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Kyrgyzstan

Today September 26, 2023 we travel across the border from Kazakhstan to Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzstan, and begin a city tour on arrival. The country is one of the smallest of the newly independent Central Asian States. Kyrgyzstan borders on China in the southeast, in north and west on Kazakhstan and south and east on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Photo is of Ala_Too-Square across the street from the National Museum of Kyrgyzstan.

The national flag of Kyrgyzstan

Building with the national flag and soldiers at the side is the National Museum of Kyrgyzstan. Inside are interesting exhibitions, ranging from excavation finds to fascinating collections. But for the few Western visitors that make it to Bishkek, the real draw is the weird Soviet memorabilia. The folk hero of Manas on his horse replaced Lenin. Manas is shown slaying a dragon. The epic of Manus was first found written in a Persian manuscript dated to 1792–93. In one of its dozens of iterations, the epic poem consists of approximately 500,000 lines. He is a folk hero.

The National Guard stands at attention at the National Flagpole on Ala-Too Square in Bishkek, and has been performing the changing of the guard ceremony every hour since 16 August 1998.

The guard of honor is formed from the 701st Military Unit of the National Guard.

The guard is changed every day, on the hour, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

The city of Bishkek is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is located at about 2,400 feet above sea level, on the northern slope of the Tien Shan Mountains. The nearby mountains provide a spectacular backdrop to the city. Photo is of Ala_Too-Square across the square from the National Museum of Kyrgyzstan.

A small private museum only a half block from the National Museum displays many antique items from years past.

More of the private museum. If you did not know it was here you would miss the opportunity to see many items from centuries past.

Our local guide in Kyrgyzstan, Artem, demonstrates the art of wearing an antique helmet.

Collection of Greek Orthodox Crosses

New friendships made with three young boys who are studying English as their third language in school. They were anxious to practice speaking English with us. They were having great fun communicating and asking questions of us..

We were fortunate to be at the Museum and the changing of the guard on the hour. This is the new guard coming in to replace the soldiers already there. Notice the high step of the guard.

The exchange of soldiers at the guard house.

The former guard now coming down the steps leaving the new guard in the guard house.

The new guard soldiers now in place for the next one hour. They cannot move and must remain in this position for an hour.

The departing of the existing guard now getting ready to leave the area.

Locals also watching the change of the guard on the hour. The city of Bishkek is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan.

A local young lady in colorful dress

Fountains at the side of the National Museum.

Having once dominated Ala-Too Square, Lenin turned his back on the mountains in 2003 and now lurks behind the National Historical Museum.

Passing a group of students at a local school.

Driving across the country side.

After driving for hours leaving Bishkek, across the vast landscape of Kyrgyzstan, our bus turned down an off the way highway and then onto a dirt road. At the end of this road was one of the travel adventures of a life time. The sight of a Golden Eagle being held by the Kyrgyz Nomad Eagle Hunter who trains their deadly predators in the this fast open area and mountains. A window into the past and a demonstration, of natures raw power. I felt at that instant I had hit the jackpot of a life time to see this magnificent animal in the wild. I was over whelmed with emotion. I thought I would have to travel to Mongolia to experience this.

Our translator Artem is translating for us what our friend is telling us about the Eagle and training involved.

A small cap is placed on the head of the Eagle so as it cannot see where it is and its surroundings at the moment.

Our hunter friend has sent his son with the eagle to the top of the ridge we see in the distance.

The eagle is set free to fly and locate the potential kill in the distance.

With a smile and his face seeing the eagle in flight starts to run pulling the fox skin behind him for the eagle to set eye on the prey below.

Our friend with a smile on his face and a dead fox skin trailing on a rope behind him as he sprints along the road. With a whistle, the Golden Eagle loose from the hill top in the distance, and within moments the eagle has gained on the carcass skin and is tearing it to pieces, powerful talons ripping into soft fur while the huge wings flap effortlessly in the wind.

The Golden Eagle swoops down and lands on the fox skin, not a live animal this time, stopping the potential animal in its tracks.

It tightly holds the animals skin for around 45 seconds until the Eagle cannot feel any heart beat. The animal is dead. This time the fox skin.

