News about Kyrgyzstan, tourism, attractions, Kyrgyz cuisine, history, traditions, and customs
Urkuya Salieva
Historical figures

Urkuya Salieva

Salieva Urkuya In the very heart of the capital of our homeland, among the weeping willows, majestically stands one of the most beautiful monuments to Urkuya Salieva. Among the Kyrgyz people, she is known as a political figure, an activist for social reforms, and a fighter for freedom. Urkuya Salieva was born on February 17, 1911, in the village of Besh-Burkan (now the village of Taktek), in the Nookat district, to a poor peasant family. It is hard to imagine that a woman from the East, raised

27.09.2019, 15:57
Fedor Arthurovich Fielstrup
Historical figures

Fedor Arthurovich Fielstrup

F.A. Fielstrup - one of the first ethnographers studying the Kyrgyz One of those who stood at the origins of Soviet ethnographic science, but whose name was unjustly forgotten for many years, was F.A. Fielstrup (February 19, 1889 - December 7, 1933). Fedor Arturovich Fielstrup was born in St. Petersburg into the family of an electrical engineer.

14.09.2019, 13:33
Abdykadir Orozbekov
Historical figures

Abdykadir Orozbekov

Orozbekov Abdykadir - an outstanding state and public figure, the first head of state. The name of Abdykadir Orozbekov is associated with many epithets that begin with the words "first" or "one of the first." A. Orozbekov was one of the first Kyrgyz who joined the army of hired workers during the period of property stratification in Kyrgyz kystaks. He was one of the few Kyrgyz whose revolutionary consciousness was formed in an international proletarian environment. It was

30.03.2019, 19:20
Aristov Nikolai Alexandrovich
Historical figures

Aristov Nikolai Alexandrovich

Aristov Nikolai Alexandrovich (1847—1910[2]) A Russian historian, orientalist, and ethnographer, he was one of the prominent representatives of Russian science in the late 19th century, a full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, and a researcher of the ethnic history of the Kyrgyz people. N.A. Aristov's historical works are dedicated to Anglo-Afghan relations in the late 19th century; his ethnographic works focus on the peoples of Central Asia and Afghanistan. His

10.03.2019, 20:37
Ammosov Maxim Kirovich
Historical figures

Ammosov Maxim Kirovich

Maxim Kirovich Ammosov (1897 - 1937) Born on December 10 (22), 1897, in the Khatyryk nasleg of the Namsky ulus in the family of a Yakut peasant. Due to poverty, his parents gave him for "upbringing" to a wealthy relative, where little Maxim grew up as a healthy and cheerful child. From the age of nine, he studied at the Namsk one-class school with a three-year curriculum. Even then, under the influence of the democratic teacher P.A. Ushinsky, who taught at the school, Ammosov refused

05.03.2019, 12:36
Torokul Aitmatov
Historical figures

Torokul Aitmatov

Torokul Aitmatov (1903 - 1938) Born in aul No. 5 (Sheker) of the Kukuryevskaya volost of the Auliye-Ata district in the Semirechye region. Kyrgyz. According to his autobiography, he was born into a "peasant-poor" family; his father died in 1919. His grandfather, Kimbildi, "was a wealthy man." A member of the Communist Party since March 1925. A member of the Komsomol since 1921. He studied at the Russian-native mining school (1916-18) until its disbandment; studied for 8

02.03.2019, 08:26
Chokan Valikhanov: The First in the Study of Central Asia by Russian Geographers. Part 6
Historical figures

Chokan Valikhanov: The First in the Study of Central Asia by Russian Geographers. Part 6

AGAIN HODJA VALIKHAN, AGAIN SHLAGINTWEIT The caravan of Musabay occupied eleven stalls in the "Kunak" shed. The trade was successful, and by the very first week, almost all the goods were sold at a great profit. According to the calculations of the caravan-bashi, it took at least two months to fatten the pack animals. Valikhanov decided to take advantage of this and make a trip across the country. He wanted to visit the Yarkand oasis and the city of Yarkand. There was still some un

