Place in the opposite of entrance was considered honorary (tor). At this part of the wall there was the row of trunks where rarely used patterned carpets were laid. The more carpets - the richer people living in the yurta. At the floor of the yurta only the best carpets - ala-kiyiz were put, then shirdaks, and on them - narrow quilts (toshok) or fur lays - koldolosh. Tor was the centre of yurta. It was place for the most honorary guests. "When you are the guest, don't sit to tor". If the person more honorary than you will come, than the master will tell you "Give place to him!". And you will have to give place before all the guests. So when you are guest, take less honorary place. And the master of the house will come and tell: "Respected, please, go to tor", then your authority will go up before everybody"). Before sitting guests they were put the kind of table-cloth - dostarkhan. In the middle of the yurta they burnt the fire and cooked the meals. It is called kolomto. Rich people cooked their dishes in special yurtas - ashkanas. Poor people lived in smoked small yurtas (boz ui, kara ui), where they kept not only their utilities (bed, pottery), but in the cold time of the year - new born calves and lambs.

In yurta people are always surrounded by comfortable carpets, woven and embroidered covers, blankets and pillows and other utilities often made by mistress herself. Materials that she needs are felt, fleecy cloths, fur, textile, cheegrass, the main graphic is color and ornament.

The coloring of Kyrgyz national cloths, carpets, embroideries is saturated and cheerful. It's composed of strong, contrast colors, where warm colors - red and brown prevail. In the past masters used natural colors. Ornament has its origin from far Bronze epoch, but gradually it was improved and expanded. Its elements were taken from flora and fauna that were surrounding the nomadic people. The main motif of Kyrgyz ornament was curl "kochkor" - stylized ram's horn. Sinuous line with rhythmically placed curls is named "kyal" - "dream", "fantasy". It also reminds the branch of flourishing tree.

Shyrdak

Kyrgyz carpets - "kiyiz" and "shyrdak" are made of warm felt and are always rich decorated with ornament. Shyrdak is made with help of mosaic technique of application, based on closing of felt blanks with multicolored threads. Ala-kiyiz is made by ramming, rolling the different-colored fur into the friable felt basis. In first case - cleanness of lines, in second - their fuzziness. This "color running" makes effect of abruptness and gives ala-kiyiz softness, water-colorness.

Mats and screens - as a rule are the whole art composition, got by braiding of every cheegrass stalk by multicolored fur. On hand-made machines, women wove from thick threads the braid (boo) of different ornaments. They embroidered by fur and gold thread on leather, felt, chamois and broadcloth.

Manas

The legendary hero of the Kyrgyz is the subject of an epic which is longer that Homer's Iliad - which as well as telling the story of his life and deeds, gives us a graphic account of many aspects of the lifestyle of the nomadic Kyrgyz. The epic is recited by bards, called manaschi, and for many centuries the epic was handed down from generation to generation by word of mount. now there are several written versions in a number of languages.

National Games

To the Kyrgyz, a horse is a prized possession, and horsemanship a much-prized skill. Perhaps, therefore, it is not surprising that among the most popular national pastimes, or sports are contests on horseback. Kyrgyz horses possess such qualities as lightness and good coordination (essential in the mountains). They are exceptionally hearty, will eat almost anything and are not susceptible to sudden changes of weather. They can endure long-distance marches with the rider. For these reasons Kyrgyz ponies were prized possessions even further a field in Russian and Europe in the past.

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Cuisine

Kyrgyzstan stood on the crossroads of the Silk Road, and the caravan routes which crossed the territory carried not only goods for trade, but also brought examples of various cultures: Turkish, Persian, Arabian, Indian, Chinese, Russian and European and these mingled with the culture and traditions of Central Asia. As a result Kyrgyz cuisine has absorbed elements from all of the cultures with which it came into contact, and although many dishes that you will find are common throughout Central Asia, it is sill possible to find examples that have preserved their original, national identity.

Meat is central to Kyrgyz cooking - the nomadic way of life did no allow for the growing of fruit and vegetables - although these can be found in abundance in modern Kyrgyzstan. One of the most essential features of Kyrgyz cuisine is that dishes should preserve their taste and appearance. Sauces are intended only to bring out the taste of the dish - not to change it.

Boorsok - pieces of dough, deep fried in boiling oil - is a traditional table "decoration". They are produced in large quantities and spread over the derstokan or table at every major celebration.

Beshbarmak - perhaps the most typical Kyrgyz dish. The dish is meant to be eaten with the hands, not with a knife and fork! "Besh" means five and "Barmak"  - finger. Beshbarmak is served when guests arrive and at almost any festive gathering. This meal consists of noodles, which are mixed with boiled meat but into tiny pieces and served with a medium spicy sauce. Bullion is then poured over the mixture.

Shashlyk and Kebabs - meat cubes on skewers cooked over the embers of burning twigs. Mutton is the meat usually used, but it is possible to find beef, chicken, liver and even pork shashlyk. The meat may simply be freshly sliced or may gave been marinated overnight. Be warned, if the meat is mutton, then almost certainly one of the pieces on the skewer will be pure fat...the dripping fat onto the burning embers is thought to enhance the taste. Shashlyk is usually served with a sprinkling of raw onion, vinegar and lepyoshki.

