city, southern Uzbekistan, in the Karshi oasis, on the Kashka River. At least 1,000 years old, it lay on the caravan route from Samarkand and Bukhara to Afghanistan and India; it was known as Nakhsheb, or Nesef, until the 14th century, when a fort (Turkic karshi, “against”) was built there. Later, as part of the khanate of Bukhara (Uzbek khanate), it served as the residence of a ruler and traded in grain, wool, vegetable oils, and dried fruits.

The present city is a railway junction, with industries processing agricultural raw materials and producing the best pileless carpets in Uzbekistan. The population doubled in the 1960s, when the city became the headquarters for major irrigation works in the Karshi Steppe. Karshi has a teacher-training institute and a theatre. Pop. (2001 est.) 204,690.