Juicy Kyrgyz Language and Purple Mosque
Traveling through Kyrgyzstan is essential to understand how people live in different regions. This will save us from fabricated stereotypes about the south and north. By learning more about each other, perhaps we can put an end to tribalism and contribute to strengthening peace and stability in our country.
The south of Kyrgyzstan is impossible to imagine without sunshine and warmth, but due to quite unfortunate circumstances, both times I managed to visit our southern compatriots, it poured rain and thermometer readings rarely exceeded 15 degrees. But let’s not dwell on the sad. So, let’s go through everything in order.
The southern regions of Kyrgyzstan traditionally have a significant influence on both the cultural and socio-political processes of the country. The high population density and the particular entrepreneurship of the southerners play their role.
The ethnic composition of southern Kyrgyzstan is much more diverse than in the north, which ultimately leads to an active mixing of cultures, languages, and traditions that has been ongoing for many hundreds of years.
At the same time, conflict situations often arise in border areas with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan due to a lack of resources such as water, arable land, and pastures. The presence of several enclaves of neighboring states in the south only confirms the complexity of the situation.
In this regard, the Batken region is quite remarkable, with a population of over 420,000 as of 2015. This region is located in the Fergana Valley and shares borders with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Batken is the most remote region from the capital, and the not-so-great state of the transport infrastructure creates certain difficulties in the development of the area. “It’s easier to get to neighboring countries than to the north of Kyrgyzstan,” locals admit.
Only the strongest travel by car; not everyone can endure a journey lasting more than 14 hours. By plane, you can reach Batken from Bishkek in 50 minutes, with ticket prices just over three thousand soms. The elderly and children are the main passengers on this flight.
“We wouldn’t go to Bishkek, but we need medical treatment; we don’t have such opportunities in Batken,” says an elderly woman sitting on the plane.
There is a very high level of migration here. Young people leave for Bishkek and Russia in search of work and income. Almost every family has a relative who is abroad in search of a better life.
The landscape of the Batken region does not differ much from other regions of Kyrgyzstan. Nature has lovingly surrounded the local plains with high, picturesque mountains.
Not far from the city of Batken – the administrative center – is one of the main attractions and symbols of the region – the Aigul-Tash mountain, where the famous Aigul flower grows. Thousands of tourists come here to catch the flowering season of this plant.
In the Leilek district, a prominent political figure of the Kyrgyz ASSR, Ishak Razzakov, who was a native of this region, is highly revered. A large gilded statue in the main square of the city of Isfana speaks of the pride of the Leilek people for their famous representative.
Batken region is not in a hurry to surprise with its whimsical and unique architecture. Here, one-story, simple, and practical buildings are common, which can be found in many villages of Kyrgyzstan. In a word, everything is designed for efficient farming.
Only mosques possess a certain architectural diversity. Silver and gilded domes of religious institutions in Kyrgyz villages and blue ones in border Tajik villages attract attention.
A large purple mosque on a hill in the city of Isfana looks very interesting. Yes, a purple one. It is decorated with gilded plaques featuring beautifully written quotes from the Quran.
Batken cannot boast of high incomes, but it is immediately clear that the people are the greatest wealth of the region. The hospitality and Eastern politeness of the Batken people help visitors immerse themselves in the special atmosphere of the Kyrgyz south and feel at home quite quickly.
I am very pleased with the attention of the residents of Kyrgyzstan's regions to the choice of gates. It is indeed a very interesting thing. In Bishkek, you rarely find gates made in an original style. Most often, identical specimens are encountered, but in the villages, it seems there are large-scale competitions for the “Best Gates in the Region.”
Before my trip to Batken, the city of Balykchy was number one in terms of beautiful gates, but the Batken residents managed to surprise me. Wooden and iron gates with all sorts of small decorative elements will make you gasp.
Neat houses, gardens, carefully whitewashed trees, and clean streets speak of the hard work of the local population. Bishkek residents have much to learn from the people of Batken.
By the way, their villages and towns are very clean. In Isfana, we observed a girl who, after sweeping her yard, went out to the street and cleaned the roadway. Perhaps this is the whole secret.
The residents clearly do not seem accustomed to complaining about life or the government. They tend to focus more on their strengths: they often talk about the development of the country and their efforts to help. The flag of Kyrgyzstan can be found in the most unimaginable places.
Here, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Tajiks speak in pure, “juicy” Kyrgyz. But, as I was later explained, locals only communicate this way with visitors, while among themselves they exchange phrases in their dialect. I managed to overhear conversations several times; the Batken dialect, or more precisely the Leilek dialect, is Kyrgyz enriched with Uzbek and with subtle notes of the Tajik version of the Persian language.
Overall, domestic tourism is poorly developed, and even frequent trips to weddings do not significantly contribute to strengthening relations between southern and northern compatriots.