This material is dedicated to the life and everyday life of the Kyrgyz people.
The image, taken in the pre-revolutionary period (before 1917), captures a group of Kyrgyz people with children against the backdrop of the Fergana region.
The photograph was taken during the Turkestan Photographic Exhibition of 1899.
Note: This exhibition was the first significant photo exhibition entirely dedicated to the life and nature of the Turkestan region in the late 19th century. It featured over 2,500 photographs divided into 12 categories, from well-known local photographers and amateurs. The exhibition prompted the creation of the Turkestan Society of Photography and Fine Arts and included ethnographic images illustrating the everyday life of the peoples of Turkestan, cityscapes, military images, and architecture, structured in a special catalog.
The Fergana region in the pre-revolutionary period was part of the Russian Empire and was established in 1876 on the site of the former Kokand Khanate. It occupied the territory of the Fergana Valley, covering about 160,000 square kilometers, and had a population of over 1.5 million people. The administrative center of the region was New Margilan (Skobeleva).
The photograph is provided by the Central State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents of the KR.
