In 1877, when the first ethnographic works were done under the new imperial Russian administration, Kokand was reported and visually depicted on their maps as Tajik inhabited oasis (C.E de Ujfalvy (“Carte Ethnographique du Ferghanah, 1877”).

Kokand is at the crossroads of the two main ancient trade routes into the Fergana Valley, one leading northwest over the mountains to Tashkent, and the other west through Khujand.

[citation needed] Another explanation claims a Turkic derivation, and might refer to the "tribal family group of 'Kokan' who belong to the Kongrat tribe of Uzbeks".

The present city was founded as a fort in 1732 on the site of another older fortress called Eski-Kurgan by Shahrukh Uzbek ruler of Ferghana.

[6][7] [failed verification] In the state of Dayuan Archaeological research of Muyi Mubarak, Tepakurgan, Eski Kurgan and other monuments located in the city of Kokand revealed traces of civilization.

In Tepakurgan, located in the center of the city, a platform from the Early Middle Ages, which served as the base of a monumental castle with semicircular towers, was discovered, as in Muyi Mubarak.

The obtained artifacts give grounds to say and speculate that not later than the 7th century BC a certain part of the territory of the present city was developed for irrigated agriculture.

And the city appeared not later than the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC and was the center of the Sokh oasis, that is, the capital of the regional possession, which was part of the confederal state of Fergana ("Dayuan" of Chinese annals).

Havokand or Hokand Arab geographers and travelers of the 10th century, Al-Istakhri and Ibn Haukal mention the city of Khovakand or Khokand, which in distance corresponds to the present Kokand.

According to written sources and local legends, there were ancient cities of Akhsikath, Kubo (Quva), Rishton, Osh, Bab (Pop), Koson (Kashan), Mo-ar-gilon (Margilan), Andigan (Andijan), Uzgen, Isfara, Varukh, Sokh, Konibodom and Khujand in Fergana already at the time of its conquest by Arabs who established Islam here (in the beginning of the 8th century).

Havokand or Hokand, located on the Silk Road between India and China on one side and Persia and the Near East on the other, may have been a major trade center of its time.

American diplomat Eugene Schulyer described it as being "much larger and more magnificent than any other [palace] in Central Asia.”[10] Khudayar Khan commissioned architect Mir Ubaydullo to build him a royal residence with 114 rooms set around seven courtyards.

The mosque is built around a large courtyard and has a 100m long iwan supported on 98 redwood columns, which are ornately carved and were brought from India.

Hamza was Uzbekistan's first national poet and the founder of Uzbek social realism, and the museum was opened to commemorate the centenary of his birth.

[13] The museum houses general exhibits about life in Kokand, and also has artefacts relating to a variety of dramatists, propagandists, and writers.

It was hosted by the Uzbekistan Handicraft Association, and the guest of honour was Rosy Greenlees, President of the World Crafts Council.

Over the last two decades, new districts and public buildings have been created in the city as well as many houses, shops, cafes, restaurants and other private sector ventures.