Ethnography

Pre-scientific Representations of the Kyrgyz about Nature

Knowledge and understanding of natural processes in which human life takes place is a prerequisite for successful practical activity. Unlike animals, humans, in the process of labor, comprehend reality, purposefully accumulating and passing on acquired knowledge to others. "As long as people do not know the forces of nature, they blindly submit to them; but once they know them, then the forces of nature submit to humans," noted G. V. Plekhanov.

04.01.2015, 11:06

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Literary scholar, translator Valery Vakulenko

Literary scholar, translator V. Vakulenko was born in the settlement named after M. V. Frunze in the Sokuluk district of the Kyrgyz SSR in a working-class family. In 1963, he graduated from high school in his hometown, and in 1971, he graduated from the philological faculty of Leningrad State University named after A. Zhdanova. From 1964 to 1967, he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army. He began his professional career in 1971 as an editor at the "Kyrgyzstan" publishing house, and

04.01.2015, 10:27

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet Mariyam Bularkieva

Poet M. Bularkieva was born in the village of Kozuchak in the Talas district of the Talas region in a peasant family. In 1954, she graduated from high school in her native village, and in 1959, she graduated from the philological faculty of KGU. From 1963 to 1965, she was a student at the Higher Literary Courses under the USSR Union of Writers in Moscow. She began her labor biography in 1959 as an editor at Kiruchpedgiz, and from 1966, she served as the responsible secretary, and from 1980, as

20.12.2014, 11:03

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet, Playwright Tursunaly Bostonkulov

Poet and playwright T. Bostonkulov was born in the village of Ana-Kyzyl in the Uzgen district of the Osh region in a peasant family. In 1971, he graduated from the X. Tashirov Secondary School (Kara-Suu district), and in 1984 — from the A. M. Gorky Literary Institute under the USSR Writers' Union in Moscow. From 1971 to 1973, he served in the Soviet Army, and from 1973 to 1979, he worked as a collective farmer and laborer. Since 1984, he has been working as a proofreader at the

20.12.2014, 10:54

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet Anatoly Bortsov

Poet A. Bortsov was born in the city of Odessa in a family of a doctor. In 1932, he graduated from a seven-year school in Odessa, then studied at a vocational school for tram drivers. From 1933 to 1938, he worked as a mechanic at various enterprises in Odessa. From 1938 to 1949, he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army. In 1949, he moved to Frunze. From 1950 to 1953, he worked as the commandant of the RPSH under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan. In 1954, he was

20.12.2014, 10:31

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Improvisational Poet Ismail Boronchiev

Improvisational poet I. Boronchiev was born in 1910 - 1978 in the village of Alchaluu, Chui region of the Kyrgyz SSR, in a family of poor peasants. In 1929, he joined a collective farm. This period marks the beginning of his creative activity. He became known among the people as a singer-improviser. In 1936, he was accepted as a soloist in the Kyrgyz State Philharmonic. That same year, his poem "The First Five-Year Plan" was published for the first time, followed by the poem

20.12.2014, 10:19

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Literary scholar, prose writer, playwright, poet Mukhtar Borbugulov

Literary scholar, prose writer, playwright, poet M. Borbugulov was born on May 5, 1930, in the village of Kyz-Köl, Suzak district, Osh region, in a peasant family of modest means. From 1946, he studied at the Jalal-Abad Pedagogical School, from 1947 at the Teacher Training Institute, and in 1949 he transferred to the second year of the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute in Frunze. In 1952, he entered the graduate school of the A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the USSR Academy of

20.12.2014, 09:00

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Playwright, Screenwriter Erkin Borbiyev

Prose writer, playwright, screenwriter E. Borbiev was born on August 12, 1937, in the village of Kashka-Suu, Sokuluk District, Kyrgyz SSR, in a teacher's family. After graduating from Kyrgyz Secondary School No. 5 named after A. S. Pushkin in Frunze in 1956, he studied at the FPI, and from 1960 to 1966 — at the journalism department of the philological faculty of KGU; from 1971 to 1973 — a student at the Higher Directing and Screenwriting Courses in Moscow. From 1960 to 1963, he worked as

20.12.2014, 08:49

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Translator S. Bolekbaev

Prose writer and translator S. Bolekbai was born in the village of Kyzyl-Dyikan in what is now the Moscow district of the Kyrgyz SSR into a peasant family. In 1937, he graduated from the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Technical School in Frunze. From 1952 to 1955, he studied in the evening department of the philological faculty of KRU. While a student at the pedagogical technical school, he worked as a correspondent for the newspaper "Leninchil Zhas," where he later worked in 1941 and from 1947

