The Jazy (; also Yassy, ) is a river in Özgön District, Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan, and a major right tributary of the Kara Darya. It is long and has a drainage basin of .
Geography The Jazy rises on the southwestern slopes of the Fergana Range. Its tributaries include the Baybiche, Karatöbö, Beshterek, Uluuchat, Zyndansuu, Salamalik, Kichi Koshbulak, Köldük, Doñuzsuu, Zerger and Jylandy rivers.
The river flows through or near Özgön, Myrza-Ake, Jylandy, Ilyich and Ak-Terek. It flows into the Andijan Reservoir, through which the Kara Darya flows.
Hydrology The mean annual discharge of the Jazy is , with recorded discharges ranging from a minimum of to a maximum of .
The river has a strongly seasonal flow regime. The high-water period begins in late March and continues until August. For the period 1980–2010, the mean annual discharge at the Salamalik gauging station was . Mean monthly discharge increased from in March to in April, reaching in May. It remained high in June at , before declining to in July and in August.
The river is used for irrigation.
History The valley of the Jazy formed part of an ancient route connecting the eastern Fergana Valley with the Inner Tian Shan. The archaeological site of Shorobashat, situated along the river, was a major fortified settlement in eastern Fergana, principally occupied during the 4th–1st centuries BC.
During the medieval period, a caravan route from Özgön followed the Jazy valley across the Fergana Range towards At-Bashy. Medieval Arab and Persian geographical accounts, including those of Qudama ibn Ja'far and Ibn Khordadbeh, contain descriptions of this route. The route continued through the Jazy Pass towards the Inner Tian Shan and formed part of the network linking Fergana with the regions of At-Bashy, southern Issyk-Kul and further east towards China.
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