Local resident Anvar Akylbekov shared the history of his village.
According to him, the majority of the population consists of those who moved from the village of Chayek, located in the Jumgal District of Naryn Region.
“The exact date of the village's founding is unknown, however, our ancestors claim that it happened in 1925. Kyzyl-Oy is home to representatives of five clans, the majority of whom are ‘sayak,’ who migrated from Chayek. The name ‘Kyzyl-Oy’ is related to the color of the surrounding area: reddish soil and hills (the word ‘kyzyl’ translates to ‘red’). In 1992, a strong earthquake in the Toktogul Valley also affected our village, resulting in the destruction of the old school. At that time, President Askar Akayev visited us, and by his order, a new Finnish-type school was built, where children study today. There is also a FAP (Field-Attached Polyclinic), the building of which was renovated this year. A football field was created at the initiative of the youth. However, we lack internet, and mobile communication works poorly,” noted Akylbekov.
He added that Kyzyl-Oy is located 150 kilometers from Kara-Balta and is surrounded by mountains. The population is about 1,500 people.
“The main activity of the local residents is livestock breeding; there are no other job opportunities. In the summer, people go up to the jailoo, where they sell kumyz, milk, and melted butter. We also host tourists under contracts with tourism companies. Ten years ago, 12 families underwent training in tourism: how to communicate with tourists, what dishes to prepare, and so on. Since then, they have been receiving tourists, earning from 100,000 to 500,000 soms per season. Tourists, using our routes (both horseback and hiking), head to Son-Kul and Issyk-Kul. Every year, our village hosts a festival of Kyrgyz culture, where we showcase national traditions and games such as ‘beshike balany salmay,’ ‘kyz kuumay,’ and ‘ulak tartysh.’ Guests themselves tell us what they are interested in seeing, and we show them. Despite the fact that our village is small, famous personalities were born here, such as Tabyldy Egenberdiev, who grew up in the jailoo of Shoro, as well as former deputies Omurbek Abdrakhmanov, Tynchtyk Konushbaev, and Kozhobek Ryspaev. One of the authors of the anthem of Kyrgyzstan, Kuluyev Shabdanbek, also taught algebra at our school,” Akylbekov added.
