Sokh District

Location

Sokh District belongs to Fergana Region but is completely surrounded by Kyrgyzstan's Batken Region. It covers about 220–230 km², with its centre at the village of Ravon. The district occupies the Sokh river valley and is itself split into two parts, a smaller northern and a larger southern section.

The 10th-century geography Hudud al-'Alam describes Sokh as a town with sixty villages. An independent beylik until the late 18th century, Sokh then became part of the Kokand Khanate and, from 1876, of the Russian Empire's Fergana Oblast. The present district was re-established on 27 February 1990.

People and visiting

More than 88,000 people live here, most speaking southern Fergana dialects of Tajik. Stone Age sites have been found in caves of the Sokh valley. The road into the exclave crosses Kyrgyz territory, so any tourist trip depends on the border regime — check the current requirements before you go.