26.02.2019, 23:00
Chokan Valikhanov in Kashgar. Part 5
Historical figures

Chokan Valikhanov in Kashgar. Part 5

THE CHEERFUL CITY In Kashgar, a report from the outpost caused a stir. By order of the authorities, the city was declared to be in a state of martial law: an increased guard was placed on the fortress walls, and mounted patrols roamed the streets at night. Wishing to prevent bloodshed and save the city from further looting, the rulers decided to send experienced officials to scout the caravan camped twelve kilometers from the city gates, near the tomb of Kufalla-Khodja. The officials, mourned

02.02.2019, 14:29
The Great Journey of Chokan Valikhanov. Part 4
Historical figures

The Great Journey of Chokan Valikhanov. Part 4

SECRET MISSION Governor-General Gasfort agreed to secretly send his adjutant Chokan Valikhanov to Kashgar — information about neighboring territories was of interest not only to Siberian military authorities but also to Petersburg. However, the most difficult task remained — to ensure the success of this complex venture, fraught with many troubles. And here, the wealthy Semipalatinsk merchant Bukash Aupayev came to the rescue. Intelligent and well-acquainted with the customs and traditions of

27.01.2019, 21:37
The Meeting of Chokan Valikhanov with Semenov-Tian-Shansky. Part 3
Historical figures

The Meeting of Chokan Valikhanov with Semenov-Tian-Shansky. Part 3

JUST SEMENOV In the autumn of 1857, after a journey through Central Asia, Pyotr Petrovich Semenov — simply Semenov — returned to Omsk. But later, after the fame of this journey spreads around the world — Pyotr Petrovich was the first scientist to visit Central Tien Shan — his full name will be written as P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. During 1856-1857, Semenov visited many places in Kazakhstan, traveled around the high-altitude lake Issyk-Kul, located among the Tien Shan ridges, visited the upper

24.01.2019, 12:50
In the Footsteps of Shlagintweit. Chokan Valikhanov. Part 2
Historical figures

In the Footsteps of Shlagintweit. Chokan Valikhanov. Part 2

ADOLPH SCHLAGINTWEIT In early 1857, the German traveler Adolph Schlagintweit, who had been wandering in India for a long time, met in Punjab, in the city of Sultanpur, with the Uyghur Muhammad-Amin, a native of Yarkand. Muhammad-Amin, who had previously enjoyed the patronage of the English, offered to guide Schlagintweit to Kashgaria and further into the Khanate of Kokand. The proposal seemed enticing to Schlagintweit. Kashgaria... Until now, science had no reliable information about this

21.01.2019, 21:25
Chokan Valikhanov. Part 1
Historical figures

Chokan Valikhanov. Part 1

Chokan Chingisovich Valikhanov The famous traveler, outstanding geographer, and ethnographer Chokan Chingisovich Valikhanov was a man of bright and unique fate. He forever inscribed his name in the history of geographical science by undertaking a secret journey to Kashgaria, a country about which nothing was known in Europe. In our narrative, Valikhanov will enter as an adult, a young man of twenty-two years, an officer, and an adjutant to the Governor-General of Western Siberia, Gasfort.

18.01.2019, 23:36
Pishpek Gardener Fetisov. The History of the Hometown
Historical figures

Pishpek Gardener Fetisov. The History of the Hometown

About how a botanist outsmarted the officials According to a well-known proverb, a real man must plant at least one tree in his lifetime. In the history of Kyrgyzstan, there was a unique individual who broke all records by planting 200,000 trees! And he did this, as they say, not thanks to, but in spite of - regardless of the arid climate, scant finances, and bureaucratic indifference. His name was Alexey Mikhailovich Fetisov. If it weren't for his efforts over a hundred years ago, who