Plov - rice mixed with boiled, or fried meat, onions and carrots (and sometimes other ingredients such as raisins), all cooked in a semi-hemispherical metal bowl called a kazan over a fire. Plov is a favorite dish in the South and is served to honored guests - the meal is not considered over until it has been served.

Lagman - flat noodles cooked in a stew of tiny pieces of mutton, potatoes, carrots, onions and white radishes. A Russian version, minus the noodles called Shorpo, can often be found.

History

The earliest ancestors of the Kirghiz people, who are believed to be of mixed Mongol and Kipchak descent, probably settled until the 10th century around what is now the Tuva region of the Russian Federation. With the rise of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, the Kyrgyz migrated south. They did not emerge as a distinct ethnic group until the 15th century. Various Turkic peoples ruled them until 1685, when they came under the control of the Kalmyks (Oirats, Dzungars). Islam is the predominant religion in the region, and most of the Kyrgyz are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school.

In the early 19th century, the southern territory of today's Kyrgyzstan came under the control of the Khanate of Kokand, and the territory was formally incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1876. The Russian takeover instigated numerous revolts against tsarist authority, and many of the Kyrgyz opted to move to the Pamirs and Afghanistan. In addition, the suppression of the 1916 rebellion in Central Asia caused many Kyrgyz to migrate to China.

Soviet power was initially established in the region in 1919, and the Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast was created within the Russian SFSR (the term Kara-Kirghiz was used until the mid-1920s by the Russians to distinguish them from the Kazakhs, who were also referred to as Kirghiz). On December 5, 1936, the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) was established as a full Union Republic of the USSR.

During the 1920s, Kyrgyzstan developed considerably in cultural, educational, and social life. Literacy was greatly improved, and a standard literary language was introduced. Economic and social development also was notable. Many aspects of the Kyrgyz national culture were retained despite the suppression of nationalist activity under Stalin, and, therefore, tensions with the all-Union authorities were constant.

The early years of glasnost had little effect on the political climate in Kyrgyzstan. However, the Republic's press was permitted to adopt a more liberal stance and to establish a new publication, Literaturny Kirghizstan, by the Union of Writers. Unofficial political groups were forbidden, but several groups that emerged in 1989 to deal with the acute housing crisis were permitted to function.

In June 1990, ethnic tensions between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz surfaced in the Osh Oblast, where Uzbeks form a majority of the population. Violent confrontations ensued, and a state of emergency and curfew were introduced. Order was not restored until August.

The early 1990s brought measurable change to Kyrgyzstan. By then, the Kyrgyzstan Democratic Movement (KDM) had developed into a significant political force with support in Parliament. In an upset victory, Askar Akayev, the liberal President of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, was elected to the Presidency in October 1990. The following January, Akayev introduced new government structures and appointed a new government comprised mainly of younger, reform-oriented politicians.

In December 1990 the Supreme Soviet voted to change the republic's name to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. (In 1993, it became the Kyrgyz Republic.) In February 1991, the name of the capital, Frunze, was changed back to its prerevolutionary name of Bishkek. The Kyrgyz language replaced Russian as the official language in September 1991. (Kyrgyz is a member of the Southern Turkic group of languages and was written in the Arabic alphabet until the 20th century. Latin script was introduced and adopted in 1928, and was subsequently replaced by Cyrillic in 1941.) Despite these aesthetic moves toward independence, economic realities seemed to work against secession from the U.S.S.R. In a referendum on the preservation of the U.S.S.R. in March 1991, 88.7% of the voters approved the proposal to retain the U.S.S.R. as a "renewed federation."

On August 19, 1991, when the State Emergency Committee assumed power in Moscow, there was an attempt to depose Akayev in Kyrgyzstan. After the coup had collapsed the following week, Akayev and Vice President German Kuznetsov announced their resignations from the Communist Party Soviet Union (CPSU), and the entire bureau and secretariat resigned. This was followed by the Supreme Soviet vote declaring independence from the USSR on August 31, 1991.

In October 1991, Akayev ran unopposed and was elected president of the new independent Republic by direct ballot, receiving 95% of the votes cast. Together with the representatives of seven other Republics that same month, he signed the Treaty of the New Economic Community. Finally, on December 21, 1991, Kyrgyzstan joined with the other four Central Asian Republics to formally enter the new Commonwealth of Independent States. In 1992, Kyrgyzstan joined the UN and the CSCE.

Current concerns in Kyrgyzstan include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, expansion of democracy and political freedoms, inter-ethnic relations, and terrorism.

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Sights.

Tash Rabat. The historic-cultural area, which includes the most ancient memorial Tash-Rabat (the 14th century) is situated 110 km to the South from Naryn and not far from the border with China on the height of 3200 m in the canyon Kara-Koyun.
Tash-Rabat (Caravan-Sarai) was the inn for merchants and travelers on the ancient Silk Road from Central Asia to China and was the place for rest protecting sellers from bandits in those ancient times. Tash-Rabat is a comfortable and attractive place for a stop between Bishkek and Kashgar.
 

