Bakhmal District

Overview

Bakhmal District was formed on 16 October 1970. Its centre is the small town of Usmat, and it has seven small towns and more than a hundred villages. It covers the northern slopes of the Malguzar mountains and the Turkestan Range, from foothill plains to high peaks.

The mountains receive up to 750 mm of rain a year, making this one of the wettest parts of the region. Juniper and walnut, almond, wild apple, cherry and hawthorn grow on the slopes, and the valleys are full of orchards, vineyards and mulberry groves. Most people are Uzbeks, with a Kyrgyz minority.

Highlights

The Sad Vaqqos Ota spring is a local place of pilgrimage. In 2024 drone lidar mapped the 6th–11th-century mountain cities of Tugunbulak and Tashbulak here at 2,000–2,200 metres; Tugunbulak alone covers 120 hectares.