2) It might be that the whole Chui valley had been covered by water until this large basin had been blocked in Balykchy.

Reasoning could be kept on. Why did I start these discourses? There are several reasons for that.
1) The Chui valley is very fertile

2) The Issyk-Kul cavity is rich of some sort mythical and natural findings that are well preserved.

I would love to hear some opinions and comments on this matter.

The problem is not even there. I asked directly policemen and policewomen if they take bribes or I’d better proceed to a counter. Everyone(!!!) replied that I can pay straight away to them.  I told to all of them about Georgian experience and that right now there no one takes bribes anymore. Our traffic cops stared at me with such silly eyes so that I lost heart. The question is why do we need this revolution if everything is right where it was before? And this is not only about traffic cops and technical inspections.

The Great Silk road as a trading route appeared in the third century B.C. and existed until the 16^th century. The ancient trading cities located along theSilk Road saw many devastating wars, invasions, fires, famines and diseases.

Most of those ancient cities have sunk into oblivion, having left ruins covered with legends to their descendants, others more than once burned to the ground, vanished and again revived to amaze the world with riches, massive domes, openwork terracotta, mausoleums and mosques.

From century to century, eastern markets with a multitude of languages bustled with activity, and for hundreds of years they carried precious silks and stones, spices and dyes, gold and silver, and exotic southern birds and animals for sale to Europeans on dusty caravan roads.

The Great Silk Road was one of the most significant achievements in the history of World civilization. An established networks of caravan roads crossed Europe and Asia from the Mediterranean to China and served as the most important means of trade and dialogue between cultures of the West and the East from distant ancient times up to the Middle Ages. The most extensive site of the Silk Road passed through the territories of Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan. Caravans laden with silk from China, spices and semi-precious stones from India, silver products from Iran, Byzantian cloth, Afrosyab ceramics and many other goods passed through the deserts of Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum, through the oases of Merv and Khoresm, and the boundless steppes of the Sary Archa had to overcome the passes of the Pamir, Tien-Shan, and Altai Mountains, and cross the Murghab, Amu Darya and Syr-Darya rivers.

On the caravan routes rich cities, trade settlements and caravanserais began to arise and blossom. Turkmenistan – Merv; Uzbekistan - Bukhara,Samarkand, Urgench, Khiva. Kazakhstan – Otrar, Turkestan, Taraz, and Ispejab. Kyrgyzstan – Jul, Suyab, Nookent, Balasagun, Barskoon, Tash-Rabat,Osh, and Uzgen. European nations cooperated and communicated with the countries of Asia.

The Great Silk Road glows in the imagination as the world’s richest exchange of trade and culture. Caravans of camels, men and horses bore lazurite, silver and spices across thousands of miles, but the unseen interaction of ideas and religions was perhaps its greatest glory, enlightening civilisations from Beijing to Rome. Then as now, Kyrgyzstan stood at a crossroads, China’s gateway to the west.

This great moving bazaar was a complex labyrinth of trails over some of the world’s most perilous deserts and mountains. Caravans a hundred strong survived the treacherous Taklamakan Desert in present day China and the onslaughts of bandits and slave raiders, only to risk the steep climb over the icy Torugart and Kok Art Passes into Kyrgyzstan.

Here, the Tash Rabat caravanserai bears solitary witness to these extraordinary feats of blood, sweat and bravery. The current structure dates to the 15^th century although the site is said to have been occupied since the 10^th. Extraordinarily atmospheric, the valley now welcomes a new wave of visitors – tourists but still echoes to the ghostly footsteps of Silk Road traders.

Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s oldest city was always a crossroads trading centre. Heralded as a charmed and cultured place, rich in fruit and nut forests, it flourished during the heyday of the Silk Road. Its courts, palaces and academies were razed in the 13^th century by Jenghis Khan, but the pulse of 3,000 years of trade can still be felt in its vibrant bazaars.

Tangible evidence of Central Asia’s medieval glory stands at Ozgon; known as Yu in Silk Road times, Ozgon reached its pinnacle as Mavarannahr, capital of the Karakhanid Dynasty which brought Islam to the Kyrgyz in the 10^th century. Here, three mausoleums and a minaret, all exquisitely carved in terracotta, are the lone relics of this sophisticated ancient epoch.

From Bishkek the lake is approached through Boom Gorge, and it is possible to cut into the mountains here to the Chon Kemin valley.

The lake lies at the bottom of a drainage hollow, or depression and has no outflow.

Mountains ring the lake and there are several valleys worth visiting, Gregorievka and Simeonevka on the North, Barskoon on the South and numerous others around Karakol. To the North are the Kungei (“Sunny”) Ala-Too mountains and are criss-crossed by trekking routes including ones that connect the lake with Almaty – while to the South lie the Teskei (“Shady”) Ala- Too mountains.  These mountain ranges protect the Issyk Kul hollow from winds bringing either extreme cold – or extremly hot – winds.

Issyk Kul is Kyrgyzstan ‘s largest Lake and at about 180 km long by 70 km wide and 668 meters deep at the deepest point, (the average depth is about 300 meters ), it is the world’s second largest mountain lake – and the fifth deepest lake in the world.

