Kyrgyzstan - The True Pearl of Central Asia

Full name: Kyrgyz Republic
Capital: Bishkek
Population: 5.4 million (UN, 2008)
Area: 199,900 sq km (77,182 sq miles)
Major languages: Kyrgyz, Russian
Major religions: Islam, Christianity
Currency: 1 som = 100 tyiyns;currency code - KGS
Internet domain: .kg
International dialling code: +996 (312 - for Bishkek).

Kyrgyzstan is very multi-ethnic. Representatives of more than 80 ethnic groups live in the republic ( it as it used to be a part of USSR): Kyrgyz ,Russians, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Tatars, Kazakhs, Dunghans, Tajiks, Turks, Koreans, Azerbaijanians and other minorities.

Saying that, in the last few years a lot of Russians,Jews,Germans,etc have emigrated back to their countries partially due to bad economic climate,partially due to the fact that Kyrgyzstan has become "less tolerant",if you know what I mean...

Official language is Kyrgyz but a lot of people still speak Russian.And in fact, there are some ethnic Kyrgyz people (mainly in the capital) who still haven't learned Kyrgyz :)
Like most of the rest of the former Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan uses the Cyrillic alphabet.





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Here are some useful phrases for you:

Hello - Salamatsyzby!
How are you - Kandaisyz?
Good - Jakshi
Bad - Jaman
Yes - Ooba
No - Jok
Thank you - RaKhmat!

Kyrgyz climate is continental.

It gets pretty cold in winter,sometimes down to -25°C and can get quite hot in summer -up to 45°C in some places. Summers are mainly dry, snowfall in winter can get quite heavy.






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It is over-whelmingly MEAT-based as the nomadic way of life did not allow for the growing of fruit and vegetables which means that vegetarian visitors may find it difficult to find dishes that meet their needs

Almost any Kyrgyz meal will be accompanied by tea (either green or black) and a round loaf of bread known as a lepeshka.

Some dishes

Beshbarmak - the most typical Kyrgyz dish. The dish is meant to be eaten with the hands- «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 cut into tiny pieces and served in a broth.

Shashlyk (Kebabs) - meat cubes on skewers cooked over BBQ. The meat is usually mutton but it is possible to find beef, chicken, liver and even pork shashlyk. The meat may simply be freshly sliced or may have been marinated overnight.Shashlyk is usually served with a sprinkling of raw onion, vinegar and lepeshki.

Plov (an Uzbek dish) - rice mixed with fried meat, onions and carrots (and sometimes other ingredients such as raisins), all cooked in a metal bowl called "Kazan"

Lagman (Dunghan dish) - flat noodles cooked in a stew of tiny pieces of mutton, carrots, onions,peppers and white radishes.

Oromo - Potatoes, onions and carrots are shredded and spread onto a rolled out pastry, which is then rolled into roulette and steamed in a special pan (In Kyrgyz «oromo» means «roulette»).

Ashlyam-foo - a spicy dish made with cold noodles, vinegar,fried eggs with potato starch cubes on top.

Bliny (a Russian dish) -pancakes, rolled and filled with meat, tvorog (a sort of cottage cheese), or jam.

Pirojki - flat dough filled with meat, potatoes, cabbage or sometimes nothing at all - sold by street sellers.

Manty - steamed dumplings filled with shredded meat (or sometimes pumpkin) and onions, usually eaten with the fingers. A word of warning - watch out for the hot, liquid fat that can come squirting out from them. Also, sometimes the meat can be fatty, or gristle.

Pelmeni - Russian ravioli which can be served in a brot or without, and usually smetana (sour cream).

Samsy - baked meat dumplings often cooked in a tandyr (clay oven). Once again, be warned of the heat and fatty juice that squirts out when you bite into one.
Boorsoks - pieces of dough fried in oil;

Chuchuk - fat salami made of mutton;
Shorpo - very traditional Kyrgyz soup;
Chak-chak - sweat meal of fried dough with honey.

Minibuses (marshrutkas)

Marshrutkas are easily identifiable and display their number and basic route information (in Russian) on the front. Once you get on, pay the fare to the driver You can hail anywhere and will be dropped off at any point on their route.

Buses and trolley buses

Less extensive system and generally slower. These only stop at designated bus stops. Travellers enter at the back door and leave at the front, paying on the way out.

Private taxis

Can be booked over the phone- three digit numbers including: 150, 152, 154, 156, 166, and 188. There are also numerous "gypsy cabs" situated at nearly every intersection. Be careful!






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Kyrgyzstan is a land of mountains, rivers, and forests. So trekking, mountaineering,white-water rafting, pony trekking, mountain biking and even heli-skiing are common activities in this country.

Popular tourist destinations: Ala-Archa Canyon, Issyk-Kul Lake, trekking around Issyk-Kul, Bishkek, Osh city, Torugart Pass (border with China), horse trekking, winter sports (peaks Pobedy, Lenin, Khan-Tengry).






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Issyk Kul is ,by far, the most popular tourist attraction, also known as "the jewel" of Central Asia.
Issyk-Kul means "hot lake" in Kyrgyz and confirms its name by not freezing in winter. It is 1609m above the sea level and has an area of 6206 square km (179 km long and 60 km wide), making it the second largest alpine lake in the world after Lake Titicaca in South America.

About 134 rivers flow into the lake. No rivers flow out of Issyk-Kul so the lake accumulates all mineral substances carried here by the rivers and rains. The water is very light and transparent, in clear weather one can see the lake's bottom.

Since ancient times, Issyk-Kul has been famous for its curative mineralised water, hot springs and medicinal mud used for treating many diseases.

The lake is encircled with high mountains. The powerful ranges of the Kungei Ala-Too and Terskei Ala-Too round the lake from the South and North and form a hallow 2-3.5 km deep, which extends for 240 km west to east. This offers excellent opportunities for developing mountain tourism, mountaineering, and mountain skiing.

Thanks to the mixture of mountainous and marine climate it is not extremely hot at the lake in summer and nights are always cool. The average monthly temperature is 20C (F) and in January it's not less than -5C (F). During the summer season, between June and September, the average waster temperature is +22-24C (F). The area of Lake Issyk-Kul keeps a lot of secrets.

At the bottom of the lake archaeologists recently have discovered the ruins of an ancient city, Chigu, which sank many centuries ago. It was a capital of the Usuni State since the 2nd century BC, and the trade centre of the Tian Shan on the Great Silk Road.

Attractions in the lake region include the Altyn Arashan hot spring development, set in a 3000m (9840ft) high alpine valley; the immense, silent summer pasture of the Karkara valley; the extraordinary red sandstone cliffs of the Jeti-Oghuz canyon; and the excellent hiking trails into the Terskey Alatau, south of Karakol. The best time to visit is September, though trekking in the mountains is best between July and August.






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- Daily flights by Aeroflot from Moscow

- Two flights a week with BMI from London. That's the route I normally take. It's direct (they do make a brief stop in Almaty,Kazakhstan) and hassle-free.

- Daily flights with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul

- KLM to Almaty (Kazakhstan), then by car to Bishkek 3-4 hrs

- Lufthansa to Almaty (Kazakhstan), then by car to Bishkek 3-4 hrs

American University of Central Asia is situated in the heart of Bishkek.

Based on the American liberal arts college model,they have 1,305 students from all over the globe: Afghanistan, Belarus, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, USA and Uzbekistan.

http://www.auca.kg
American University of Central Asia
205 Abdymomunov St.
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic 720040

Tel.: (+ 996 312) 663 309
Fax: (+ 996 312) 663 201