27.02.2018, 15:23
Taylak Batyr and Atantay-Biy
Historical figures

Taylak Batyr and Atantay-Biy

Brief information about Taylak has been preserved in Chinese chronicles of the 19th century, and he is also mentioned by the Kazakh scholar-traveler Chokan Valikhanov, who visited the Kokand fortress of Kurtka in the middle of the last century. The genealogy of the Kyrgyz — sanjyra — also assigns an honorable place to Taylak. However, more extensive information about him can be gleaned from the historical legends of the people, which have survived to this day, recorded by A. Chorobaev and

16.12.2014, 18:52
Ormon Khan
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Ormon Khan

In times long past, there lived a famous Kyrgyz manap, Ormon, a person of strong will, very influential, who tried more than once to unite the disparate Kyrgyz tribes of northern Kyrgyzstan. He succeeded in doing this only in 1842. In the late 1840s, at one of the kurultai, according to the ancient custom of nomads, Ormon was raised on a white felt in a sign of universal respect and recognition as khan.

27.08.2014, 20:11
Tagai Bi (Muhammed Kyrgyz)
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Tagai Bi (Muhammed Kyrgyz)

In the history of the 16th century, Tagay Bi was celebrated under the name of the great figure Muhammed Kyrgyz. In 1508, he was proclaimed khan. Before this, the Kyrgyz had been unable to elect a worthy leader for several centuries. Thus, the fate of Tagay Bi fell upon the responsible task of creating an independent state. He was the first supporter of the spread of the Muslim religion, for which the people respectfully began to refer to him as Muhammed Kyrgyz.

27.08.2014, 19:29
Peter Petrovich SEMENOV (Tian-Shansky)
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Peter Petrovich SEMENOV (Tian-Shansky)

One of the first pioneers in the study of Kyrgyzstan was the Russian scientist and traveler Petr Petrovich SEMENOV (1827—1914), who, for his scientific contributions to the study of the Tengri-Tuu region (in Chinese “Tian-Shan”) in 1856—1857 and subsequent years, received the honorary literary name “Tian-Shan.” He created the orographic scheme of Tengri-Tuu and refuted the existing theories in contemporary science about the volcanic origin of the Tengri-Tuu mountain system.

18.07.2014, 23:02
Vasily Vladimirovich BARTOLD
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Vasily Vladimirovich BARTOLD

The luminary of European Oriental studies was the Russian scholar Vasily Vladimirovich BARTOLD (November 3, 1869 — August 19, 1930). He graduated from the Faculty of Eastern Languages at St. Petersburg University (1891). His dissertation "Turkestan in the Era of the Mongol Invasion," prepared for obtaining a master's degree, was recognized as a doctoral thesis (1900). He personally visited various regions of Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan.

18.07.2014, 22:53
Kozhomurat SARYKULAKOV
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Kozhomurat SARYKULAKOV

Kozhomurat SARYKULAKOV (1892-1918) — a public figure, one of the first Kyrgyz students who studied at European universities. He was born in the Uzun-Kyrskaya volost (now - Kant district) of the Pishpek county. In 1911, he graduated from the Vernensky Gymnasium (in present-day Almaty) with a silver medal. From 1911 to 1913, he studied in Kyiv at Saint Vladimir University in the medical faculty, and from 1914 to 1917, he studied at the law faculty of Kazan University. After the fall of the

18.07.2014, 22:27
Mollo Niyaz
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Mollo Niyaz

Mollo NIYAZ (1820-1896) - poet, thinker, and educator. He was born in the Shai-Merden valley (Shakhimardan) in southern Kyrgyzstan. He studied at a madrasah (a higher Muslim school) in the city of Kashgar. His poems and poetic admonitions, which have survived to this day, are characterized by wisdom and a call for enlightenment. He traveled through both Fergana and Southern Kyrgyzstan, as well as Central Tengri-Too and Eastern Turkestan. His philosophical views on life, death, the universe,

