Kyrgyz Nomad: Cultural tourism in Kyrgyzstan Family run business invites you to experience authentic Kyrgyz culture!

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is an interesting exotic place heavily overlooked by the World. It is a mountainous land of outstanding natural beauty. An assimilated culture with an ethno-cultural mixture and a rich diversity is a legacy of colourful and fascinating history of Kyrgyzstan. It is a fusion of languages, cultures, traditions, and religions. Kyrgyzstan bears an enormous imprint of its Soviet past and has been in search of its own national identity since independence in 1991.

 A glimpse into history

 The genesis of the Kyrgyz state has various versions. An array of historians suggest that, in the 6^th century, the Kyrgyz had their state, called the Kyrgyz Qaghanat, in the Enissei Valley (contemporary Russia), from where they migrated to Tenir Too (contemporary Kyrgyzstan).  Other historians assert that, up to the 15^th century, the current territory of Kyrgyzstan along with those of other Central Asian states was under the rule of different powers. From the 10^th to 12^th century, the region was ruled by Turkic Qarakhanids. In the 13^th century the power shifted to the hands of the Mongols. Only in the 15^th century with the decline of Mongol empire, different Kyrgyz tribes, which were a mixture of people of the region and various incoming Mongol and Turkic groups, created an independent khanate with some autonomy from nominal Mongol overlords. During this time, the Kyrgyz developed their language and acquired a sense of nationhood.

 The accounts of the Kyrgyz history since the 18^th century are more consistent. From the early 1700s to the mid 1800s, the Kyrgyz were governed by the Kokand Khanate which was set up by Shahruh Bei, the descendant of Babur, in Fergana Valley. From the 1850s Russia began its expansion to Central Asia. To escape the dominance of the Kokand Khanate, the Kyrgyz living in the northern part of contemporary Kyrgyzstan gradually accepted Russian power between the 1840s – 1860s. In the 1870s the south of Kyrgyzstan was conquered by Russians as a result of abolishment of the Kokand Khanate which was weak by that time due to internal conflicts. With the arrival of Russians, the Kyrgyz experienced industrialisation and urbanisation. Their lands got occupied by Russian migrants who introduced their techniques of agriculture, farming, and land use. All of these were new to the Kyrgyz who were still involved in cattle breeding and led a nomadic style of life.

 The establishment of the communist power in Russia in 1917 enabled the Kyrgyz people to acquire their statehood officially. However, it did not happen at once. In 1918, the territory occupied by the Kyrgyz was included to the Turkistan Soviet Social Republic within Russian Federation. In 1924, it was transformed into the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Republic. Two years later it was renamed into the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within Soviet Russia. Finally, in 1936, the Kyrgyz territory was given a status of the Kyrgyz Soviet Social Republic and, consequently, turned into one of the constituent states of the Union of Soviet Social Republics.

 During the Soviet time, Kyrgyzstan underwent development by investing in industrialisation. In the course of 1965 – 1985, 150 industrial factories were built in Kyrgyzstan which specialised on producing electricity, processing nonferrous metallurgy, building machines and electric equipment and others. However, the key investment was made in agriculture and cattle breeding too. In fact, Kyrgyzstan was one of the key countries in the provision of agricultural produce to the countries of the Soviet Union.

 With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kyrgyzstan became an independent sovereign state. Within the first two decades of its independence, Kyrgyzstan has experienced dramatic changes in its socio-political life. The democratic progress of Kyrgyzstan deserves of a special attention as it is the only country with a parliamentary system in Central Asia and has been renowned as a democratic island in the authoritarian region.