Babur’s home town · Uzbekistan
Andijan travel guide
The eastern gate of the Fergana Valley and the birthplace of the founder of the Mughal Empire.
Andijan is the largest city of the eastern Fergana Valley, about 5 hours by train from Tashkent and 50 km from the Kyrgyz border at Dustlik. It is the birthplace of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur (1483), founder of the Mughal Empire. Half a day covers the Babur museum, the Jami madrasah and the bazaar.
Andijan is one of the oldest towns of the Fergana Valley and, for a few decades in the 15th century, the capital of the Fergana domain of the Timurids. Its most famous son is Babur, who was born here in 1483, became ruler of Fergana at the age of twelve, lost Samarkand three times and finally founded the Mughal Empire in India. His memoir, the Baburnama, opens with a loving description of Andijan, its melons and its hunting grounds.
Little of that medieval town survives: a strong earthquake in 1902 destroyed most of the old buildings, and Andijan today is a busy regional capital with wide streets, factories and one of the valley’s biggest bazaars. Travellers come for Babur’s story, for the Jami madrasah complex and for the market, and because Andijan is the natural last stop before the border crossing to Osh in Kyrgyzstan.
- Time needed
- Half a day to one day
- Best time
- April–June and September–October
- Getting there
- Train from Tashkent over the Kamchik pass (about 5 hours); flights from Tashkent and some Russian cities; about 1 hour by road from Fergana city.
Don’t miss
What to see in Andijan
- 01
Babur literary museum
A small museum on the old citadel hill, on the traditional site of the house where Babur grew up, with manuscripts and copies of Baburnama miniatures.
- 02
Jami madrasah complex
A late-19th-century Friday mosque, madrasah and minaret, one of the few historic buildings that survived the 1902 earthquake.
- 03
Andijan bazaar
A huge covered and open-air market for Fergana fruit, spices, bread, knives and skullcaps.
- 04
Babur park on Bogishamol
A hillside park outside the city with a memorial to Babur and views over the valley.
Babur and Andijan
Babur (1483–1530) was a descendant of Timur on his father’s side and of Genghis Khan on his mother’s. He inherited the small Fergana kingdom in 1494, spent his youth fighting for Samarkand and lost his homeland to the Uzbek Shaybanids. He moved south to Kabul and, in 1526, defeated the Delhi Sultanate at Panipat, founding the dynasty that later built the Taj Mahal.
Uzbeks remember Babur above all as a poet and prose writer in the Chagatai Turkic language. The Baburnama is one of the first autobiographies in Islamic literature: frank, observant and full of detail about plants, people and places. In Andijan you meet him on street names, in the museum and in the park that carries his name. Babur was buried in Kabul, but a symbolic memorial stands in the park at Bogishamol, built with soil brought from his grave.
Planning a visit
Most visitors combine Andijan with the rest of the valley: Kokand for the khan’s palace, Margilan for silk and Rishtan for ceramics. A practical route is Tashkent → Kokand → Rishtan → Margilan/Fergana → Andijan, then either back to Tashkent by train or across the border to Osh.
The city is spread out, so a car or taxi is easiest between the museum, the madrasah and the park. Andijan is a conservative city by Uzbek standards; modest clothing is appreciated, especially at the madrasah and mosques. The bazaar is busiest in the morning, and the valley’s fruit season (cherries in late May and June, melons and grapes in late summer) is the best time to see it at full colour.
Crossing to Kyrgyzstan
The Dustlik–Dostuk border post lies about 50 km east of Andijan, and Osh is roughly 30 minutes beyond it. It is the main crossing for travellers going on to Osh, the Alay valley or the Pamir Highway. Taxis run from Andijan to the border; you walk across and find onward transport on the Kyrgyz side. Opening hours and rules for foreigners change from time to time, so check before you travel.
Andijan: frequently asked questions
Is Andijan worth visiting?
Yes, if you are interested in Babur or are travelling through the Fergana Valley towards Osh. Its historic buildings are few because of the 1902 earthquake, so half a day is usually enough.
How far is Andijan from Tashkent?
About 350 km by road. The train over the Kamchik pass takes around 5 hours, and there are domestic flights of about an hour.
Can you cross from Andijan to Osh?
Yes. The Dustlik border crossing is about 50 km from Andijan, and Osh is about half an hour beyond it. Check the current opening hours before you go.
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