Shymkent
Encyclopedia
Shymkent formerly known as Chimkent , is the capital city
of South Kazakhstan Province
, the most populated region in Kazakhstan
. It is the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty
and Astana
with a population of 629,600 (2011-02-01). A major railroad junction on the Turkestan-Siberia Railway
, the city is also a notable cultural centre, with an international airport
. It is situated 690 km west of Almaty
and 120 km to the north of Tashkent
, Uzbekistan
.
to protect the Silk Road
town of Sayram
, 10 km to the east. Shymkent grew as a market center for trade between nomads and the settled people. It was destroyed several times: by Genghis Khan, soldiers from the southern Khanates, and by nomad attacks. Once part of the Khanate of Kokand
, it became part of the Emirate of Bukhara
in 1810 and was then annexed by the Russian Empire
in 1864. It was renamed Chernyaev in 1914 and renamed Shymkent in 1924. Following the Russian conquest, Shymkent was a city of trade between nomadic Turks and sedentary Turks, and was famous for its kumis
.
During the delineation of the borders of the Soviet Union
's Union Republics, Shymkent had a majority Uzbek population, but was assigned to Kazakhstan for political reasons. There was a gulag
located near Shymkent, and many Russian-speaking people came to the area via imprisonment.
The name Shymkent comes from two words: shym meaning "turf, and kent meaning "city". Shymkent (Kazakh) and Chimkent (Uzbek) have identical translations.
After Kazakhstan gained independence, the city was renamed Shymkent in 1993 as part of the government’s campaign to apply Kazakh
names to cities. This created an ambiguity in the city's name in the Russian language. The formal spelling of Шымкент (Shymkent) as codified in Kazakhstan's Constitution goes against the Russian spelling rules of never having the letter "ы" follow the letter "ш". As a result, the new name Шымкент (Shymkent) is used only in Kazakhstan, while Russia and some other countries using Russian language keep using the original Uzbek spelling Чимкент (Chimkent).
Ethnic composition of the city according to 1897 census:
mining, industrial growth began in the 1930s. A lead smelter was opened in Shymkent in 1938, and the city also has industries producing refined zinc
, processed karakul pelts, textiles, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals. Also, the city has a medium size refinery. Refinery is owned and operated by PetroKazakhstan
.
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of South Kazakhstan Province
South Kazakhstan Province
South Kazakhstan Province is the southernmost province of Kazakhstan, with a population of 2,282,500 people. Its capital is Shymkent, with 539,600 people. Other cities in South Kazakhstan include Turkestan, Sayram, Kentau, Arys, Shardara, Jetysu, Saryag'ash and Lenger...
, the most populated region in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. It is the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
and Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
with a population of 629,600 (2011-02-01). A major railroad junction on the Turkestan-Siberia Railway
Turkestan-Siberia Railway
The Turkestan–Siberian Railway is a broad gauge railway that connects Central Asia with Siberia. It starts north of Tashkent in Uzbekistan at Arys, where it branches off from the Trans-Caspian Railway. It heads roughly northeast through Shymkent, Taraz, Bishkek to the former Kazakh capital of...
, the city is also a notable cultural centre, with an international airport
Shymkent International Airport
Shymkent International Airport is an airport serving Shymkent in Kazakhstan .In 2004, the airport handled 97,000 passengers.- History :The basis for the airport was an agricultural airbase built in 1932. Since 1933 it started handling passengers and cargo traffic. In 1963 Shymkent airport was...
. It is situated 690 km west of Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
and 120 km to the north of Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
.
History
Shymkent was founded in the 12th century as a caravanseraiCaravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
to protect the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
town of Sayram
Sayram
Sayram is a city located in southeastern South Kazakhstan Province on the Sayram Su River, which rises at the nearby 4000 meter mountain Sayram Su. In medieval times, the city and countryside were located on the banks of the Arys/Ares River, into which the Sayram Su river flows.The city...
, 10 km to the east. Shymkent grew as a market center for trade between nomads and the settled people. It was destroyed several times: by Genghis Khan, soldiers from the southern Khanates, and by nomad attacks. Once part of the Khanate of Kokand
Khanate of Kokand
The Khanate of Kokand was a state in Central Asia that existed from 1709–1883 within the territory of modern eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan...
