Jalal-Abad

Jalal-Abad (also Dzhalal-Abad; since 2003 also spelled Jalalabad and Jalalabat) is the administrative and economic center of Jalal-Abad Oblasty in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, with a population of about 75,000. It is situated at the north-eastern end of the Fergana valley along the Kugart river valley, in the foothills of the Babash Ata mountains (at 40°56′N 73°0′E), very close to the Uzbek border.

Jalalabad is known for a number of mineral springs in its surroundings, and the water from the nearby Hozret-Ayub-Paigambar spa was long believed to cure lepers. Several Soviet era sanatoria offer mineral water treatment programs for people with various chronic diseases. Bottled mineral water from the region is sold around the country and abroad.

One of the branches of the Silk Road

Jalalabad oblast covers 33,647 square kilometers in the south-west of Kyrgyzstan. Except for the small fringes of the Fergana valley, it is a land of mountains. The world's oldest and largest natural walnut forests are in the Arslanbob region of Jalalabad. A pearl of the region is the Sary-Chelek nature reserve with a beautiful alpine lake surrounded by wild fruit orchards and snow-covered peaks.

The region is a center for fruit and vegetable growing and people are engaged in producing wheat, fruits, vegetables, maize, nuts, tobacco and silk-worm cocoons. There are some light-industry plants and hydroelectric stations.