Kerben ( ky, Кербен, older name ''Karavan'') is a town in

Jalal-Abad Region Jalal-Abad Region ( ky, Жалал-Абад облусу, Jalal-Abad oblusu; russian: Джалал-Абадская область, Dzhalal-Abadskaya oblast) is a region ('' oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the city of the same name, Jal ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

. Its population was 18,695 in 2021. It is the administrative centre of

Aksy District Aksy ( ky, Аксы району) is a Districts of Kyrgyzstan, district of Jalal-Abad Region in western Kyrgyzstan. The seat lies at Kerben, Kyrgyzstan, Kerben. Its area is , and its resident population was 137,103 in 2021. History Aksy District ...

. Despite the fact that the town officially was founded in the early 1920s, medieval

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n historiographers noted in their works a caravanserai, or fortified “hotel” for merchants and travelers, in a place very close to today's Kerben. Archaeological excavations carried out by A. Bernshtam corroborated that records. Kerben gained notoriety in 2002 when police fired into a crowd of unarmed demonstrators, killing six. The demonstrations were triggered by a political dispute between a local member of the national parliament, Azimbek Beknazarov, and Kyrgyz President

Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev ( ky, Аскар Акаевич (Акай уулу) Акаев, translit=Askar Akayevich (Akay Uulu) Akayev ; ; born 10 November 1944) is a Kyrgyz politician who served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until being ove ...

over an agreement with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

that ceded some territory in the high

Tien Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

range to China. Local officials and police officers suspected of being involved in the shootings were later acquitted or pardoned. Beknazarov remained an implacable political enemy of Akayev. In the wake of the March 2005

Tulip Revolution The Tulip Revolution or First Kyrgyz Revolution (russian: Тюльпановая революция; ky, Жоогазын революциясы) led to President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev's fall from power. The revolution began after parlia ...

which sent Akayev into exile in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, he was appointed Prosecutor General of the Kyrgyz Republic and waged a determined campaign against Akayev and his family, seeking the return of much of the fortune amassed by the former president's family and a repeal of Akayev's immunity for life. He resigned his position in September 2005 under a cloud of suspicion concerning alleged secret deals of money for premature closure of investigations into other misdeeds. Kerben is located in the nation's northwest, some 220 km from the regional centre Jalal-Abad and 60 km from the

Tash-Kömür Tash-Kömür (, russian: Таш-Кумыр ''Tash-Kumyr'') is one of the five largest towns of Jalal-Abad Region in Southern Kyrgyzstan. It is a city of regional significance, not part of a district. Its area is , and its resident population was ...

town railway. Kerben borders in the southwest with the village of Nanai in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

. Kerben is located in the center of the Aksy region, at a height of 1,200 meters above sea level. The lay of the land is mainly flat. The climate is classified as continental.

Kerben Airport Kerben Airport (Kyrgyz language, Kyrgyz: Кербен аэропорту, Russian alphabet, Russian: Кербенский аэропорт) is an airport serving Kerben, Kyrgyzstan, Kerben, a town in Aksy District of Jalal-Abad Region (''oblast' ...

has weekly flights to Bishkek, Osh and Jalal-Abad.

Population

References

Populated places in Jalal-Abad Region {{jalalAbad-geo-stub