One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan is Shymkent, a population of over a million people in the coming decades. This southern city of republican significance is now one of the fastest growing in the post-Soviet space. In 2011, he was recognized as the best city in the CIS by the International Assembly of Capitals and Major Cities. In Kazakhstan itself, Shymkent is often called Texas, referring to the peculiar nature of immigrants from this region, distinguished by their particular enterprise. According to the townspeople, this is one of the most comfortable cities for living, which is facilitated by the warm climate and close proximity to Tashkent and Bishkek. What is the population of Shymkent? How many times have the city been renamed? This and not only will be discussed in the article.
general review
The history of the city begins from the 12th century, for a long time it passed from one conqueror to another, until in the 19th century the Russian troops stormed the city and it became part of the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union. In 1991, it became the regional center of the South Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The etymology of the name of the city comes from two Iranian words: "Kent", which means city, locality and "shym" - basically translate as meadow, grass. Therefore, Shymkent most likely translates as "green city", "flowering city", "garden city". The village changed its name almost only once, seven years, from 1914 to 1921, it was called Chernyaev. The renaming took place in honor of the 50th anniversary of the accession of Kazakhstan to the Russian Empire, General Chernyaev led the troops who stormed the city. In Soviet times, it was again renamed Chimkent, in independent Kazakhstan the pronunciation was specified, making it closer to Kazakh.
This city is one of the largest in Kazakhstan in terms of occupied area - 1162.8 square meters. km If we take the entire urban agglomeration along with suburban settlements, the population of Shymkent totals 1.8 million people.
Shymkent is the economic and industrial center of Kazakhstan. Large enterprises of the oil refining and chemical industries, non-ferrous metallurgy and mechanical engineering work in the city. Light industry and pharmaceutical enterprises built in the mid-20th century continue to function.
The settlement is the third in the country where a multifunctional employment center was opened. In Shymkent, in this institution you can get a lot of various public services, on the basis of the one-window principle - register at the place of residence, get preferential tickets, marriage and birth certificates, register at the labor exchange. It also provides information on retirement and disability benefits. Now in the center of employment of the population of Shymkent services are fully provided in digital format. You can get all kinds of services in electronic form, including certificates, call center consultations and a digital office. The address of the Shymkent employment center is 89 Baiterekova Street.
Population
The population of the city of Shymkent is about 989 thousand people, this is the third settlement in the country by this indicator. At the same time, the city leadership, focusing on energy consumption and its own assessment, believes that the number has long exceeded one million people. Therefore, it is not known exactly how many people live in Shymkent now.
After Kazakhstan gained independence, the city became one of the fastest growing in the post-Soviet space. The population of Shymkent, on the one hand, decreased due to the departure of Russian-speaking citizens, on the other hand, the influx of representatives of the indigenous nation from the village into the city increased.
In addition, adjacent areas were attached to the city. For example, due to the unification of the city with three neighboring districts in 2013, the population of Shymkent immediately increased by 120 thousand people. In 2015, after the next increment of the territory in the city, there were already 858 thousand people. In connection with the increase in the area occupied by the city, the population density has also changed, in the old borders about 1825 people per square meter, in the new ones - 733.
After the annexation of areas inhabited mainly by representatives of Uzbek nationality, the ethnic composition of the city population changed. The number of Uzbeks increased to 161,222 people, and they became the second largest national group, after the Kazakhs. In 2011, Russians were the second largest group in the city of Shymkent. 91.3 thousand people accounted for 14.52% of the total population. 407.3 thousand people lived in the city of Kazakhs, which was 64.76%. By 2015, Uzbeks began to make up 18.78% of the total, Russians fell to third place, with a share of 10.91%. For almost the entire Soviet period, Russians made up the majority of the city’s inhabitants, starting from the 1939 census, when their total number was 47.26%. Judging by the first census after the conquest of the city, when Russian troops recaptured Shymkent from the Kokand Khanate, the main population was Sartre, so-called settled Uzbeks in those days, their share was 84.6%, then there were no more than 5.7% of Russians, Kyrgyz Kaysakov (Kazakhs) - 4%.
friendship of Peoples
In the Soviet period, Kazakhstan was a place of forcible resettlement of many peoples from all over the Soviet Union. The population of Shymkent today is represented by more than one hundred and thirty nationalities. The city has nineteen national cultural centers, including Kazakh, Uzbek, Slavic, German, Korean, which are located in the House of Friendship. S. Seyfullin. Compared to the Soviet Chimkent, the city’s population has significantly changed in ethnic composition, and Kazakhs have become the dominant people in the city. After Kazakhstan gained independence, a significant part of the Russian population left the country, there was a massive emigration of Greeks and Germans to their historical homeland.
Thanks to such a mixture of peoples, the city presents a wide variety of authentic national cuisines, from Kazakh and Uzbek to Caucasian and Korean. In addition, the favorable hot climate makes it possible to produce unique agricultural products. Many tourists and the townspeople themselves note the excellent taste of barbecue, manti, cauldron kebab, which are offered in numerous national cafes.
