Shymkent

Shymkent
Шымкент
Чимкент

Night view of New Memorial in Ordabasy Square
Shymkent

Location in Kazakhstan

Coordinates: 42°19′0″N 69°35′45″E / 42.31667°N 69.59583°E / 42.31667; 69.59583
Country Kazakhstan
Region South Kazakhstan Region
Founded 12th century
Government
 • Akim (mayor) Darkhan Satybaldy
Area
 • Total 347 km2 (134 sq mi)
Elevation 506 m (1,660 ft)
Population (2014 est.)[1]
 • Total 854 500[2]
 • Agglomeration 1,400,000[3]
Time zone BTT (UTC+6)
Postal code 160000
Area code(s) (+7) 7252
Vehicle registration X
Website www.shymkent.ru

Shymkent (Kazakh: Шымкент/Şımkent, شىمكەنت), known until 1993 as Chimkent[4] (Uzbek: 'Чимкент', چىمكېنت; Russian: Чимкент), is the capital city of South Kazakhstan Region, the most densely populated region in Kazakhstan. It is the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty and Astana with an estimated population of 629,600 in 2011.[1] A major railroad junction on the Turkestan-Siberia Railway, the city is also a notable cultural centre, with an international airport. Shymkent is situated 690 kilometres (430 mi) west of Almaty and 120 kilometres (75 mi) to the north of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 603,499 (2009 Census results);[5] 423,902 (1999 Census results).[5]

History

Shymkent was founded in the twelfth century[6] as a caravanserai to protect the Silk Road town of Sayram, 10 km to the east. Shymkent grew as a market center for trade between Turkic nomads and the settled Sogdians. It was destroyed several times: by Genghis Khan, soldiers from the southern Khanates, and by nomad attacks. In the early 19th century it became part of the khanate of Kokand. It was captured by the Russians in 1864.[7] 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.[8]

There was a gulag located near Shymkent, and many Russian-speaking people came to the area via imprisonment.[9]

The name Shymkent comes from two Persian/Tajik words, later adopted and adjusted to Kazakh language: "cheman"/"cham" (shim in Kazakh) meaning turf, and kand (kent in Kazakh), meaning city. Together, Chemkand or Shymkent for "city in the grass/turf."

After Kazakhstan gained independence, the city was renamed Shymkent in 1993 as part of the government’s campaign to apply Kazakh names to cities. 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 continue to use the original spelling Чимкент (Chimkent).

In January 2015 Shymkent officials sent a request to UNESCO to be recognized as an ancient city.[10]

Geography

Climate

Shymkent features a borderline Mediterranean (Köppen Csa)/Dry-Summer Continental Climate (Dsa) climate, not unlike Eastern Washington or Northern Idaho but with much hotter summers. Shymkent features hot, relatively dry summers and cold winters. Winters here are noticeably warmer than in more northerly cities like Almaty and Astana, with the mean monthly temperature during the city’s coldest month (January) averaging around −1 °C (30.2 °F). Shymkent averages just under 600 millimetres (23.62 in) of precipitation annually.

