Wikipedia
Sulukta or Suluktu is a small town located at the extreme western end of Batken Region in southern Kyrgyzstan. Sulukta is situated at the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley in a region surrounded on three sides by Tajikistan.
The word "sulukta" is believed to have come from the Turkic word "suluk" or "zuluk" which means a " leech". According to this view, the waters of present-day Sulukta had leeches and therefore people called the place "suluktu" which literally means "containing leeches." Sulukta is one of Central Asia's oldest coal extraction sites. The first industrial coal mine of Sulukta was opened in 1868. Sulukta was made into a town in 1940. Sulukta is the first town in Kyrgyzstan where Soviet rule was established.
Sulukta is directly subordinated to Batken Oblast. In other words, it is not part of any district. The urban-type settlement of Koshbulak (formerly called Vostochnyi) and the Village of Koltso are also governed by the Sulukta Town Council. According to the 2009 Population and Housing Census of Kyrgyzstan, in 2009 the population of Sulukta itself was 13,378 and the combined population of Sulukta and the subordinated villages was 20,725.
There were several large coal mines and factories in Sulukta during Soviet times. Following the collapse of the USSR, the majority of these factories were abandoned. A lack of professionals and machinery, mismanagement, and falling income levels — all contributed to this downfall. While Sulukta was once an important industrial center, nowadays it gives the impression of an abandoned town.