The trainer feeds the eagle a reward so that it thinks it has killed the animal.

Traditionally, the eagles were captured and trained as an integral part of nomadic life. With their huge wingspans – some reaching well over two meters in length – the golden eagle is adept at not only hunting down prey such as rabbits and foxes but can in rare circumstances even be relied on to defend against wolves.

Placing the hood on the Eagle to keep it from having sight.

The custom was once widespread across the region, but now it’s confined to a select few locales in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Kyrgyzstan where the locals still practice the art of capturing and training these animals.

The bonds between man and eagle on the slopes of the steppe have been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries, and the Kyrgyz are some of the best in Central Asia at training these giant birds to hunt.

Incoming eagle just let loose from the top of the hill

Eagle lands on his arm

He rewards the eagle with raw meat.

“We take the eagles from their nests when they are very young," he explains while he continues to feed the eagle chunks of meat. “We try to take only the females and then we train them and keep them for no more than 15 years.”

After 15 years in captivity, the birds are released back into the wild to hunt as they wish, and many, and will live on for another twenty years in the mountains and on the steppe.

The eagle hunters are not only adept on horseback and at handling their deadly birds of prey; they also train a distinctive breed of dog known as the Taigan.

Father and son, the next generation learning about Eagles hunting.

I thought just seeing these magnificent birds in the wild was our reward today. But know we are offered the chance to actually hold a Golden Eagle on your arm and on a horse. Can it get any better?

The Golden Eagle weighs at maturity about 15 pounds. It feels like hold a turkey on your arm constantly moving.

Just the slightest movement of your hand causes the bird to open its wings. Look at the size of the talons, the feet wrapped around my wrist.

To be sitting under the wings of the magnificent bird and looking up at the wing span and feathers. Wow.

The eagle flapping its wings knocks the hat I have on off.

I thank you for the time spent with this incredible experience sharing a Golden Eagle flapping its wings while resting on my right hand.

A live rabbit turned lose in the field. A Golden Eagle is turned lose from the top of the hill.

In no time the eagle has circled over head and in seconds has the rabbit in its talons.

After waiting 45 seconds or feeling no heart beat the eagle commences to begin the meal for capturing the prey.

The hunted and the hunter. The circle of life.

What an incredible experience this has been for all of us. Especially myself. I have read about this part of the world and seeing videos of the Golden Eagles and their Nomadic hunters in videos. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to see and hold one of these magnificent Golden Eagles.

Views of the local landscape where we visited the Golden Eagles and their handlers.

In the city of Karakol we visit the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, completed in 1895. During the Soviet occupation times, the church was used as an officer's Club. Now it is restored in use as a church again.

The cathedral was originally built of stone in 1872, when Karakol was a garrison town established as an outpost on the edges of the Tsarist Russian Empire. It was destroyed in 1890 by an earthquake. The current cathedral took 6 years to rebuild out of wood on a brick base.

During an anti-Russian uprising in 1916 its monks were brutally murdered. Over the years, particularly following the Revolution in 1917, it has been used as an educational center housing a school, ladies' gymnasium and an institution of Higher Education; a Sports Hall; a Theater; a Dance Hall and even as a Coal Store.

Sign that has to be old showing a camera inside the church.

Wild flowers growing in the gardens of the Church.

Then, in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Independence of Kyrgyzstan, the local authority once again gave the building back to the church, with the proviso that all further restorations were their responsibility.

Karakol Regional Museum. The museum has a colorful collection of national costumes, examples of finely worked silver jewellery and a good exhibition of Kyrgyz applied art. One hall covers the region's flora and fauna –

The atmosphere of Karakol is reminiscent of Tsarist Russia, with traditional Russian houses as you see in this photo an old Russian house, very typical still in good shape. The town is one of a few remaining large Slavic communities in Central Asia.

Photo of Lake Issyk-Kul and surrounding areas.

The Dungan Mosque is one of the famous tourist spots in the location of Karakol that you can pay a visit to. This is a wooden mosque with a great artistic value. The mosque is known to be built in 1910 by Chinese artisans especially for the Chinese Muslims who escaped the intolerance in the 1880s.

