What to See in Kyrgyzstan
Osh (Kyrgyzstan)
The city of Osh is the administrative center of the Osh region and the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The city is located at an altitude of more than 1000 m above sea level on the outskirts of the Ferghana Valley at the northern foot of the Kichialai Range. Osh surrounded on three sides by the spurs of this ridge, and in the center of the city, Mount Suleiman-Too rises to a height of more than 100 m. It is believed that it was here that the prophet Suleiman turned to God, and the imprints of his forehead and knees remained on the stones. Most of the mountain is now part of the National Museum-Reserve “The Great Silk Road” and includes the mausoleum of Asaf ibn Burkhiya, the ruins of a bathhouse (XI-XII centuries, now there is an open-air museum), the Tahti Suleiman mosque and the Jami Rawat mosque Abdullakhan (both X-XI centuries). The unique exhibits of the museum tell about the milestones in the development of the material world of the peoples of the region – from the Stone Age to the present. Basically, these are finds of archaeologists, historians, ethnographers.
Many Muslim architectural monuments have been preserved in the city. The most significant of them: the mosque of Jami Rawat Abdullakhan, the Madrasah of Alymbek Paravanchi Datka, the Madrasah of Mukhamedboy Turk Khal Muratbaev, the Madrasah of Khazret Damulla-Muhammed-Sydyk-Akhund-Aglam are magnificent examples of the Fergana architectural and construction school.
The main attractions of the city include the colorful Asian Osh market – one of the largest and most famous markets in Central Asia.
Exotic lovers will be able to live in yurt camps that operate in the Kozho-Kelen tract of the Kara-Suu region and at the southeastern foot of Sulaiman-Too in the city of Osh. The Kozho-Kelen gorge is interesting for its landscapes – outcrops of red rocks.
The largest caves in Kyrgyzstan are located in the Osh region: Chil-Ustun, Chil-Mayram, Keklik-Too. At an altitude of 250 m, almost on a sheer cliff, there is the entrance to the Chil-Ustun stalactite cave – “Forty Columns”. Columns of stalagnates shot up dozens of meters in it. Openwork towers of stalagmites rise nearby. This cave is one of the places in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan where pilgrims come. “If the sins are heavy, they will be thrown into the abyss,” says one legend. “All the will of God. But the Almighty is merciful, and if the traveler passes along the rocky steeper and returns unharmed to the foot of the mountain, then all sins will be forgiven him. And a pebble brought to powder, brought from Chil-Ustun, will cure any disease.”
Abshir-Sai is an interesting karst waterfall-source.
In the Chon-Alai district of the Osh region there is one of the two seven-thousanders of the country – Lenin Peak (7134 m). Climbing Lenin Peak is a difficult climbing ascent and only people with experience in high-altitude climbing (at least Elbrus) can do it. In addition to experience, willpower and endurance, in order to climb Lenin Peak, you need to have rather expensive climbing equipment, clothes and shoes. The Achik-Tash base camp is located on Lukovaya Polyana under Lenin Peak, where climbers and tourists from all over the world gather.
Talas (Kyrgyzstan)
The city of Talas was founded in 1877. Russian and Ukrainian settlers in the central part of the Talas valley on the left bank of the Talas River.
The Kirov reservoir was built in the Chon-Kapka gorge of the Echkili-Too ridge on the Talas River. There are about 70 lakes on the territory of the region, many of which are small, alpine, of glacial and dam origin.
The Chychkan State Zoological Reserve is located in the Chychkan Gorge, and the Talas State Reserve is located in the Ken-Kol Gorge , not far from the city of Talas. The Besh-Tash gorge is located south of the city of Talas, on the northern slopes of the Talas Ala-Too. Juniper thickets are scattered along the slopes, sometimes turning into picturesque park-type groves. Here, at an altitude of 2997 m, there is a moraine-dammed lake Besh-Tash of turquoise color. There are many marmots in the vicinity. A sports and tourist complex with a swimming pool has been created in Besh-Tash, and horseback riding routes have been developed.
20 km northeast of the city of Talas, at the foot of the Manastyn-Chokusu mountain on the banks of the Ken-Kol mountain river, there is an interesting monument associated with a poetic legend. According to legend, many centuries ago, the legendary hero of the Kyrgyz epic Manas was buried here.. Here is a mausoleum of the XIV century – a tomb built as a tomb for the emir’s daughter. But the legend says that this is Manas’ kyumbez, erected by his wife Kanykey, who, in order not to attract the attention of enemies who want to desecrate the memory of the hero, ordered to indicate the name of a noble woman in the inscription. On the territory of the complex there are Sako-Usun burial mounds (1st century BC), catacomb monuments of the Ken-Kol burial ground dating back to the 1st century BC. BC – II century. AD and belonged to the Huns who came to Central Asia. Here you can also see gravestones – stone statues (balbals) of the 6th-9th centuries AD, as well as one of the thirteen stones with the Orkhon-Yenisei (runic) inscription.