19.12.2014, 11:39

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Improvising Singer, Poet-Songwriter Osmoyakul Bolebalaev

Improvisational singer and akyn-songwriter O. Bolebalaev was born in 1888—1967 in the village of Chondaly (now part of the Kant district of the Kyrgyz SSR) in a family of a herdsman. He learned to read and write from the village mullah. In his youth, he composed love lyrical and lyrical-epic songs. As an improvisational singer, he emerged after the Great October Socialist Revolution. The development of O. Bolebalaev's creativity as an akyn was significantly influenced by K. Akiev, with

19.12.2014, 11:28

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet, playwright Dzhomart Bokonbaev

Poet and playwright J. Bokonbaev was born on May 16, 1910 — July 1, 1944, in the village of Mazar-Sai in what is now the Toktogul district of the Osh region, into a poor family. Having lost his parents at an early age, he was raised in the Kogart orphanage near Jalal-Abad from 1924 to 1926. From 1926 to 1931, he studied first at the Osh and then at the Frunze Pedagogical Technical Schools, and from 1933 to 1935 — at the Communist Institute of Journalism in Moscow. From 1931 to 1933, he worked

19.12.2014, 11:06

Decorative and applied arts

Traditional Jewelry and Blacksmithing Production

Ancient jewelers produced a variety of women's jewelry, horse harness items, household utensils, belts, and hunting equipment. They primarily used silver, sometimes gilded, in combination with precious stones. They were familiar with various techniques for manufacturing and finishing products: stamping, openwork carving, embossing, granulation, blackening, and decorating items with enamel.

18.12.2014, 23:18

Decorative and applied arts

Kyrgyz National Weapon

In the past, the Kyrgyz produced two types of weapons — cold and firearms, and they made bulletproof clothing. This was necessitated by inter-feudal wars and frequent clan conflicts. They skillfully utilized natural defensive conditions (the surrounding mountains) and constructed special fortifications.

18.12.2014, 22:56

Decorative and applied arts

Kyrgyz Ornamental Origins

Deep ancient local traditions in the art of the Kyrgyz can be traced when studying the ornamentation of the domes, which our predecessors paid little attention to. Three types of ornament were used in the decoration of Kyrgyz burial sites: painting, appliqué, and patterned brickwork.

18.12.2014, 21:51

Decorative and applied arts

Excursion into the Material Culture and Decorative Applied Arts of the Kyrgyz People

The material culture of the Kyrgyz people from the 16th to the first half of the 19th century has not yet been the subject of special study, and during our expeditionary work, it was important for us to gather any information in this area. Moreover, the study of fortresses was interconnected with the nature of Kyrgyz settlements and dwellings, while the ornamentation and paintings of epitaphs and domes directly relate to the traditional decorative applied art of the Kyrgyz.

18.12.2014, 21:26

Decorative and applied arts

Kyrgyz Dwelling — Yurt

The dominant type of dwelling in the conditions of centuries-old nomadic life of the Kyrgyz was the yurt. Even when erecting burial structures — gumbazes — the Kyrgyz often gave them the shape of a yurt so that the soul and body of the deceased would feel comfortable in the "afterlife." The yurt encompassed the entire life of the herdsman, starting from birth. He wintered in it even during the harshest frosts and migrated with it across vast pastures.

17.12.2014, 22:19

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Critic, Poet, Prose Writer Kambarly Bobulov

Critic, poet, prose writer K. Bobulov was born on May 15, 1936, in the village of Osor, Nookat district, Osh region, in a peasant family. In 1953, he graduated from high school in his native village, and in 1958, he graduated from the philological faculty of KSU. In 1962, he entered the graduate school of the AON under the Central Committee of the CPSU in Moscow. After a brief break, he resumed his studies in 1965 and defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philological

17.12.2014, 21:44

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer Kanbolot Berdikeev

Prose writer K. Berdikeev was born on September 1, 1939, in the village of Kairma, Jumgal District, Naryn Region, in a peasant family. In 1955, he graduated from Chayek Secondary School, and in 1960, he graduated from the veterinary faculty of the Kyrgyz State Agricultural Institute named after K. I. Skryabin. He began his labor biography in 1960 as a veterinarian in the collective farm named after V. I. Lenin, and from 1964 he worked as the deputy head of the district veterinary station, from

17.12.2014, 21:34

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet Abdravit Berdibaev

Poet A. Berdibaev was born on 9. 1916—24. 06. 1980 in the village of Maltabar, Moscow District, Kyrgyz SSR, in a poor family. He lost his sight in childhood. From 1944 to 1953, he worked as a soloist at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz State Philharmonic. From an early age, he became fond of oral tales and songs of his native people and performed them for his family. At the age of ten, he began to pick melodies on the komuz, and in his older years, he traveled to villages, memorizing new songs

17.12.2014, 21:28

History / Historical records

Settlement of the Kyrgyz from the late 18th to the early 20th century.

