Qoshrabot District

Setting and nature

Qoshrabot (Koshrabad) is the region's northernmost district and one of its most mountainous. It borders Navoi and Jizzakh regions as well as the Payariq, Ishtikhan and Kattakurgan districts. The Nuratau mountains fill the landscape: the main Nuratau ridge to the north, crowned by Hayotboshi peak (2,165 m), the eastern end of the Aktau ridge to the south, and the Nurata basin between them. From the crests the land drops to around 500 m, cut by streams such as the Oqsoy, Saganoq, Gujumsoy, Pichotsoy and Pangatsoy, and springs are plentiful in the hills. Summers in the basin are hot and dry, averaging 27–28 °C in July; rainfall is 200–300 mm a year, rising to 500 mm on the slopes.

Wild almond, pistachio, hawthorn and dog rose cling to the slopes, with juniper higher up; chukar partridge, golden eagle, badger and fox live here. The 16,300-hectare Qoshrabot wildlife sanctuary was established on 8 July 1991.

History

The regional administration explains the name as 'qo'sh' (pair) plus 'rabot' (caravanserai): the place where two caravanserais stood side by side. The district was first formed in 1943 from village councils of the Mitan, Nurata and Khatyrchi districts, abolished in 1957 and restored on 3 April 1978.

These hills are one of the cradles of Uzbek oral epic. Ergash Jumanbulbul-ogli (1868–1937), the leading figure of the Qorgon school of bards, was born in Qorgon village into a family that had sung dastans for seven generations. He studied at a madrasa in Bukhara, knew some 30 epics by heart, among them Kuntugmish, Alpamysh and Ravshan, and composed his own verses. Qorgon has his house-museum, mausoleum and statue, and the district hosts an annual bards' contest and the Qoshrabot Melodies festival.

Economy

Livestock, above all karakul sheep, is the mainstay, grazing 150,000 ha of pasture. Twenty-one mahallas specialise in grapes grown low along the ground for raisins, and under a late-2025 presidential decree a raisin cluster and a modern 300-hectare complex are being built around the Qoshrabot Agro Star company. Plans also include 500 ha of pistachio orchards at Oqchopsoy and a 30-hectare granite-processing park. The best-known mineral asset is the Zarmitan gold deposit, discovered in 1952 and mined since 1978.

Getting there

Qoshrabot is about 100 km from Samarkand, 1.5–2 hours by car, and buses and shared minibuses connect the two. The nearest railway station is Kattakurgan, some 58 km away. To reach the mountain valleys and Qorgon village, hire a local driver; the landscapes are at their best in April–May and October.