Isfara

Isfara lies on the river of the same name at the southern edge of the Fergana Valley. Water descending from the mountains is diverted into fields and orchards, making the oasis noted for fruit and vegetables. Early Islamic sources record the district as a refuge for Sogdians who moved eastward during the Arab conquests. Its fortified settlement and gardens stood between the valley's towns and the mountain routes farther south. In the eighteenth century Isfara became a seat of a ruler of Kokand amid the struggles for control of Fergana.