Today the caravanserai is a square, rather squat-looking building that is much bigger than it appears from the outside because it digs deep into the hillside behind. Inside there is a domed central chamber leading to the remains of 30 dank rooms including, opposite the entrance, the khan’s own quarters.

One chamber contains two underground dungeons, one of which has been filled in and another, which is apparently 10 meters deep. There is also a well and supposedly an old tunnel, possibly leading to a look-out point. The chambers on either side of the entrance each have a broad, raised ledge, which is said to be a communal bed used by the caravanserai’s soldiers, who were garrisoned here to protect against bandits.

Burana Tower is seven km. far from the city of Tokmok. It is an 11th century minaret, and one of the first buildings of such type in Central Asia. The original height of minaret was 45 meters. Today the tower is 24.6 meters high, the remaining part came down during an earthquake in the 15th century. In the 10th to 12th centuries, Karakhanids khanate was a great feudal state of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. The founders, "karakhans", chigil tribes by birth, lived in the Tien-Shan and for a short time of the second half of the 10th century they conquered a large territory. One of the capitals of this state was Balasagun. In Karakhanids' time new towns and settlements were developing, the centers of big cities were improved and Moslem religious buildings were built in the town of Balasagun. Burana tower, mausoleums and other buildings found after archeological excavations are the witnesses of that build up. The town's life declined slowly, people left it, the buildings fell apart and finally in the 15th century it ceased to exit.

Manas Gumbez and petroglyphs. In Tash Aryk, on the bank of the Kenkol river. 12 kilometres south-east of Talas, stands Manas Gumbez, the mausoleum where Manas is said to have been buried. Archaeological excavation has dated the building to 1334, though it appears to have been restored twice since then. Barely five metres square, it is made of baked bricks, held in place with clay. It wears a double dome and the portal, richly decorated in carved terracotta slabs, bear two inscriptions: one declares in ancient Arabic (written the wrong way – from left to right) that “Power belongs to Allah”. The other is too damaged to read.

A series of petroglyphs and rock drawings lie well hidden in the canyons of the Talas valley. They date mostly from the Iron and Bronze Ages, are thought to have been drawn mainly by the Scythian (Saka) people and depict animals and ritualistic scenes. The most interesting group of drawings is on the “Shining Rock”, a huge granite wall which half blocks the Kaman Suu gorge. Galloping deers and goats are depicted here.

Other groups of drawings can be seen on the Kurgan Tash river, a tributary of the Kenkol, and on the upper reaches of the Urmaral river.

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Flora and fauna

Diversity of flora in Kyrgyzstan is determined by the altitudinal zoning. Slopes, varying by humidity, create different kinds of vegetation. On northern slopes steppes, meadow-steppes, meadows, bushes and forests are wide spread. On southern slopes, because of dry climate there are no zones of forests and alpine meadows; semi-deserts and deserts prevail here.

Flora of Kyrgyzstan numbers more than 3676 plants of lower species and 3786 plants of higher species. 600 types of useful wild growing flora are found in the territory of the Republic.

The most known plants of Kyrgyz Republic are:
Tulips of Greig
Tulips of Kaufmann
Tulips of Kolpakowsky
Edelweiss
Tien-Shan Fir
Fir of Semyonov
Archa

The most widely spread trees are spruce, juniper (archa), and nut- and fruit-tree forests. There are also spruce, maple, poplar-willow, and birch forests and Tien-Shan rowan-trees grow everywhere. There are walnut forests occupying an area of over 600,000 hectares,  in the South-East of Kyrgyzstan in the Fergana and Chatkal ranges at altitudes between 1000 and 2200 meters a. s. l.

In alpine meadows (at an altitude of 3000 meters a. s. l.) edelweiss, dandelion, Alpine Aster, Semenov onion and primroses grow. Edelweiss is not as rare as it is in Europe. At certain times of the year the mountain sides may be covered with poppies or tulips. About 5 km south of the Jety Orguz sanatoria, is Dolina Svetov (Valley of the flowers) a valley opens out which is ablaze with colour from May — when there are multitudes of poppies — throughout early summer.

In the forests, steppes, and meadows it is possible to find many different species of funguses.

The Fauna is various enough and non-uniform by origin. The basis of fauna of region is made with the kinds typical for the central-Asian and Mediterranean regions. Here it is possible to find more than 500 kinds spinal, including 83 kinds of mammals, 368 kinds of birds, 28 kinds of reptiles, 3 kinds of amphibians, 75 kinds of fishes, 3000 kinds of insects. In summer on the Alpine meadows there is a brown bear, are concentrated the most part of a livestock arkhar, it is a lot of marmots, hares and mountain goats. Wolves are found also. Above a snow line on rocky ledges (up to height of 4,4 km) nest some kinds of birds. At height about 4500 m there are mountain goats, from predators - a snow leopard. Rare kinds of animals such as arkhar, the bison, goat, a red deer, a bear, the deer, a lynx, a snow leopard, are brought in the Red book.