Worldview Concepts of the Surrounding World
Most geographical names in Kyrgyzstan have local etymology. The origin of several toponyms is connected with epics and legends; they reflect events that took place on the land of the Kyrgyz in the past. Some geographical names were translated not only by the people who invented them—the language itself evolved and developed throughout its historical development, and many toponyms have remained unchanged to this day. Toponyms with ancient histories serve as witnesses to the past of the people; they can be used to judge the development of their economy, their worldview representations of the surrounding world, and so on. Therefore, toponyms, zoonyms, hydronyms, oronyms, ethnonyms, etc., should be preserved with care. At the same time, many local names are often distorted, which is related to calquing from one language to another. This largely explains the coexistence and transformation of various religions and languages in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. During the Arab conquest in the 7th century, the Kyrgyz experienced the influence of the Arabic language and Islam. Traces of this influence have been preserved in some local names. For example, the mountain Takht-Suleiman in the city of Osh is named after the prophet Solomon. For a long time, until 1963, it was a place of pilgrimage for Muslims.
Just below the summit, on a ledge of the mountain, in 1497, Babur (a representative of the Timurid dynasty, better known to the Kyrgyz as the father of the child in the алтын бешикте—golden cradle, found in the bushes and raised by our people) built a unique khujur with a portico in the eastern style, which stood for many centuries and was very popular among Muslims.
The geographical representations of the people were supplemented and clarified over time; old concepts were adjusted according to new understandings. However, this process cannot be viewed as a progressive movement towards the formation of scientific geography. The divisions of the surface, for example, were different for the ancient Kyrgyz than in modern orography.
Moving over long distances in the conditions of complex mountainous terrain, the Kyrgyz learned to identify systems associated with passes. Rivers often had names that reflected the fact that they led to a common pass, representing a kind of "corridor" in the mountains. By the way, the principles of division and unification of areas in modern geography are not so uniform and therefore not very convenient; in this regard, the experience of ancient practical geography could still be useful today.
On modern maps, the old names are now preserved with the addition of words such as "western," "eastern." Unfortunately, some geographical names have been lost in the process of replacements stemming from the idea of "convenience" in differentiation. Currently, we cannot find such zoonyms, such old Kyrgyz names of places as Ayuu-Ter—the place where bears lived, and Ur-Maaral—the place where male marals called their rivals to a duel with a trumpet sound during the rut. The reason for this, in our opinion, lies in the disappearance of these species of animals in this area.