Kyrgyz Ail of Past Centuries The Kokand fortresses, even large ones like Pishpek, could not serve as a base for the formation of settled settlements, as they were perceived by the Kyrgyz as a symbol of khan's oppression and were destroyed during Kyrgyz uprisings. However, even in the surviving fortresses, from which the Kokand conquerors were expelled, the Kyrgyz did not settle and avoided them in every way, as they reminded them of the cruel khan's arbitrariness. In the southern

17.12.2014, 15:25

History / Architecture

Kyrgyz Mausoleums and Domes

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

17.12.2014, 12:08

History / Territory, geography and administrative division

Medrese of Alymbek

Samples of decorative brickwork of domes Alymbek Medrese is one of the well-known madrasahs in Osh, built in the late 1850s by the Kyrgyz tribal leader of Alai, a prominent Kokand feudal lord Alymbek-Datka. According to contemporaries, its decoration competed with the khan's madrasah in Kokand. The building, made of fired brick, was notably strong. According to archival documents, a circus was later established here. It consisted of a darс-khana, khanaka, and 28 cells, where three

17.12.2014, 11:17

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

The Poet Kemel Belekov

Poet K. Belekov was born on November 23, 1956, in the village of Korumdu, Issyk-Kul district, Issyk-Kul region, in a family of civil servants. In 1974, he graduated from Korumdin Secondary School, and in 1979, he graduated from the philological faculty of KSU named after the 50th anniversary of the USSR. From 1980 to 1985, he worked as a correspondent for the newspaper "Leninchil zhash," and as a literary employee in the editorial office of the magazine "Ala-Too." Since

16.12.2014, 22:01

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet Abdilda Belekov

Poet A. Belekov was born on February 1, 1928, in the village of Korumdu, Issyk-Kul District, Issyk-Kul Region, in a poor family. In 1943, he graduated from Toktogul Satylganov Secondary School in the village of Temirovka, and then studied for a while at short-term teacher training courses. From 1948 to 1952, he studied at the Faculty of Kyrgyz Language and Literature at the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute, and from 1957 to 1959, he was a student at the Higher Literary Courses under the

16.12.2014, 21:56

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Translator Suyuntbek Bektursunov

Translator S. Bektursunov was born on December 20, 1909, and died on June 13, 1962, in the village of Uch-Koshoy, currently in the Talas district of the Talas region, in a family of poor farmers. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised in an orphanage and studied at a rural school. In 1930, he graduated from the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Technical School in Frunze. He began his labor biography in 1930 as the director of a school in the village of Aravan in the Osh region and then worked for some time

16.12.2014, 21:47

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Playwright Kasymaly Bektenov

Prose writer and playwright K. Bektenov was born in the village of Dolinka in the Issyk-Kul district of the Issyk-Kul region in a peasant-poor family. Having lost his parents early, he worked as a laborer. He studied at a workers' faculty and graduated from GITIS named after A. V. Lunacharsky in Moscow in 1941. From 1949 to 1950, he was a student at the higher directing courses at the Tashkent Theatre Institute named after A. N. Ostrovsky. During the Great Patriotic War, he was at the

16.12.2014, 19:19

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Translator 3iyash Bektenov

Translator Z. Bektenov was born on October 29, 1911, in the village of Ken-Suu in the current Tyup district of the Issyk-Kul region, in the family of a rural paramedic. In 1925, he graduated from elementary school in his native village, in 1930 — from the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Technical School in Frunze, and in 1940 — from the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute. He began his career in 1930 as the head of the district education department in the city of Sulyukt. From 1931 to 1932, he worked as the

16.12.2014, 19:09

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet Jayloobek Bekniyazov

Poet J. Bekniyazov was born in the village of Kyzyl-Dyikan in the Moscow district of the Kyrgyz SSR into a peasant family. In 1957, he graduated from Budennovskaya Secondary School, and in 1964 — from the Faculty of Russian Language and Literature at Przhevalsky Pedagogical Institute. In 1964, he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. Since 1965, he worked as a teacher at his native Budennovskaya Secondary School, from 1967 — as a proofreader at the publishing house