, it became part of the Emirate of Bukhara
Emirate of Bukhara
The Emirate of Bukhara was a Central Asian state that existed from 1785 to 1920. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, known formerly as Transoxiana. Its core territory was the land along the lower Zarafshan River, and its urban centres were the ancient cities of...
in 1810 and was then annexed by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1864. It was renamed Chernyaev in 1914 and renamed Shymkent in 1924. Following the Russian conquest, Shymkent was a city of trade between nomadic Turks and sedentary Turks, and was famous for its kumis
Kumis
Kumis, also spelled kumiss or koumiss in English is a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare's milk. The drink remains important to the peoples of the Central Asian steppes, of Turkic and Mongol origin: Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Yakuts, Mongols and Kalmyks...
.
During the delineation of the borders of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's Union Republics, Shymkent had a majority Uzbek population, but was assigned to Kazakhstan for political reasons. There was a gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
located near Shymkent, and many Russian-speaking people came to the area via imprisonment.
The name Shymkent comes from two words: shym meaning "turf, and kent meaning "city". Shymkent (Kazakh) and Chimkent (Uzbek) have identical translations.
After Kazakhstan gained independence, the city was renamed Shymkent in 1993 as part of the government’s campaign to apply Kazakh
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
names to cities. This created an ambiguity in the city's name in the Russian language. The formal spelling of Шымкент (Shymkent) as codified in Kazakhstan's Constitution goes against the Russian spelling rules of never having the letter "ы" follow the letter "ш". As a result, the new name Шымкент (Shymkent) is used only in Kazakhstan, while Russia and some other countries using Russian language keep using the original Uzbek spelling Чимкент (Chimkent).
Demographics
- KazakhsKazakhsThe Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
55.7% - RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
15.7% - UzbeksUzbeksThe Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
15% - TatarsTatarsTatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
2.7% - Others 10.9% (Azeris, UkrainiansUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, Koreans)
Ethnic composition of the city according to 1897 census:
- total - 11 194
- sart/uzbek 9 468 (84.58%)
- Russians - 833 (7.44%)
- kyrgyz-kaysak/ kara-kyrgyz - 451 (4.03%)
Economy
Formerly dominated by leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mining, industrial growth began in the 1930s. A lead smelter was opened in Shymkent in 1938, and the city also has industries producing refined zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, processed karakul pelts, textiles, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals. Also, the city has a medium size refinery. Refinery is owned and operated by PetroKazakhstan
PetroKazakhstan
PetroKazakhstan is a Canadian oil company, based in Calgary, that has all of its business focused on Kazakhstan where it had some of oil and of natural gas reserves in the Turgai basin region. These are the second largest Kazakhstani proven reserves after ChevronTexaco's TengizChevroil....
.
Main sights
- Ordabasy circle, site of Friday Mosque and MIG Memorial
- Regional Studies and History Museum
- Victory Park
- Central Park
- Museum of Repression
- Afghan War Memorial
- Arboretum
- Nauryz/Navruz Holiday Celebrations over Spring Solstice
- Al-Farabi Square
- Mega Shopping Center
Sister Cities
| City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Stevenage Stevenage Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south.... |
United Kingdom | |
| İzmir Izmir Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey... |
 Turkey |
|
| Adana Adana Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia... |
Turkey |
|
| Mogilev Mogilev Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants... |
 Belarus |
|
| Grosseto Grosseto Grosseto is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies 14 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain, on the Ombrone river.... |
 Italy |
|
| Pattaya Pattaya Pattaya is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi.... |
 Thailand |
|
| Khujand Khujand Khujand , also transliterated as Khudzhand, , formerly Khodjend or Khodzhent until 1936 and Leninabad until 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan. It is situated on the Syr Darya River at the mouth of the Fergana Valley... |
 Tajikistan |
External links
- http://www.shymkent.com
- http://www.shymkent.ru
- http://www.shymkent.co.uk
- http://www.shymkentonline.com
- http://www.chimkent.kz