Kerben, Kyrgyzstan

Kerben
Кербен
Kerben
Coordinates: 41°30′0″N 71°45′0″E / 41.50000°N 71.75000°ECoordinates: 41°30′0″N 71°45′0″E / 41.50000°N 71.75000°E
Country Kyrgyzstan
Province Jalal-Abad Province
District Aksy District
Elevation 1,296 m (4,252 ft)
Population (2009)
  Total 14,141
Time zone UTC +5

Kerben (Kyrgyz: Кербен, older name Karavan) is a town in the Jalal-Abad Province of Kyrgyzstan. It is the administrative centre of Aksy District.

Kerben is well-known due to the Aksy tragedy, which was the starting point of the so-called Tulip revolution in 2005. Despite the fact that the town officially was founded in the early 1920s, medieval Persian historiographers noted in their works a caravanserai, or fortified “hotel” for merchants and travelers, in a place very close to today's Kerben. Archaeological excavations carried out by A. Bernshtam corroborated that records.

Kerben is located in the nation's northwest, some 220 km from the regional centre Jalal-Abad and 60 km from the Tash-Kumyr town railway. Kerben borders in the southwest with the village of Nanai in Uzbekistan.

Kerben is located in the center of the Aksy region, at a height of 1,200 meters above sea level. The lay of the land is mainly flat. The climate is classified as continental. The population of Kerben is about 25,000 people. Kerben Airport has weekly flights to Bishkek, Osh and Jalal-Abad.