16.12.2014, 19:02

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Playwright Shukurбек Beishenaliev

Prose writer and playwright Sh. Beishenaliev was born in the village of Kurtka in the current Ak-Talinsky district of the Naryn region into a peasant family. In 1943, he graduated from the incomplete secondary school named after Togolok Moldo in his native village, and in 1952, he graduated from the philological faculty of KGU. From 1962 to 1964, he was a student at the Higher Literary Courses under the Union of Soviet Writers in Moscow. He began his labor biography as a teacher at an

16.12.2014, 18:55

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

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer Kasymaly Bayalinov

Prose writer K. Bayalynov was born on September 25, 1902—September 3, 1979, in the Kotmaldy area (village of Kok-Moynok, now in the Issyk-Kul district of the Issyk-Kul region) in a family of semi-nomadic middle peasants. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by relatives. During the events of 1916, he found himself in China among refugees. After the Great October Revolution, upon returning to his homeland, he worked as a laborer for kulaks in the village of Kochkorka, and in 1918 he walked

16.12.2014, 18:40

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Critic, Literary Scholar Khalil Bapaev

Critic, literary scholar X. Bapaev was born in the village of Alim-Tep in the Karasuu district of the Osh region into a peasant family. In 1945, he graduated from the seven-year school in his native village, in 1948 — from the pedagogical college in Osh, in 1953 — from the philological faculty of KGU, and in 1962 — from the graduate school of KGU. He earned a Candidate of Philological Sciences degree in 1963. He began his career in 1953 as a teacher at the pedagogical college named after J.

16.12.2014, 18:25

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Poet, Prose Writer, Playwright Nasirdin Baytemirov

Poet, prose writer, playwright N. Baytemirov was born on April 14, 1916, in the village of Kegety, Chuy region of the Kyrgyz SSR, in a peasant family. From 1924 to 1933, he studied at a rural school, graduated from the zooveterinary institute in Frunze in 1937, and in 1955 graduated from the A. M. Gorky Literary Institute under the USSR Writers' Union in Moscow. From 1937 to 1939, he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army, and after demobilization until 1945, he worked as an accountant,

16.12.2014, 17:51

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

The Poet Tumenbai Baizakov

The poet T. Baizakov was born on September 23, 1923, in the village of Bokey, Suzak District, Osh Region, in a peasant family. In 1940, after graduating from the Tashtak Seven-Year School (now the village of Barpy) named after N.K. Krupskaya, he enrolled in the Jalal-Abad Pedagogical School, and in 1941 he was sent to a military school in Grozny. From 1948 to 1950, he studied at the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute, and in 1954 he graduated from the philological faculty of KSU. In 1942, he

16.12.2014, 16:33

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Literary Scholar, Critic, Playwright Tashim Baidzhiev

Literary scholar, critic, playwright T. Baidzhiev was born in the village of Tepke in the current Ak-Suu district of the Issyk-Kul region in a peasant-poor family. In 1930, he graduated from the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Technical School, and in 1940 — from the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute. From 1930 to 1932, he worked as the director of the Gulchin orphanage in the Osh region, and from 1932 to 1936, he was the deputy director of the Jalal-Abad Medical College, teaching the Kyrgyz language,

16.12.2014, 15:54

Economy of Kyrgyzstan

Information on the Results of Socio-Economic Development of the Kyrgyz Republic for January - November 2014

According to preliminary data from the National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, for January-November 2014, the real GDP growth was at 3.5%, which is 7.2 percentage points lower than the corresponding period in 2013, while the nominal GDP amounted to 347.8 billion soms.

16.12.2014, 14:12

Kyrgyz cuisine

Revived Recipe for Making Kyrgyz Cheese

Revived Kyrgyz Cheese In Kyrgyzstan, teacher Suleiman Kayipov has restored the ancient recipe for making traditional Kyrgyz cheese. “Despite the fact that in ancient times this product was part of the diet of the Kyrgyz, today the methods of its preparation have been completely forgotten in Kyrgyzstan. However, the recipe for this cheese product was restored by Kyrgyzstan citizen S. Kayipov.” S. Kayipov named the cheese made according to the restored recipes “Bekzhan.”

16.12.2014, 11:04

History / Historical records

The title "Гумбез Ногая" translates to "The Tomb of Nogai" in English.

