips — a day for Margilan, a day for Kokand and Rishtan, a day for Andijan. For the region's cuisine — Ferghana plov, devzira rice, Kokand halva — see the piece on the food of the Ferghana Valley. Practical topics (how to enter the valley, transport, season) are in the Atlas section.

Frequently asked questions about Ferghana

Is Ferghana worth visiting?

Yes — but above all as a convenient base for the whole Ferghana Valley. The city itself has few ancient sights, but from here it's easy to reach Margilan (silk), Rishtan (ceramics), Kokand (palace) and Andijan. Ferghana itself is a calm, green city for unhurried walks.

Why are there no ancient monuments in Ferghana?

Because the city is young: it was founded by the Russians only in 1876–1877 as a military-administrative center. It was built on a regular plan with wide streets and boulevards, rather than growing over centuries like Samarkand or Bukhara.

What was Ferghana called before?

At its founding — New Margelan (after neighboring Margilan); in 1907 renamed Skobelev after General Skobelev; and in 1924 it received its present name, Ferghana, after the valley.

What is there to see around Ferghana?

Margilan with its silk workshops (12–15 km), Rishtan with its ceramic workshops, Kokand with the Khudayar Khan palace, and Andijan — the birthplace of Babur. Ferghana is ideal as a starting point for these trips.

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