18.07.2014, 22:08
Arstanbek BOYLOSH (BUYLASH) UULU
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Arstanbek BOYLOSH (BUYLASH) UULU

Arstanbek BOYLOSH (BUYLASH) UULU (1824—1878) — one of the prominent thinkers and poets of the "zamanyists," an improvisational poet, composer, and performer on the komuz. He was born into the family of Boylosh bi, an aristocrat from the Tynymseyit tribe, by his second wife Torekan in the region of Syrt, Eki-Naryn. From a young age, the poet became aware of social issues, as his mother was declared "salbar" — a wife with limited marital rights.

18.07.2014, 21:53
Kaligul BAI UULU
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Kaligul BAI UULU

Kalygul BAI UULU (1785-1855) - a thinker, a representative of the philosophical movement of "zamanists," associated with Sufi thought in Central Asia. His famous words about life, the end of the world (the Day of Judgment), and the relationships of the northern Kyrgyz with the Kokand Khanate and Russia represent a treasure trove of folk wisdom. Although it is not exactly known whether he was literate himself, the sage of the Sarbagysh tribe of the Kochkor and Issyk-Kul Kyrgyz called

18.07.2014, 21:43
Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur (Zahiruddin Babur)
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur (Zahiruddin Babur)

The Timurid ruler and scholar - Zahir ad-Din Muhammad Babur (1483-1530), was the founder of the last powerful Muslim dynasty in India, which ruled the country until British colonization. Babur, a famous descendant of Emir Timur and nephew of the khans of Moghulistan (a state that encompassed Northern Kyrgyzstan, Semirechye, and Eastern Turkestan), became the ruler of Fergana at the age of 12 after losing his father, and chose Suleiman-Too in the city of Osh as his residence. Later, he ordered

18.07.2014, 16:04
Jamala Karshi
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Jamala Karshi

JAMAL KARSHI, Abu-l-Fadl ibn Muhammad Jamal ad-Din Karshi (born in 1230-1231, date of death unknown) was a historian, linguist, and poet from the Semirechye region. He was born in the city of Almalyk, the capital of the vilayet of El-Alargu. His father was one of the scholars of the city of Balasagun. For the upbringing and education of his son, Sugnak-tegin, Jamal ad-Din was given the nickname "Karshi" ("Palatial").

18.07.2014, 15:53
The title translates to "Khoja Ahmed Yasawi."
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

The title translates to "Khoja Ahmed Yasawi."

The 12th century is associated with the name of the steppe poet, thinker, and major representative of Sufi wisdom Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Jazylik Kul Kojo Akmat). The place and date of his birth are disputed. According to the majority of researchers, he was born in the city of Yasyi (later Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan), while another version claims he was born in the Yasyi Valley (Jazy) in southern Kyrgyzstan. If he wandered through the steppes and mountains of Central Asia, then his work

17.07.2014, 22:10
Mahmud Kashgari
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Mahmud Kashgari

Kashgari Mahmud, son of Hussein, grandson of Muhammad, is a representative of the science and culture of the Turkic-Muslim Renaissance of the peoples of the Karakhanid Khaganate. He was born around 1029-1038 in the city of Barskan (modern-day Barskoon in the Jeti-Oguz district of the Issyk-Kul region) in the family of a regional ruler of the Karakhanids. He died after 1077. He studied in Barskan, Kashgar, and other centers of Muslim scholarship.

17.07.2014, 22:04
Yusuf (Jusup) al-Balāsaghūnī
Famous personalities of Kyrgyzstan / Historical figures

Yusuf (Jusup) al-Balāsaghūnī

Yusuf (Jusup) al-Balасaguni was born around 1015-1018 in the principality's capital, which once became the northern capital of the entire khanate. This city was famous as a center of science and culture of its time. The Burana settlement, southwest of the modern city of Tokmok, is the ruins of this cultural hub of the Karakhanids.

17.07.2014, 21:17