Valikhanov mentioned in his works the gumbaz of a Kyrgyz manap Nogai from the Bughu clan. In the following year, 1857, this gumbaz was visited by P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, who left a vivid description of it: “Having ascended to Tasm, we saw the beautiful grave of the heroic batyr named Nogai, who died at this place in 1842. This monument, crafted by the best masters from Kashgar, cost the Nogai family quite a lot: they paid for it two yambs in silver, two camels, five horses, and 300 sheep.”

15.12.2014, 23:28

History / Historical records

The title translates to "Gumbaz of Chirak-Bulak."

During the expeditionary work, excavations were carried out at a collapsed gumbaz — Niyazbek in Chon-Kemin, where the Russian traveler M. I. Venyukov once stayed.

15.12.2014, 23:20

History / Attractions of Kyrgyzstan

Sculptures of the Ancient Turks

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15.12.2014, 22:05

History / Historical records

Kyrgyz Fortifications

Kyrgyz Fortresses Archaeological studies of the Kokand fortresses and archival sources now allow us to speak with confidence about the existence of Kyrgyz fortresses. For a long time, this information, especially from archival sources, did not attract the attention of historians. It was somehow taken for granted that nomads, who did not have a stable settlement, could not have their own fortresses.

15.12.2014, 20:49

History / Historical records

Fortress Kurtka

There is particularly much information in the literature about the Kokand Fortress Kurtka, which is associated with events of the 1930s, when the Kyrgyz people began a national liberation struggle against the Kokand colonizers. It was led by the Kyrgyz hero Taylak.

15.12.2014, 00:14

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Playwright Mar Baidzhiev

Prose writer and playwright M. Baidzhiev was born on March 23, 1935, in the city of Jalal-Abad in a family of civil servants. In 1954, he graduated from Secondary School No. 24 in Frunze, and in 1960, he completed the Russian department of the philological faculty at KGU. From 1962 to 1964, he studied at the Higher Scriptwriting Courses in Moscow. In 1960, he was sent to the "Kyrgyzfilm" studio as a correspondent for the chronicle, later working as a senior editor in the script

15.12.2014, 00:12

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Critic Sovetbek Baigaziev

Critic S. Baigaziev was born on May 1, 1945, in the village of Kairma, Jumgal District, Naryn Region, in a peasant family. In 1964, he graduated from high school, in 1969 — from the philological faculty of KSU, and from 1972 to 1976, he studied part-time in the graduate school of the Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR. He earned a Candidate of Philological Sciences degree in 1984. From 1969, he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army, and from

14.12.2014, 23:57

History / Attractions of Kyrgyzstan

The Fortress of Pishpek

According to Russian sources, the fortress was built in the eponymous area in 1825 by the Kokand commander Lyashker-kushbegi on the orders of Madali-khan. At that time, it served as a major administrative center for the Kokand people in managing the Kyrgyz population in Semirechye, a base for tax collectors, a trading post, and a fortified outpost in the far northeast of the Kokand Khanate. The area of Pishpek initially covered 2.25 hectares.

14.12.2014, 22:19

History / Culture

Kokand and Kyrgyz Fortifications

Types of Kokand Fortresses For a whole century (from the second half of the 18th century to the second half of the 19th century), the history of Kyrgyzstan was inextricably linked with the Kokand Khanate. Throughout this century, the Kyrgyz people tirelessly fought, first against the conquering campaigns of the Kokand khans, and then against the khanate-feudal oppression. Their persistent struggle contributed to the fall of the khan's despotism. However, the path to this was long and

14.12.2014, 21:55

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer, Poet Talantbek Baigabulov

Prose writer and poet T. Baigabulov was born in the village of Kyk-Kazyk in the present-day Talas district of the Talas region in a peasant family. In 1937, he graduated from a seven-year school in his native village, in 1940 — from a pedagogical college in Frunze, in 1952 — (part-time) from the faculty of language and literature of the teacher training institute in Frunze, and in 1956 — from the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute. He began his working biography in 1940 as a teacher at

14.12.2014, 21:52

Writers of Kyrgyzstan

Prose Writer Kalkanbay Ashimbaev

Prose writer K. Ashimbaev was born on September 10, 1932, in the village of Kairma-Aryk, Ak-Suy district, Issyk-Kul region, in a peasant family. In 1947, he graduated from a seven-year school in his native village, in 1950 — from Sary-Kamysh Secondary School, in 1952 — from Przhevalsky Teacher's Institute, and in 1966 — from the correspondence department of journalism at the Philological Faculty of K. GU. Since 1952, he has worked as a teacher and deputy director in schools in the Kochkor

14.12.2014, 21:39