Climate data for Shymkent (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.2
(72)		 25.2
(77.4)		 30.7
(87.3)		 33.0
(91.4)		 37.8
(100)		 43.0
(109.4)		 42.6
(108.7)		 42.2
(108)		 39.2
(102.6)		 34.4
(93.9)		 30.5
(86.9)		 25.4
(77.7)		 43.0
(109.4)
Average high °C (°F) 4.1
(39.4)		 6.6
(43.9)		 12.9
(55.2)		 19.2
(66.6)		 25.1
(77.2)		 30.0
(86)		 32.7
(90.9)		 32.1
(89.8)		 27.2
(81)		 18.8
(65.8)		 12.1
(53.8)		 6.0
(42.8)		 18.9
(66)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.7
(30.7)		 1.6
(34.9)		 7.6
(45.7)		 13.6
(56.5)		 19.1
(66.4)		 23.7
(74.7)		 26.3
(79.3)		 25.3
(77.5)		 19.9
(67.8)		 12.3
(54.1)		 6.4
(43.5)		 0.9
(33.6)		 13.0
(55.4)
Average low °C (°F) −4.8
(23.4)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 3.0
(37.4)		 8.3
(46.9)		 12.9
(55.2)		 16.7
(62.1)		 19.1
(66.4)		 17.9
(64.2)		 12.8
(55)		 6.6
(43.9)		 1.7
(35.1)		 −3.1
(26.4)		 7.4
(45.3)
Record low °C (°F) −31.1
(−24)		 −28.9
(−20)		 −23.9
(−11)		 −5.0
(23)		 −2.8
(27)		 5.5
(41.9)		 7.8
(46)		 6.2
(43.2)		 −1.1
(30)		 −12.0
(10.4)		 −30.0
(−22)		 −26.1
(−15)		 −31.1
(−24)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 73
(2.87)		 70
(2.76)		 83
(3.27)		 69
(2.72)		 56
(2.2)		 16
(0.63)		 12
(0.47)		 4
(0.16)		 10
(0.39)		 41
(1.61)		 67
(2.64)		 75
(2.95)		 576
(22.68)
Average rainy days 5 7 9 9 9 5 4 3 3 6 6 6 72
Average snowy days 8 7 4 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 3 6 29
Average relative humidity (%) 75 73 67 63 56 44 39 34 39 55 69 75 57
Source: Pogoda.ru.net[11]

Demographics

According to the census of 2011, the city had 637,800 inhabitants.[13]

Economy

Formerly dominated by lead mining, industrial growth began in the 1930s.

A lead smelter was opened in Shymkent in 1934[14] or 1938.[15] It supplied a major part of the USSR's metals needs, copper as well as lead and others, including three-quarters of all bullets fired by the Red Army. Smelting continued until 2008, causing extreme levels of pollution (lead, cadmium et al.) in the surrounding ground, and then controversially restarted in 2010, briefly, under a major UK-listed company, Kazakhmys.[14]

The city also has industries producing refined zinc, processed karakul pelts, textiles, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals. Also, the city has a medium-sized refinery, which is owned and operated by PetroKazakhstan.

Main sights

A bicycle-sharing system, Shymkent-bike, allows you to reach all main sights.

Sport

In Command & Conquer: Generals, Shymkent is the starting point of the GLA counterattack by destroying the Chinese presence and a local hydroelectric dam to flood out the Chinese outposts in the riverside.

Twin cities

City Country Year
Stevenage United Kingdom United Kingdom
İzmir Turkey Turkey
Adana Turkey Turkey
Mogilev Belarus Belarus
Grosseto Italy Italy
Pattaya Thailand Thailand
Khujand Tajikistan Tajikistan

References

  1. 1 2 Estimation 2011-11-21 (in rus.)
  2. ↑ Курносова, Светлана. "О развитии Шымкента отчитался аким города Дархан Сатыбалды". zakon.kz. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  3. ↑ Министерство регионального развития республики Казахстан. "Программа развития регионов".
  4. ↑  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chimkent". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 165.
  5. 1 2 "Население Республики Казахстан" (in Russian). Департамент социальной и демографической статистики. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  6. ↑ Peoples of central Asia. By Lawrence Krader. Published by Indiana University, 1971
  7. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111610/Shymkent
  8. ↑ Through Russian central Asia. By Stephen Graham. Published by The Macmillan Company, 1916
  9. ↑ The Gulag Archipelago, 1918–1956: an experiment in literary investigation. By Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn, H. T. Willetts, Thomas P. Whitney. Published by Westview Press, 1997
  10. ↑ "Shymkent Seeks UNESCO Recognition As 2,200-Year-Old City". www.astanatimes.com.
  11. ↑ "Weather and Climate - The Climate of Shymkent" (in Russian). Weather and Climate (Погода и климат). Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  12. ↑ www.stat.kz
  13. ↑ http://www.ontustik.stat.kz/rus/index.php
  14. 1 2 People & Power (TV programme), Al Jazeeera English, Robin Forestier, 20 February 2014
  15. ↑ The USSR. By John C. Dewdney. Published by Dawson, 1976
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