Chiroqchi District

Setting and history

Chiroqchi District lies in the north of Kashkadarya Region, between the southern foothills of the Zarafshan Range and the Kashkadarya valley, bordering Samarkand Region to the north. Its centre is the town of Chiroqchi. From the 17th century the Chiroqchi beglik took shape here and became one of the larger begliks of the Bukhara Emirate. The district was created on 29 September 1926 and was briefly merged with Yakkabog in 1962–1964. In 2022, because of its large population, it was split in two, and 32 mahallas formed the new Ko‘kdala District.

Agriculture, grain and above all livestock, is the backbone of the local economy.

Sights

In the Quruqsoy gorge lies Siypantosh, “slippery stone”, a gallery of ancient paintings beneath rock overhangs. An expedition led by R. Kh. Suleymanov studied it in 2001 and dated the images from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age; they include a bull painted in ochre, geometric signs and small handprints. The site is still sacred to local people. The district also has many venerated places and springs, such as the Chambil spring.