The centre of Osh is a mesh of quiet streets. It’s the area between the central bazaar – just up from Alisher Navoi Park, full of children’s rides – and the imposing statue of Lenin, opposite the mayor’s building.
The half-hour walk between the bazaar and Lenin takes you past Osh’s beautiful red university, its cosy drama theatre, and the city’s sports stadium.
Along the town’s two main streets – Lenina and Kurmanzhan Datka – are sparse tea-houses (chaikhanas), modern cafes, and street stalls selling Kyrgyz nan bread, grilled shashlyk, and meat and potato samsa pastries.
On the north-west edge of Osh stands Sulaiman-Too mountain, a limestone hill that has a spiritual meaning for Kyrgyz, and has been known as the very centre of the Silk Route. The top of Sulaiman-Too is about an hour’s walk from the centre of the city.
Osh is very close to Kyrgyzstan’s border with Uzbekistan. It is about 10km from the Dustlik border checkpoint, and less than an hour’s drive from the Uzbek city of Andijon. Many people in Osh are Uzbek, or of Uzbek descent.
Many streets in Osh still have a Soviet-era mosaic on one of their walls, or other artwork that is more Kyrgyz in style.
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Jonathan Campion is a writer and journalist, linguist and editor working in Eurasia. Read more about his work here.
LIFE IN CENTRAL ASIA 