The Valley of Kojo-Kelen
Kozho-Kelen – a true wonder of nature
The Kozho-Kelen Valley (Kozhokelen, Khojo-Kelen, Kodzhokelen, translated from Russian as "Great Khoja") is located 95 km southwest of the city of Osh, at the foot of the Alai Range. This quiet corner, nestled among high mountains, attracts with its mystery and the beauty of the surrounding landscapes. For centuries, three mighty architects of nature – wind, water, and time – have come here to create this amazing world.
Kozho-Kelen is a natural and ethnographic complex, little known to tourists. The beautiful village of Kozho-Kelen is located in a wide area of the Jiptyk River valley, a left tributary of the Ak-Buura River. At the upper boundary of the village, fantastic orange cliffs open up along the left bank of the river.
Kozho-Kelen is a true wonder of nature. This fairy-tale city occupies an area of over 300 square kilometers. Everything created here from rocks rests on the emerald foundation of plants. The streams of this city hide in the dense greenery of grass. Numerous flowers adorn the balconies and hanging streets of the city. Unlike others, Kozho-Kelen is filled with life. Here, birds chirp, grasses whisper, and streams ring with their songs. Three colors – red, green, and blue – play with shades, mixing into gamuts and combinations. It is impossible to reach the upper levels of this fairy-tale city, as they rise to inaccessible cliffs. However, this can be seen by climbing the ridges of the southern mountains. The patterned walls, towers soaring above the spaces, waterfalls, and grottos accessible only to birds beckon and amaze simultaneously. Steep cliffs made of huge stone blocks, dense pine forests, and green meadows – all of this evokes delight and allows the soul to rest in unity with nature.
The amazing untouched nature, with bizarrely shaped red cliffs growing with juniper right along the walls.
Badgers, wild boars, and argali inhabit this area. Yaks graze in the meadows.
At the foot of the exotic cliffs lies a cave. More precisely, a pinkish-white grotto with a semi-circular entrance. On the bushes, ribbons of fabric conceal a platform for sacrifices. In a niche, by a smooth stone, there is a hearth for preparing ritual food, and cult symbols on the rocks indicate that the cave is revered and sacred. The floor of the underground temple is two-thirds occupied by a blue pond with crystal clear water. Instead of stalactites, the ceiling is adorned with thin, ringing streams that feed the sacred spring. The underground lake is considered a holy source, to which local residents and tourists come to pay their respects.
3 km from the village of Kozho-Kelen is the Kozho-Kelen waterfall. The height of the waterfall is 50 m.
The village of Kozho-Kelen itself has great potential for ethnographic tourism – a relatively large mountain village that emerged in ancient times, inhabited by hospitable Alai Kyrgyz. Unusual houses made of red and black clay beautifully blend into the surrounding landscape and are built along the banks of the Jiptyk River.
The residents of the village – the Alai Kyrgyz – are very hospitable.
