Aravan, Kyrgyzstan

Aravan
Араван
Village
Aravan is located in Kyrgyzstan
Aravan
Aravan
Coordinates: 40°30′54″N 72°29′57″E / 40.51500°N 72.49917°E / 40.51500; 72.49917
CountryKyrgyzstan
RegionOsh Region
DistrictAravan District
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total32,917
Time zoneUTC+6
Area code3231

Aravan is a large village in the Fergana Valley, in Aravan District of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia about 25 km west of Osh, on the river Aravansay. It is the administrative seat of Aravan District.[2] Its population was 32,917 in 2021, of which 21,818 in Yusupov rural community and 11,099 in Allya Anarov rural community.[1]

Located on the Silk Road. 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 petroglyphs have an important role in regional folklore and have become a pilgrimage site for Muslims in the Fergana Valley. There is a Sufi shrine. The Chil-Ustun cave system is 4 km away in the hills above the river Aravansay. There is a similar cave system 20 km away. Neither is easily accessible.

  1. ^ a b "Population of regions, districts, towns, urban-type settlements, rural communities and villages of Kyrgyz Republic" (XLS) (in Russian). National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Classification system of territorial units of the Kyrgyz Republic" (in Kyrgyz). National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic. May 2021. pp. 48–50.