Legends about the "Burana Tower" The term minaret, widely used in European contexts, originates from the Arabic word minar (a place where something is lit — a lantern, lighthouse) or miiara (a watchtower, pillar, minaret of a mosque). In the latter sense, in local pronunciation among Tajiks and Uzbeks, it is meiaré, and among some Turkic ethnic groups in Central Asia, it is men ar. Among the local population living in the former northern Kyrgyz region of Jeni-Su (Semirechye), and in
Domes and Mazars — burial mausoleums of the Kyrgyz — have their origins in the domestic architecture of earlier times. This architecture has almost not survived, but it existed. It belonged to a people who later became purely nomadic. These monuments are also the most significant evidence of the local nomadic population's involvement in agriculture, mining, and trade in the distant past. Over time, the original forms of the domes evolved, acquiring features of the typical dwelling of
At the III Congress of Architects of Kyrgyzstan (1954), the issue of training personnel from the indigenous population was raised. This issue remained pressing at subsequent congresses, and only in 1965, at the initiative of the Union of Architects of Kyrgyzstan, was an architectural department established at the Frunze Polytechnic Institute, and from 1977, an architectural faculty was created. Most of the buildings constructed in the capital and cities of the republic were designed by local
The school for improving professional skills and discovering talents has been the participation of our architects in republican, all-union, and international competitions. The tradition of architectural competitions in the republic has a history of almost half a century. Competitions activate the creative activity of architects and help, especially the young ones, to find themselves. Public discussions held on the materials of the competition, which sometimes provoke lively debates, awaken
In connection with the adoption in 1976 by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the Law on the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments, concerns were expressed at the congress about the fate of numerous monuments that are being destroyed in several regions of Kyrgyzstan. The twelfth congress (1986) of Kyrgyz architects was particularly significant, taking place in an atmosphere of great scrutiny and demands, criticism and self-criticism, and an understanding of the need to work
The 1970s were a period of significant professional growth and creative achievements for the architects of the republic. The first graduates of the architectural department (since 1978 — the faculty) of the Frunze Polytechnic Institute joined their ranks. There was a numerical increase in the membership of the Union of Architects of the republic, and at the same time, the creative potential of architects was developing. During this decade, the architectural fund of Kyrgyzstan was enriched with
The second half of the 1950s was filled with activities aimed at restructuring design methods and building technologies in accordance with the goals and objectives set by the party and government for the architects of our country. The creative union congresses provided significant assistance in restructuring the design and construction sector in the republic. In August 1955, the fourth congress of the Union of Architects of Kyrgyzstan took place. The congress called on all architects of
The establishment of the first design institution laid the foundation for the formation of professional design and construction practices in Kyrgyzstan. Later, this organization evolved into a multidisciplinary design institute with a large volume of design and engineering developments, which served as the basis for the subsequent opening of a number of specialized institutes. With the organization of the design institute, the first professional architects came to Kyrgyz architecture. The term
The artistic principles of constructivism were built on the basis of formal solutions to a number of compositional tasks — this involves the search for artistic effect in the combinations of simple volumes, in the juxtaposition of vertical and horizontal lines, in the contrast of the solid masses of walls with large glass planes, etc. At a certain stage, this direction played a positive role, opening new possibilities in the field of form creation and the search for functional appropriateness;
The development of new architecture began with the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of Kyrgyzstan and concluded by the mid-1930s. This period is characterized by the formation of almost all major spheres of architectural creativity. Urban planning began to develop in the republic simultaneously with the construction of new large industrial enterprises and the associated influx of rural population into cities. At the same time, rural settlements were also intensively built up. By