The appearance of the mosque resembles Buddhist pagodas and you would find a lot of images in the design of the same. One of the most surprising facts about this mosque is that the artisans didn’t use any nail while building this beautiful architecture. In the 1880's Karakol's population surged with an influx of Dungans, Chinese Muslims, fleeing warfare in China.

In an around Lake Issyk-Kul is the State Historical Cultural Museum Reserve, an "Open Air Museum". Walking around the grounds one finds the Petroglyphs located on the hillside above the town of Cholpon-Ata.

Unique size images of mountain goats depicted on a stone board in local animal style. Majestic figures of animals emphasize their importance.

Two artistic drawings of large deer with branching antlers. Their exquisite torsos are elongated, small heads are raised and antlers are depicted frontally.

Walking around the grounds and Petroglyphs.

Most of these etchings are from the time of Saka-Usun peoples who lived in the area before the arrival of the Kyrgyz.

These carvings are between 1,900 and 2,800 years old. Many of the carvings depict animals such as wolves and deer, and include hunters that pursued them.

Mountain goat hunting scene. The large contour image of a goat is depicted in a particularly precise manner. The image occupies the major part of a stone surface. The frontal part of that image includes a small man with a bow pointed at a goat and a dog attacking the goat from behind.

Myself standing next to the mountain goat hunting scene.

After riding on buses for many days it was a nice change to enjoy a late afternoon sunset cruise on Lake Issyk-Kul.

Leaving the dock area

The lake is visited by many Kyrgyz tourists. Foreign tourists come mainly from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia. In 1948, Issyk-Kul became Kyrgyzstan’s first nature reserve. Since 2000, the lake has also been on the UNESCO list of biosphere reserves

Cholpon-Ata is a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan with a population of 14,237. It is the administrative center of the Issyk-Kul District. This district occupies most of the lake's north shore. The town contains numerous large and small hotels and guesthouses to accommodate the many visitors who descend upon the lake in summer. During the Soviet era it was much frequented by vacationers brought here in organized mass tours from other parts of the USSR. A second ship leaving shore with tourists on board to enjoy the sunset on the lake.

Seagulls flying alongside the ship.

Issyk-Kul Lake is 113 miles long, up to 37 miles wide and its area is 2,408 square miles. It is the second largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca in South America. It is at an altitude of 5,272 feet and reaches 2,192 ft in depth.

Some of our group enjoying the afternoon on the lake.

Everyone enjoying libations and relaxing

Back on shore enjoying the sunset on the beach at the large Russian resort we are staying, Raduga Hotel. It is off season and very quiet. There had to be hundreds of rooms scattered across the landscape of the grounds. It is very popular with Soviet tourists visiting the area in the summer time.

A tourist enjoying libation and relaxation. The resort is located on the northern shore of the lake and near Cholpon-Ata, a resort village along the shores of the lake. . popular with wealthy Kazakhs and Russians.

Spectacular sunset with clouds giving us a great show on the lake.

The next morning leaving the lake area we see beautiful fall foliage on the trees.

On the way on the way out of town we visit the old Gravplass Cemetery located outside of Cholpon-Ata a few blocks from the lake.

Driving through a local town we see the remnant signs from the old Soviet Union on the side of the building.

No matter where in the world you are the word Burger is easy to translate.

We stop for lunch with a local family on the way returning to Bishkek. Here we see coffee being brewed for lunch.

Apples drying in the air and sunlight

We are in for a feast prepared for by a local family. Lunch was of local dishes and excellent.

Three children of the family that we had the pleasure of them preparing lunch for us. Kids are awesome no matter where in the world you are. They are all curious.

We were in for a treat when we stopped at this location. This group of horse riders is about to demonstrate for us the nommadic games of Kok-Boru, horse polo.

Here we see a rider attempting to pick up a bag left on the ground while riding his horse.

All the games are on horseback. Young men from their village demonstrate examples of "Horse Wrestling",

Two riders compete with one another to try and wrestle each other off the horse snatching up a dead goat from the ground while the horses gallop at top speed.

