Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan

🇰🇿 Kyzylorda (Қызылорда), formerly known as Kzyl-Orda, Ak-Mechet, Perovsk, and Fort-Perovsky, is a city in south-central Kazakhstan, capital of Kyzylorda Region and former capital of the Kazakh ASSR from 1925 to 1927.

The city historically developed around the Syr Darya river and the site of a Kokand fortress.

History A settlement existed under Seljuk, the founder of the Seljuk dynasty. The modern city had its beginnings in 1817 as the site of a Kokand fortress known as Ak-Mechet, or white mosque. The later-famous Yaqub Beg was once the fort's commander, but he was apparently not in command during the final battle. In 1853, during the Russian conquest of Turkestan, the fort was taken by Russian troops under General Vasily Perovsky. The Russians established a new fort and called it Fort-Perovsky (Форт-Перо́вский), after the general.

The town of Perovsk (Перо́вск) in Russian Turkestan later developed around the fort. In 1925, the city was renamed Kzyl-Orda (Кзыл-Орда) and was designated as the capital of the Kazak ASSR. The name literally means a red city, from the Turkic "кзыл" (red; used here in the common Soviet ideological connotation) and the Turkic Mongolian "орда" (city). In 1927 the capital was relocated to the south-eastern region and Alma-Ata.

"Kyzylorda", the Kazakh-based romanized spelling, has been used since the late 20th century after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Kazakhstan's independence in 1991.

Since independence, many of the outhouses were erected in several apartment buildings used as dormitories during Soviet rule due to lack of sewage systems for indoor plumbing. A RFE/RL report in April 2018 stated that the Kazakh Republic government was planning to modernize Soviet era buildings.

Agriculture Kyzylorda is known for its rice production. Many hundreds of hectares are devoted to rice production. Two rice mills operate in the city.

Education Kyzylorda State University (KSU) after Korkyt ata is the leading centre of education, a science and culture centre in the Aral region of the Republic Kazakhstan. Established in 1950, the university trains highly skilled specialists in 54 specialties at 11 faculties.

Transport Kyzylorda has one airport. It has developed as the supply centre of the important oilfields in the nearby Turgay Basin.

Economy: Tourist Industry Points of interest for tourists in the Kyzylorda region include the vanished Aral Sea and the Baikonur cosmodrome, archaeological excavations in Sauran and Shyganak, the memorial complex of Korkyt Ata, and several ancient mausoleums.