Aravan is a large village in the

Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (; ; ) in Central Asia lies mainly in eastern Uzbekistan, but also extends into southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Divided into three republics of the former Soviet Union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the ...

, in

Aravan District Aravan ( ky, Араван району) is a district of Osh Region in south-western Kyrgyzstan. The administrative seat lies at Aravan. Its area is (making it the smallest district in Osh Region), and its resident population was 137,721 in 2021. ...

Osh Region Osh Region ( ky, Ош облусу, translit=Osh oblusu; russian: Ошская область, Oshskaya oblast) is a region (''oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh, which is not part of the region. It is bounded by (clockwise) Jalal-Abad Re ...

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. ...

, Central Asia about 25 km west of

Osh Osh (Kyrgyz: Ош, romanised Osh; uz, O‘sh/Ўш) is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". It is the oldest city in the country (e ...

, on the river

Aravansay The Aravansay ( ky, Аравансай, uz, Aravonsoy) is a river in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Its source is in the Kichi-Alay range, part of the Alay Range, and it discharges into the Shahrixonsoy, one of the canals of the Fergana Valley. The ...

. It is the administrative seat of Aravan District. Its population was 32,917 in 2021, of which 21,818 in Yusupov rural community and 11,099 in Allya Anarov rural community. Located on the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...

. Nearby are the Celestial Horses of Aravan, carved on a cliff face perhaps in the 1st century BC. They are thought to represent the 'blood-sweating horses' sought by the Chinese of the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. The

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s have an important role in regional folklore and have become a pilgrimage site for Muslims in the Fergana Valley. There is a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

shrine. The Chil-Ustun cave system is 4 km away in the hills above the river

. There is a similar cave system 20 km away. Neither is easily accessible.

Population

Celestial Horses of Aravan

The Celestial Horses site itself is just near the local hospital when you are about to enter Aravan, on your right hand side when coming from

. The

s, who date from the first century BC, are carved on a near-vertical rock face next to a cemetery and represent solar symbols and the legendary

Ferghana horse Ferghana horses () were one of China's earliest major imports, originating in an area in Central Asia. These horses, as depicted in Tang dynasty tomb figures in earthenware, may "resemble the animals on the golden medal of Eucratides, King of B ...

s which were much sought after by Chinese emperor Wu in the second century BC. The site was archaeologically researched from the 1930s to the 1980s, and excavations at the foot of the rock produced evidence of animal sacrifice sites. Today, the horse carvings and nearby spring are still a local

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site and there is a small

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. As a matter of fact, there are far more modern-day

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

than ancient petroglyphs on the rock since a local superstition considers it as a luckbringer to have your name eternalized on the rocks. There are more petroglyphs near Camp Charbak.

Chil-Ustun

Chil-Ustun cave is located on the south-west of

, in 3,5 km from Aravan settlement. Nearby, in the limestone hills that make up the foothills of the

Ak-Buura The Ak-Buura ( ky, Ак-Буура) is a river in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It flows through the city Osh, and discharges into the Shahrixonsoy, one of the canals of the Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (; ; ) in Central Asia lies mainly in ...

and

river basins lie the Chil-Ustun cave system that is named after the stalactites that can be found here, (Chil-Ustun is Tajik and means ''40 columns''). A huge entrance in the cave in the form of arc with a height of 15 m and a length of basement 25 m is located in the rocky group on almost plumb wall at the altitude of 1100 m. The cave consists of 3 halls of different volume, connected with corridors and narrow man holes.

Tiff Tag Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning, faxing, word processin ...

accumulated forms

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s. Quaint forms of different colors from white and cream to dark-brown create a unique fairy interior of the hall. The length of the cave is 380 m.

Dangi Canyon

To the south of Aravan is the Dangi Canyon, which is dissected by the river

. In and near the

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

are a series of caves, including Ajydaar-Üngkür, Surprise cave, Baryte cave and Fersman cave.

Sports

Aravan's football team is FC Ak-Zhol. But the club withdrew from

Kyrgyzstan League Kyrgyz Premier League ('' ky, Кыргыз Премьер Лигасы, Keurgeuz Premier Ligaseu'') is the division of professional football in Kyrgyzstan. It was created in 1992 after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. The league is composed ...

due to political unrest in April 2010. The futsal league is named League Aravan.kg.

Aravan's Mosque

The largest

in Aravan. Was established in 2006 with help of money from Saudi Arabia. Part of the mosque was burned shortly after its establishment. The mosque was restored again within a short time with the help of people Aravan and was opened for worship.

References

* Laurence Mitchell, ''Kyrgyzstan'', Bradt Travel Guides, 2008 * Brino De Cordier, ''The Celestial Horses of Davan'' * www.centralasia-adventures.com, Chil-Ustun Cave

External links

The Celestial Horses of Davan Chil-Ustun CaveDangi Canyon
{{Aravan places Populated places in Osh Region