Toponymy The origin of the name of the city is uncertain. Arab geographers of the 10th century referred to Andijan as "Andukan," "Andugan," or "Andigan." The traditional explanation links the name of the city to the Turkic tribal names
Andi and
Adoq/
Azoq.
Early history Andijan is one of the oldest cities in the
Fergana Valley. In some parts of the city, archeologists have found items dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries. The city is perhaps best known as the birthplace of
Babur who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the
Mughal dynasty in the
Indian subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor. After the formation of the
Khanate of Kokand in the 18th century, the capital was moved from Andijan to
Kokand. In the mid-19th century, the
Russian Empire began occupying the area of present-day
Central Asia. In 1876, the Russians conquered the Khanate of Kokand and the city of Andijan along with it. Andijan was the center and flashpoint of the
Andijan Uprising of 1898 in which the followers of
Sufi leader
Madali Ishan attacked the Russian barracks in the city, killing 22 and injuring 16-20 more. In retaliation, 18 of the participants were hanged and 360 exiled.
20th century , 1769
1902 earthquake On 16 December 1902, much of the city was leveled by a severe
earthquake which destroyed up to 30,000 homes in the region and killed as many as 4,500 residents. After
Soviet rule was established in Andijan in 1917, the city quickly became an important industrial city in the
Uzbek SSR.
Soviet era During the Soviet demarcation of
Central Asia, Andijan was separated from its historical
hinterland as the
Ferghana Valley was divided among three separate Soviet republics. Andijan itself became part of the
Uzbek SSR. During
World War II, many Soviet citizens were evacuated to Andijan and the surrounding towns. Of the
Jewish refugees fleeing
Nazi-occupied Poland and banished by the Soviets to
Siberia and
Central Asia, some relocated to Andijan starting in 1941.
Post-Soviet Islamic fundamentalism In the 1990s, Andijan and the surrounding region became politically unstable. Poverty and an upsurge in
Islamic fundamentalism produced tensions in the region. The town, and the region as a whole, suffered a severe economic decline following the
fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Repeated border closures badly damaged the local economy, worsening the already widespread poverty of Andijan's inhabitants.
May 2005 massacre On 13 May 2005, Uzbekistan's military opened fire on a mass of people who were protesting against poor living conditions and corrupt government. The estimates of those killed on 13 May range from 187, the official count of the government, to several hundred. A defector from the
SNB alleged that 1,500 were killed. The bodies of many of those who died were allegedly hidden in
mass graves following the
massacre. The
Uzbek government at first stated that the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and that the protesters were members of
Hizb ut-Tahrir. Critics have argued that the radical Islamist label has been just a pretext for maintaining a repressive regime in the country. Whether troops fired indiscriminately to prevent a
colour revolution or acted legitimately to quell a prison break is also disputed. Another theory is that the dispute was really an inter-clan struggle for state power. ==Geography==