In the south of the republic, when crossing turbulent mountain rivers, they still successfully use sal — a unique raft made from inflated skins of water bags.
The southern Kyrgyz have been using these homemade rafts since time immemorial to transport people and goods across mountain rivers, and the secret of their construction has been passed down from generation to generation. The skin intended for the sal is carefully removed from the animal to avoid any cuts. After that, it is immediately filled with table salt (about 10 kg). Then the neck opening, the openings of the front legs, and one of the hind legs are tied with a marine knot.
Air is pumped in using a hand bellows made of goat skin through the remaining free opening of the hind leg, which is then also tightly tied. One sal can consist of four to six and even eight water bags. The more water bags in the raft, the greater its carrying capacity, and the thicker the skins, the more durable the sal. A good skin can last up to two years. When all the water bags are inflated, they are arranged in two rows, a lattice frame is placed on top, and the water bags are securely tied to it. The frame is made from strong flexible willow or osier branches. After these preparatory operations, the sal is ready. Salchy — the people who manage the sal — sit at the edges and paddle with small long-handled paddles. The tightly inflated thick-skinned water bags glide easily on the water and effectively absorb accidental impacts against stones and roots. The water bags are inexpensive and require almost no maintenance (only every 10 days should salt be added to them, which reduces the pores of the rawhide and helps retain air better; salt also acts as a preservative, protecting the skin from decomposition).
On the turbulent Kyzyl-Suu, which flows in the Chon-Alai Valley, local Kyrgyz and Tajiks still successfully use sal rafts to transport various goods over distances of up to 200 km.