This version instead of a ball they use a headless goat which you see laying on the ground in the foreground.

Here you see a rider picking up the goat from the ground and begin the journey to the end of the field and score a point.

The object of the game is with the headless goat and using that as the object to score into the opposing team's goal.

The effort to wrestle and carry this off demands great strength and skill as the two teams face off against one another.

These games are typical to the Kyrgyzstan culture dating back centuries.

Kok Boru is a time-honored tradition among the nomadic tribes of Central Asia.

The object of the game is to pick up the goat carcass from the ground, race it down the field.

Then throw it into their own teams Kazan, a round container that acts as a goal at one end of the field.

In doing so, the team earns a point.

There are 3, 20-minute rounds to each game.

Much of the game revolves around a face-off scenario where a player from one team defends the goat and the player from the other team attempts to grab it off the ground.

Once a player picks up the goat, the excitement escalates quickly with horses racing, turning and stopping all along the field

It seems all is fair in love and Kok Boru, with riders pushing, pulling, grabbing onto the other riders horses and any other distracting tactic they can conjure up to prevent the holder of the goat from being able to make a run for the goal.

However, once that breakaway happens the goat holder is free to position the goat onto his horse, either by laying it across the saddle in front of him or placing it under his leg between him and the horse.

They are not allowed to wedge the goat onto the horse in any way.

They can also hold it in hand if they choose although this makes steering the horse a challenge, especially at high speeds.

With the race on to the Kazan, it’s all about blocking, diverting and making a clear path for a point.

Of course, reaching the Kazan is only half the battle.

Heaving the goat into the center of it can be a struggle if not done with enough force.

It is possible for the other team to intercept the goat while trying to toss it in as well.

As you can imagine, this part of the game is intense and the whole crowd seems to hold their breath for the result of the play.

The horseman and defenders at the end of the game.

History of Kok Boru in Kyrgyzstan and early documentation shows as early as the 10th to 15th centuries that horse games have been a stable part of the nomadic culture in Central Asia.

We stood at the railing for quite a while trying to wrap our heads around all that was unfolding in front of us. It was so foreign, so exciting, so bewildering and so fascinating all at the same time.

The literal translation of the term ‘Kok Boru’ is a grey wolf.

Founded in the wilds of Central Asia, Kok Boru originated when men would return to their village after hunting down wolves that had been feeding on their herds of cattle and horses that were left to graze.

The men would entertain themselves by trying to take the wolf carcass away from each other on the return to their village. This practice evolved through the generations into the game we are able to witness today. Instead of using a dead wolf, the game is played with a goat carcass.

Chuck Coleman from our group lifting the dead goat. The winning group at the end of the day takes the goat home and prepares it for a victory meal.

Kok Boru is recognized as the National sport of Kyrgyzstan and is the main event at the World Nomad Games. It comes as no surprise that Kyrgyzstan took the gold medal in the 2016 World Nomad Games and before you start to think this is a sport only recognized in the far reaches of the globe, the USA had an official team play in the last games held in Cholpon Ata, on the shores of Issyk Kul Lake, where we are today..

Site of the Burana Tower and Mausoleums

The Burana Tower is a large minaret in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan. It is located about 48 miles east of the country's capital Bishkek, near the town of Tokmok.

The tower, along with grave markers, some earthworks and the remnants of a castle and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, which was established by the Karakhanids at the end of the 9th century.

The tower was built in the 11th century and was used as a template for other minarets. An external staircase and steep, winding stairway inside the tower enables visitors to climb to the top. It is one of the oldest architectural constructions in Central Asia.

Old burial grounds.

Intricate work on the side of the building.

We returned to Bishkek and out last evening together as a group

Local traditional Kyrgyzstan entertainment

Myself and friend Bill Oakley. An appropriate sign. What a wonderful trip this has been to the Stans, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. We have met wonderful people along this journey, ate delicious local dishes, learned so much of the cultures of the Silk Road and the communities that shared this history in this part of Asia. I leave with great memories of this part of the world.

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© 2025 Jim Schroder