Gurlan District

Setting and history

Gurlan District was created on 29 September 1926. It borders Shovot to the south, Yangibozor to the southeast, Karakalpakstan to the east, north and northwest, and Turkmenistan to the southwest, covering 447 km², more than 7% of the region. The Amu Darya runs along its north and northeast, and fields are watered by the Kilichboy, Qiyot-Qongirot, Toqson and other canals.

Theories about the name vary: one legend credits a blind old man and a lame old woman, craftsmen who settled here, while linguists derive it from the Mongol kuren, “encampment”. The population of 162,700 (2026) is mostly Uzbek, with Karakalpaks, Kazakhs, Turkmen and others, and the economy rests on cotton, grain and textiles.