Early story
A settlement on the site of a modern city existed already in the 11-12th century. The first written mention of Shymkent dates back to 1425, in the “Book of Victories,” by the ancient Central Asian historian Sharafadin Yezdi, when describing Timur’s aggressive campaigns. It was written in it that in 1365–1366, while hiking on Mongolistan, the commander discovered his military carts in the village of Chimkent near Sairam.
The city was repeatedly raided by various conquerors, until the troops of Genghis Khan captured the Sairam oasis in the early 13th century, after which Shymkent became part of the Mongol khanate. In the 16th century, the city became part of the Kazakh Khanate, in the 17-18th century, Dzhungar troops, one of the Mongol-speaking peoples, constantly attacked Shymkent. The invasions of the conquerors more than once ravaged the blooming land, however, the region was still distinguished by developed agriculture, horticulture and crafts.
For a long time, from the end of the 18th century until the first half of the 19th century, the Bukhara and Kokand khanates fought for control of the city. As a result, in the years 1810-1864, Shymkent became a well-fortified fortress, where a large army settled and the residence of the Kokand khan governor was located. In 1821, rebels led by the Kazakh sultan Tentektor were able to storm Shymkent and Sairam, but after several battles lost, the uprising was crushed by the numerous troops coming from Kokand.
Together with Russia
In July 1864, Colonel Chernyaev managed to take the Shymkent fortress, which was considered impregnable. A small detachment of Russian troops entered the city through a water conduit, the Kokand garrison was so demoralized by the sudden appearance of the enemy that it almost did not show resistance. Since that time, the city has become an important logistics hub linking the metropolis with the Central Asian territories. In 1885, the first pharmaceutical company was built - the santonin factory, which became one of the largest in Soviet times, now it is Khimpharm JSC, part of the Polish group of companies Polpharma.
During the war years in Chimkent (that was the name of the city in Soviet times) 17 factories and factories that produced spare parts for tanks, optical instruments and other military products were relocated. Two of the three bullets were made of metal produced at the Chimkent Lead Plant, built in the 30s.
In the following years of the 20th century, the city developed rapidly, construction of the largest industrial enterprises was in progress, this caused a rapid population growth in Shymkent. The city received a well-developed infrastructure and social sphere.
Industry
Most of the large industrial enterprises were built in the Soviet era, many of them survived the difficult times of the devastation of the 90s, when almost all of them were idle. The construction of these industrial facilities contributed to a significant increase in the population of Chimkent, as the city was called at that time, mainly due to the arrival of specialists from other regions of the Soviet Union.
Most industrial enterprises were built in Soviet times and continue to function even now, although sometimes with a significant decrease in production volumes. The largest enterprises of the petrochemical industry of Kazakhstan, PetroKazakhstan Oil Products, the former Chimkent oil refinery engaged in oil refining and INCOMTYRE, operate in the city. Also in the city is the former Chimkent Tire Plant, which produces tires for cars. One of the largest pharmaceutical companies is Khimfarm, a company that produces a wide range of medicines.
The engineering industry is represented by three enterprises. After several years of inactivity, the Kardanval plant, specializing in the production of cardan shafts for cars and tractors, again started operating. The company supplies spare parts mainly to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Space. JSC "Yuzhmash", specializes in the production of forging equipment, machinery and spare parts. The enterprise in Soviet times widely exported products, including to Japan, for the Toyota concern. Elektrotechnical products are produced by Elektroapparat LLP, which also produces power switches.
The metallurgical industry enterprise is still operating - the former Chimkent Lead Plant, now Yuzhpolymetal JSC, which was one of the main producers of lead bullets in the Great Patriotic War. The company produces lead and related polymetals.
In the years 60-70, in order to reduce the imbalance in the supply of female jobs, several large enterprises of light industry were built in the city. At this time, the population of Chimkent and Kazakhstan as a whole grew rapidly due to the arrival of specialists from other regions of the Soviet Union. One of such enterprises is the Voskhod factory, which is engaged in sewing women's and men's clothing. The company has excellent Italian equipment and is now mainly engaged in sewing uniforms for Kazakhstani law enforcement agencies. The Elastic factory, whose socks were exported to many countries of the world, is currently underloaded. The textile enterprise Adal has incredible capacity and is capable of producing 3.5 tons of cotton yarn and 7 million meters of harsh fabric per year, the factory is focused on the use of cotton grown in the region.
As in any large regional center, food industry enterprises operate in the city, providing the population with almost all food products, including milk, refined oil, and drinks. The most famous enterprise in the industry is Shymkentpivo JSC, a factory built in the 70s by Czechoslovak specialists, which produced real Czech beer. According to the reviews of the townspeople and many guests, the Chimket beer is still one of the best in the country.
