Known as the Switzerland of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan's topography is dominated by the Tian Shan range of mountains, which dominates 80% of the country with valleys and basins making up the rest of the land and all rivers draining into land locked lakes. Though Kyrgyz is the offical first language of the country, Russian is used for most commerce and is an offical second languae. The percentage of native Kyrgyz people has increased to 72% since the breakdown of the Soviet Empire, but Russians stil provide the second largest ethnic group, together with Uzbeks.
The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, provides the main gateway to this new destination with a young population fast approaching one million. A fascinating mix of Soviet era architecture and the 19th settlements established and fought over by various tribes, including the Russians, this city enjoys two rivers and a major canal running through it and is known as the greenest city in Central Asia. Sheltered by the Tian Shan range and the Ala-Too Mountains, Bishkek enjoys a continental climate situated as it is on the same latitude as Istanbul and New York.
Skiing is developing in resorts on the Tian Shan range, which reaches over 4,500 metres and hiking is encouraged throughout this mountainous region. The ancient legends of the Silk Road dominate Kyrgyz folk lore and riding provides excellent entertainment for both natives and guests, with ancient sports such as a cross between rugby and polo played using a goat's carcase.
Kyrgyzstan holidays in the summer are popular as there are beaches on many Kyrgyz lakes. Issyk-Kul is a famed wetland site and the tenth largest lake in the world by volume. Hotels cluster round beaches on this ancient body of water, where the Silk Road once passed by and the evidence of a 2,500 year old civilisation lies at the bottom of the lake.
Kyrgyzstan could easily be described as a land of contrasts. The landscape varies from dense forests and the deep-blue water of Lake Issyk-Kul to the snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan mountains and the red sandstone rocks of Fairy Tale/Skazka Canyon. With a landmass roughly the size of England and a population of only 6 million, Kyrgyzstan holidays are growing in popularity with the breath-taking scenery remaining largely untouched and unspoilt by human activity.
Throughout the centuries, Kyrgyzstan has been a place of strategic importance due to its location on the Silk Road, the legacy of which can be seen in sites such as the caravanserai of Tash Rabat and Burana Tower. The country has been ruled over by many different empires, each of which has left its mark on the country.
The capital, Bishkek, originated as a fortress built by the Kokand Khanate in 1825. The city developed with the arrival of Russian settlers during the Russian Empire and from 1936, it was the capital of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Soviet Union. In 1991, Bishkek at last became the capital of an independent Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz people are extremely hospitable and proud of their traditions. Until recently, the majority of Kyrgyz people lived a nomadic lifestyle and there are many people who live this way even today. As you sit in a traditional yurt, sipping the national drink, kymyz, and looking out as herds of horses gallop by, you will feel as if you have been transported back in time to the world of the legendary Kyrgyz hero, Manas, who many years ago united the people of this wild and ancient land.
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