Aravan, Kyrgyzstan
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Aravan Араван |
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|---|---|
| Village | |
 Aravan
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| Coordinates: 40°30′54″N 72°29′57″E / 40.51500°N 72.49917°ECoordinates: 40°30′54″N 72°29′57″E / 40.51500°N 72.49917°E | |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan |
| Region | Osh Region |
| District | Aravan District |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 17,767 |
| Time zone | UTC +5 |
| Area code(s) | 3231 |
Aravan is a town in the Fergana Valley, in Aravan District of Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia about 25 km west of Osh. It is the capital of Aravan District. Its population was 17,767 in 2009.
Located on the Silk Road. Nearby are the Celestial Horses of Aravan, carved on a cliff face perhaps in the 1st century BC. They are thought to represent the 'blood-sweating horses' sought by the Chinese of the Han Dynasty. The petroglyphs have an important role in regional folklore and have become a pilgrimage site for Muslims in the Fergana Valley. There is a Sufi shrine. The Chil-Ustun cave system is 4 km away in the hills above the Aravan and Ak-Buura rivers. There is a similar cave system 20 km away. Neither is easily accessible.
The Celestial Horses site itself is just near the local hospital when you are about to enter Aravan, on your right hand side when coming from Osh. The petroglyphs, who date from the first century BC, are carved on a near-vertical rock face next to a cemetery and represent solar symbols and the legendary Fergana horses which were much sought after by Chinese emperor Wu-Di in the second century BC. The site was archaeologically researched from the 1930s to the 1980s, and excavations at the foot of the rock produced evidence of animal sacrifice sites. Today, the horse carvings and nearby spring are still a local pilgrimage site and there is a small mosque. As a matter of fact, there are far more modern-day graffiti than ancient petroglyphs on the rock since a local superstition considers it as a luckbringer to have your name eternalized on the rocks.
There are more petroglyphs near Camp Charbak.
Chil-Ustun cave is located on the south-west of Kyrgyzstan, in 3,5 km from Aravan settlement. Nearby, in the limestone hills that make up the foothills of the Ak Bura and Aravan river basins lie the Chil-Ustun cave system that is named after the stalactites that can be found here, (Chil-Ustun is Tajik and means 40 columns).
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Wikipedia