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Kyrgyzstan is one of the friendliest, warmest and most hospitable countries in Central Asia. The Kyrgyz welcome you into their country and homes with true nomadic openheartedness: for the nomads living in the mountains, life has not really changed since the days of caravans trailing along the Silk Route. The charming highlanders invariably invite you into their yurts for a cup of tea and a chat.

Kyrgyzstan has been called The Land of the Tian Shan – Oasis on the Great Silk Route because of its importance as a trading post between Europe and Asia. Though the country is still struggling to find its feet after the break up of the Soviet Union, modern Kyrgyzstan has done much to promote tourism.

Kyrgyzstan, rugged, remote and romantic, is the stuff of adventure travel.

The Tian Shan Mountains cover almost the entire country, making Kyrgyzstan a fascinating country for trekkers and mountain lovers. The Khan Tengri Peak or Marble Mountain in Central Tian Shan is Kyrgyzstan’s most beautiful peak, while the fabulous Inylchek Glacier is amongst the longest in the world. The frozen Mezbacher Lake melts in August, and the water drains out completely in three days. Issyk-Kul Lake, another wonder, is deep, large and spectacular, never freezing in spite of its latitude and altitude. The grasslands are wonderful for horseback riding and walking, streams and lakes for fishing.

Driving Alert!

Be careful while driving into the country as Non-Uzbeks are sometimes denied entry while going away from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan on the Osh - Jalal-Abad route. You can instead go via Uzgen but that road is a rough ride. Also be warned of the landslides and snow passes that make winter driving hazardous.

Historically Speaking

Nomadic ancestors of the Kyrgyz lived in Siberia’s upper Yenisey basin between the 7th and 17th centuries AD till Mongol invasions drove those southwards into Tien Shan. The area came under the Turks, the Arabs, the Chinese and later the Manchus and the Russians. When the Mongol and the Chinese held sway, the Kyrgyz continued to be fairly autonomous, but the Russian domination was completely authoritarian. The Russians began settling here from the end of the 19th century, and tried to force the Kyrgyz into the First World War. The Kyrgyz revolted in 1916, but the rebellion was quashed and they came to be included in the Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Land reforms and Stalin’s Collectivisation Programme in the 1920s and 30s resulted in the compulsory settlement of nomads.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika in Russia meant that relations with Kyrgyz loyalists were strained. In 1990, there were land-based ethnic clashes between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks around Osh and Ozgon in 1990. The first elections were held in 1990 and the Kyrgyz Communist Party grabbed most of the seats. Askar Akayev, a physicist, emerged as the leader of the Kyrgyz Democratic Movement.

In 1991, Kyrgyzstan emerged as an independent republic within the CIS, and Akaev was elected president. Askar Akayev professed a desire for swift democratisation and free market reform. Akayev is now in his second term and despite professions of democratic intent, continues to personally dominate the political scene.

Habitat

The smallest of the Central Asian republics, with an area less than 200,000 sq km, Kyrgyzstan has for its neighbours Kazakhstan in the north, the People’s Republic of China in the east, Tajikistan in the south and the southwest and Uzbekistan in the west; Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country.

Most of the territory is mountainous, and much of the land is permanently covered with snow. This country has the within its territory a part of the Pamir Knot, the geological phenomenon from which emerge such major mountain ranges as the Himalayas and Karakoram in the south east, the Hindukush to the south west, the Kunlun to the east, and the Tian Shan to the north east.

The Tian Shan mountain system is the predominant geographical feature of Kyrgyzstan. These great mountains and smaller allied ranges run across the length and breadth of the country. Pik Pobedy or Jengis Chokusu (7439metres) is the highest peak in Kyrgyzstan. The Ferghana Range that sweeps through the middle of the country running from the northwest to the southeast, with the Pamir Alay in the south, encompasses the fertile Ferghana Valley. The mountain lake, Kyrgyzstan’s most famous, the Issyk Kul, with a maximum depth of 668 metres and at a height of 1600 metres is among the largest in the world. Even in the winter when a combination of altitude and latitude pulls the temperature down to - 5º C the lake does not freeze.

Kyrgyzstan also has tremendous water resources in its many rivers. The Naryn, Karadarya, the Chatkal, Kyzylsuu, Chu, Talas and the Sary Jazz are its major rivers. 4.25% of the Kyrgyz territory is taken up by its 6000 odd glaciers. Kyrgyzstan has a diversity of geographical features: there is a little semi-desert, steppe, open meadowland, alpine, tundra and glacial. Mountains however make for 95% of the total terrain. You can see some remarkable animals and plants in Kyrgyzstan. There are several nature reserves and protected areas and two national parks. In summer wild flowers cover the mountains while the streams abound in trout and pike. The elusive snow leopard, lynx, bear, wolves, marmot, eagles and lammergeyers inhabit the wilds of Kyrgyzstan. Higher in the tundra grasslands, the Marco Polo sheep roam in herds while flamingos flock near lakes and swamps. The flora of this country ranges from deciduous forests to slopes of coniferous trees like fir and birch.