Osh is an ancient city in the Fergana Valley of southern Kyrgyzstan, allegedly 3000 years old. Its geographical location is 40°32′ N 72°48′ E. It has an ethnically mixed population of about 220,000 (in 2003), comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and Tajiks, and serious ethnic clashes occurred there and in nearby Uzgen in 1990.
The "second capital" of the Kyrgyz Republic, Osh has functioned as the administrative center of Osh oblast since 1939. It is a lively place, with the largest and most crowded outdoor market in all of Central Asia. The city's industrial base, established during the Soviet period, largely collapsed after the break-up of the Soviet Union and has started to revive only gradually. The proximity of the Uzbek border, which artificially cuts through historically linked territories and settlements, deprives Osh of much of its former Hinterland, makes for a serious obstacle to trade and economic development. Daily flights link Osh -- and hence the southern part of Kyrgyzstan -- to Bishkek and the north, and modernization of the long and arduous road through the mountains to Bishkek will improve communications.
Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty of Indian emperors and descendant of Timurlane, was born in nearby Andijan (Uzbekistan) in the Fergana Valley and set out from there on his conquest of northern India. He allegedly pondered his future on a high rock above Osh (Suleiman's Rock), concluding that the confines of the Fergana would cramp his aspirations as a descendant of famous conquering warrior princes. Suleiman's Rock is a venerable place of Muslim pilgrimage and burial and a popular site among locals and visitors.
The city was occupied and annexed by the Russian Empire in 1876 when Russia overwhelmed the Central Asian khanates during the so-called Great Game, the contest between Britain and Russia for dominance in Central Asia.