The lake has been held in high regard by the Kyrgyz – it is known as the “pearl of the Tien Shan ” – and in 2004, the government declared the lake as the “property of the nation”.  One source even suggests that, at one time, it was even forbidden to swim in the lake.

The area relishes in some 2900 hours of sunshine a year.  Because of the effect of the mountain ranges North and South, it does not suffer from extreme Continental climatic conditions.  Summer temperatures are usually around 25-28 degrees, but as the lake lies at an altitude of some 1606m, it can get quite chilly, especially at night.  Winter temperatures can be around –5 degrees.

Due to its size it sometimes appears like an inland sea, and it has a fair number of beaches.  Most of these are on the Northern shore and have long acted as a magnet for tourists.  There are a large number of hotels, sanatoria, guesthouses and homestays at various points around the lake, many of which can make arrangements for services to the neighbouring mountains. Some of the sanatoria have hydrothermal springs and offer mud baths.

The tourist season usually runs from June until September – but the peak season is from about 25 th July until 25 th August – and it may be difficult to find places and prices are at a premium.  A number of the sanatoria, hotels, guesthouses and homestays around the lake operate all year round – although some are open only during the summer season.

The area was basically unknown to the Western world until Russian “explorers” like Tianshansky Semeyenov ventured into the mountains nearby.  There was greater contact with the East, however, and the Chinese traveler Jan Chan Tzan reached the lake in about 128 BC as part of a 6-year journey of exploration (1138-126BC).  The first written account of the lake comes from another Chinese traveler, Suan Zsan, when describing his 16-year journey of exploration.  The first written example of the use of the name, Isi-kul, dates from an anonymous work – “The boundaries of the world from East to West” – written in Tajik in 982 AD.  It also accurately states the size of the lake.

Wikipedia

This is a bad sign. There is no way of taking up the duties of the country president under such violations. In addition to the fact that people have been killed, their votes have been registered for the purpose of referendum. All this does no honor for any authority.

2. Narcotraffic.

3. From 30 to 50 percent of the total volume of narcotics produced in Afganistan are transferred through the Kyrgyz Republic. This is the largest Kyrgyz sector which is as big as the whole legal economy is.

4. Gold. There are forty operating deposits.  Two deposits are not working, but they are pretty much attractive since the gold extraction process is simple and the infrastructure is already in place. These are Djerui and Taldy-Bulak Levoberejnyi. Each of them contains 70 tons of extractable gold reserves.

5. Geopolitics. Mountainous area with huge sweet water reserves that is located in the middle of trade crossroads.

The Naryn River’s working and building hydropower plants are there in the white blocks. The Naryn originates at Kyrgyzstan (depicted in yellow on the map) and flows through Uzbekistan (black area) where it is called the Syrdariya River. The red line is a Central Asian energy loop, which unites the largest power stations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In the loop the Toktogul hydropower plant functions as a regulator of power and frequency. That is if somewhere in Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan the consumption of the electricity will dramatically fall, then the evacuation of water from the Toktogul dam will be decreased and vice versa.

This type of regulations can be done only on hydropower plants.  It is impossible to perform such regulations within a short period of time on thermal stations. The energy loop consists of thermal stations except for the Toktogul hydroelectric power plant. The whole Central Asian energy loop is completely managed from Tashkent.

Almost whole water supply for Uzbek irrigation needs is provided by the Naryn River and therefore Uzbekistan heavily depends on Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand Kyrgyzstan depends on Uzbekistan as regards the electricity distribution. That is why Kyrgyzstan is interested in building of new hydropower plants on the Naryn and the At-Bashi rivers. Hydropower potential is two times higher than the one of all currently operating Kyrgyz power plants.   In that case Uzbekistan has nothing to gain from it since the supply of irrigation water will fall down as a result of seasonality. The evacuation of water will mainly fall on winter time due to high seasonal consumption of electricity. Whereas in summer water will be accumulated in reservoirs and water level will be aligned through out all series of hydroelectric power plants.

Kazakhstan and especially China are in great need of extra Kyrgyz electricity resources. That is why they are interested in building of new hydropower plants in Kyrgyzstan. The same problems concerning water supply and hydropower plants issues Uzbekistan faces in relation to Tajikistan.

To resume, Uzbekistan is concerned with loyal Kyrgyz leaders, otherwise it will be compelled to apply drastic measures.

In fact the population of the Fergana valley is not homogeneous. Everyone had been registered as Uzbek by origin; however most of them sprang from Kyrgyz and Kypchaks. Despite the record in their passports, the Fergana valley inhabitants due to their heterogeneity constitute the potential menace to the Uzbekictan’s authorities. Suffice it to mention the Andijan events and Ahmatjan Adylov, who has have being in prison for almost twenty years.  There is a version that he originates from Kyrgyzstan.

DATE

HOLIDAY

TYPE

January 2

New Year’s Day

State

January 7

Orthodox Christmas

Religious/Orthodox

January 10

Kurman Ait (Sacrifice Day)

Religious/Muslim

March 8

International Women’s Day

State

March 21

People’s Holiday Nooruz

Religious/Muslim (Pagan)

May 1

Labor Day

State

May 5

Constitution Day

State

May 9

Victory Day

State

August 31

Kyrgyz Independence Day

State

November

Orozo Ait (End of Ramadan)

Religious/Muslim

November 7

Great October Revolution Day

State