Osh

Osh claims a continuous history stretching back 3,000 years—making it not only Kyrgyzstan’s oldest city but one of the most ancient settlements in all of Central Asia. Archaeological evidence from the slopes of Sulaiman-Too dates to the Bronze Age, while written records first mention the city in the 9th century as a thriving silk production center along the great trading routes connecting China to the Mediterranean world. The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian passed through this region as early as 138 BCE on his historic journey that opened the Silk Road.

What makes Osh extraordinary is how that trading tradition endures. The Jayma Bazaar—a massive marketplace stretching along the Ak-Buura River—has occupied essentially the same site for over two millennia, though it was relocated to a modern facility in 2025. Originally three separate markets that merged into one sprawling commercial center, the bazaar once served caravans heading east toward Kashgar or west toward Samarkand. Today, Uzbek traders in embroidered tebeteikas mingle with Kyrgyz herders in white kalpak hats, selling everything from golden apricots to handwoven carpets to horse meat sausages—a living continuation of Central Asia’s ancient commercial culture.