Infrastructure
Shymkent has always been famous for its delicious drinking water. According to the guests of the city, it is cold and clean, it is one of the best in the country. Which is not surprising, because the water comes from the purest underground sources - the spring of Kyzyl-Tu, Badam-Sairam and Tassai-Aksu deposits. The length of water supply networks provides 82% of the population of Shymkent with fresh water.
The district heating system provides heat to the central areas of the city and buildings in areas where large heat sources are located, usually near industrial enterprises, and covers about 40% of the city. Decentralized heat supply is dispersed throughout the territory. A significant part of the residential sector, which is traditionally represented by private low-rise buildings, is individually heated by gas. This settlement is one of the most gasified in the country; a well-developed system of gas pipeline networks provides 80.5% of the population of the city of Shymkent.
Sewer-treatment facilities for domestic and industrial wastewater, built mainly during the Soviet era, provide for the most part the central and industrial areas of the city. Centralized sewage covers only 60% of the population of Shymkent. The demand for electricity is fully provided, mainly by flows from other regions of the country with the Zhambyl state district power station (42% of the total demand) and Ekibastuz state district power station-1 (33%).
Sightseeing: Old Town
In ancient times, around the impregnable fortress of Shymkent, the population began to gradually develop the adjacent territories. The old city began to be built up with houses and workshops of artisans and farmers. The modern district was built on the site of the old settlement, and the new streets are located in the same way as the streets of past centuries. Unfortunately, only two architectural monuments of the 19th century have remained intact: this is the residential building of the district chief and the Koshkar Ata mosque. In the last years of the Soviet period, it was planned to preserve the Old City as an ethnographic open-air museum, with strict requirements for new buildings, in order to preserve the historical appearance of the city. However, the plan was never implemented.
After the conquest of the city by Russian troops for the new leadership sent from the metropolis, the house of the district chief was built. Many famous people who came to the city stayed in this house, including the world-famous orientalist Vasily Bartold. The son of the last Kazakh Khan, Akhmet Kenesarin, also worked here.
Koshkar Ata Mosque was built in 1850-1856 by Ferghana artisans in a traditional style and frontal composition. Initially, the building was built of mud brick, so it gradually collapsed over time, due to periodic flooding near the river. Therefore, the mosque was rebuilt in 1891-1893, they used already burnt bricks for this.
The main square of the city - Ordabasy - is located on the spot where in the 19th century the eastern outskirts of Chimkent was located, the population of which at that time was about 11 thousand people. The eastern fortress gate was located here in the direction of the roads leading to Taraz and Sairam. On this side, there was a bazaar, the eastern market, under the fortress walls, because of this, in those days the square was called "Bazaar". Streets converge on it, named after the three great biys (judges) of the Kazakh people6 Tole bi, Aiteke bi, Kazybek bi. In the center of the square is the main monument of the city ofA. The monument "Otan Ana" is a high stele on which is the figure of a young Kazakh woman, releasing seven swallows into the sky. Not far from the stele, the Koshkar Ata River flows; a whole complex of fountains is installed right in it. According to tourists, this is one of the best places in the city to relax in the hot season.
Sightseeing: Streets
In ancient times, the city grew around the citadel of the old fortress and consisted of many small winding streets that randomly developed without any plan, however, this did not interfere with the population of Chimkent. How many people lived in the old city no one could determine. In 1867, after joining the Russian Empire, the city became the county center of the Syrdarya region and the New City began to be built, the layout of which had a rectangular regular shape and divided into quarters.
Along the border between the Old and the New Town, the oldest street passes, laid in the 19th century by the district authorities appointed by the Russian Empire. It began near the citadel of the ancient settlement from Bazarnaya Square and continued in new areas. From the moment of construction until the October Revolution, it was called Mykolayiv, then it was renamed to Soviet, and already in independent Kazakhstan it was again renamed in honor of the legendary Kazakh judge - Kazybek bi.
Sightseeing: parks
At the end of the 19th century, two gardens were laid out: Cathedral and Public City, which are still a favorite vacation spot for citizens and tourists. Now it’s not gardens, but Ken Baba and Central parks, respectively.
Known to all city guests in Soviet times as Detsky, Ken Baba Park is now a popular vacation spot for city dwellers and tourists, who are attracted by numerous attractions for children and catering establishments offering national dishes of different nations. According to tourists' reviews, the most comfortable conditions are created here for those who want to take a walk with the children and eat tasty food. There are a lot of reservoirs with clean spring water, artificial waterfalls, canals and decorative ponds, in which beautiful fish and many waterfowl swim. The park has many oaks and other trees of valuable species planted in the 19-20 century.
In "Ken Baba", at one time it was called the Cathedral Garden, in 1914 the St. Nicholas Cathedral was opened, designed by architect Matsevich. One of the most beautiful religious buildings of the time in Soviet times was a library, after the dismantling of the domes, then the Palace of Pioneers worked here. Currently, the building is given to the regional puppet theater.