Chust (; ) is a city in eastern

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. It is the administrative center of Chust District. The City of Chust is located in the northern corner of the

Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, the valley is e ...

along the river Chustsoy. Chust is one of the oldest cities in the Fergana Valley. The Fergana automobile road passes through the city. This road connects Chust with several other places, such as the cities of

Namangan Namangan is a district-level city in eastern Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Namangan Region. Namangan is located in the northern edge of the Fergana Valley, less than 30 km from the Kyrgyzstan border ...

Andijan Andijan ( ), also spelt Andijon () and formerly romanized as Andizhan ( ), is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Andijan Region. Andijan is a district-level city with an area of . Andijan is the most ...

, Kokand and

Fergana Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of A ...

. Chust underwent significant changes during the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period. Many

factories A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

and

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

s were built during that time. Currently, the city is an important center for

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

processing.

History

Chust is one of the oldest cities in the

. Archaeological studies conducted in 1953, 1957, 1959, and 1961 found items dating back to the late

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

/early

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

age in the area corresponding to present-day Chust. First scientific information about Chust can be found in A. F. Middendor's ''Ocherki o Ferganskoy doline'' (''Essays About the Fergana Valley'') which was published in St. Petersburg in 1882. According to local linguists, the word "chust" is a Persian word meaning "fast." In the Middle Ages, Chust became a

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

Babur Babur (; 14 February 148326 December 1530; born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also ...

's father Umar Shaikh Mirza II made Chust his residence in 1480. In the 16th century, the city consisted of several small fortresses. Later, a wall surrounding these fortresses was built. In 1882, the walls of the fortress were destroyed and the city started to expand. Over time, Chust became an industrial center. Following the Russian expansion into Central Asia, new factories were built in Chust. In 1912, there were six

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

s and one leather factory in Chust. The town was made the administrative center of the newly created Chust District in 1926. Chust received a city status in 1969. Chust received city status in 1937.

Geography

Chust is located - above sea level. By road it is to the west of the city of

. The city is situated in the northern corner of the Fergana Valley along the river Chustsoy.

Population

The population consists of

Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...

Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

and a small number of

Kyrgyzs The Kyrgyz people (also spelled Kyrghyz, Kirgiz, and Kirghiz; or ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia. They primarily reside in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. A Kyrgyz diaspora is also found in Russia, Tajikistan, and Kaza ...

and

Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...

. Like the near-by,

Kosonsoy Kâsânsây also spelled as Kasansay (; ; ) or simply, Kasan, (ancient Kathan or Great Kushan empire) is a city in Namangan Region, Uzbekistan. It is the seat of Kasansay District. Kasansay is named after the River "Kasan" which flows from high m ...

, the city has a substantial Tajik minority. Russians, who were present in large numbers in the 20th century have largely left after the fall of the Soviet Union. A small Uyghur as well as Kyrgyz minority is also present. Its population is 100200 (2021).

Climate

Chust has a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSk'') with cold winters and hot summers. The average July temperature is around . The mean temperature in January is .

Economy

Chust is a center for cotton processing. It is also known for artisanal products, including

pocket knives A pocketknife (also spelled as pocket knife) is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives, folding knives, Everyday carry, EDC knife, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may a ...

and embroidered cotton skullcaps known as '' tubeteika'' (). The city contains the National Knife Factory, in which metal workers "smash and grind their knives from short lengths of steel or iron, honing each blade into the desired shape with a meticulous attention to detail". Knives with a curved tip are a trademark of Chust craftsmen. Currently there are several

Education

There are colleges and

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

s in Chust. They include: *Chust College of Pedagogy *Chust College of Medicine *Chust College of Agriculture *Chust College of Economy *Chust College of Sport in Gova village *Chust Academic Lyceum The city is also home to general education schools (which include

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

s), two music and art schools, six vocational schools, and three children's sports schools.

Notable people

* The Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who now lives in Russia, was born in Chust in 1953, and was imprisoned in Uzbekistan for six years for fraud. According to ''Forbes'', he was in 2013 Russia's richest man with a fortune estimated at $17.6 billion and was the world's 34th richest person. But Usmanov's net worth fell by nearly a quarter from February 22 to March 15, 2022, as the West imposed sanctions following the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. * Poet Muhammadsharif Soʻfizoda (1869—1937) was born in Chust.

References

External links

A photo gallery of Chust
{{Authority control Cities in Uzbekistan Populated places in Namangan Region