The epic “Manas” – the great spiritual heritage of Kyrgyzstan, which continues to amaze humanity after so many centuries after its appearance. The epic is rightfully considered a kind of encyclopedia of the life of the Kyrgyz people, evidence of its ancient history. There are no analogues in the world, either in oral or written form, to such a monumental epic work, where the historical, cultural, ethnographic aspects of the life of one nation, its way of life, traditions and customs would be displayed on such a large scale.
Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan)
The Tien Shan meteorological station is located on a plateau at an altitude of 3700 m in the Ak-Shyirak mountain range. This is the second largest glaciation node of the Central Tien Shan, located near the watershed of the Sary-Dzhaz and Narynriver basins. It is located south of the middle part of the Terskey Ala-Too ridge, approximately within the boundaries between the areas of the Jety-Oguz gorges in the east and Dzhuuk in the west (this is east of the Barskoon pass). Not far from the weather station, closer to the lake, located below the tip of the tongue of the Petrov Glacier, is the Kyrgyz-Canadian gold mining plant “Kumtor”.
Uzgen (Kyrgyzstan)
Uzgen – one of the ancient cities in the south of Kyrgyzstan, is located on the banks of the Oi-Tal River in the Kara-Darya valley. The city arose at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. on the way of trade caravans from Kashgar to Samarkand, and by the VIII-IX centuries. it was already surrounded by powerful walls. In the XII century. Uzgen becomes the capital of the Karahinid dynasty.
The city has preserved medieval one-story buildings and narrow streets. Of the architectural monuments, the minaret of the 12th century has survived to this day. (height 44 m) and three mausoleums of the Karakhanid dynasty – the middle one (beginning of the 11th century), the northern one (1152-1153) and the southern one (1186-1187), decorated with a beautiful brick ornament.
Between Uzgen and the village of Kara-Kuldzha there is the Kara-Darya settlement (III-IV centuries BC) and the Shoro-Bashat settlement (IV-V centuries BC) with extensive ruins of the Kushan times. kingdoms. Not far from the city there is a recreation area Kara-Shoro with the mineral water spring of the same name, and the tourist center Salam-Alik.
Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan)
According to Sunglasseswill.com, the city of Cholpon-Ata arose from the settlement of Russian settlers. Until 1922, there were 15 households here, in 1922-26 the herd of the Oryukta stud farm was located, by 1926 its own stud farm was established. In 1938, a children’s tuberculosis sanatorium began to function in Cholpon-Ata, which in 1945 was reorganized into a summer health resort for children and was named Cholpon-Ata.
Every year, about 15 thousand people are treated in the medical and recreational institutions of the city and more than 23 thousand have a rest. Mineral waters obtained from underground sources have a temperature of 45-52 oC and chloride-sodium-calcium composition with a mineralization of about 20 g / l. They are similar to the well-known mineral waters: Borjomi, Essentuki, Narzan and are used in the form of baths, underwater shower-massage, gynecological and dental irrigation. For the treatment of various diseases, silt hydrogen sulfide, mineralized mud is used.
The city of Cholpon-Ata is located right on the coast of Issyk-Kul Lake and is famous for its white sandy beaches and clear waters of the lake. There are a large number of sanatoriums, boarding houses, rest houses and hotels. In addition to a beach holiday, scooters, catamarans and yachts, diving and surfing equipment will be at your service. Practically in each of them there are opportunities for holding conferences or business meetings.
The largest group of antiquities near the city are petroglyphs. In the vicinity of Cholpon-Ata are the ruins of a medieval settlement (9-12 centuries). The museum of local lore and the house-museum of the Kazakh writer M.O. are always open for visiting. Auezov.
In the name of the director of the stud farm Rapoport L.L. one of the most unique alleys of the Issyk-Kul region was named, which connected the city of Cholpon-Ata with the village of Baktuu-Dolonota by an almost 5-kilometer green tunnel. Huge poplars close somewhere high overhead with mighty crowns, and the impression is that the asphalt roadbed passes through a silvery tunnel.
Cholpon-Ata lies at the foot of the Kungei Ala-Too ridge, from here you have the opportunity to explore the relatively easily accessible mountain gorges (Chon-Koy-Suu and Cholpon-Ata) or go on a difficult tourist route. The visiting card of Kungei is a small, but very beautiful lake Zhassyk-Kol, located in the upper reaches of the Chon-Kemin valley at an altitude of 3500 m above sea level.
