Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked, largely rural, mountainous, country in Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.  Its borders are largely natural, defined by high mountain ranges.  Bishkek is the largest city and the capital.

Knowing that the following day we would be guided around the Bishkek, we tried to anticipate the sites that that might include and look for others. Among these was the Old Russian Church; the local park; and the State History Museum, in front of which is Ala-Too Square.

Panfilov Park in Bishkek. The statue is of Ivan Panfilov, hero of the Soviet Union
- someone is still placing a wreath.
There's a small amusement area, very similar to those we've seen in other ex-Soviets
Below: The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection
- there were several very devout, impoverished looking, worshipers.
 

During the Soviet period Russians made up over a quarter of the population of Kyrgyzstan. But after independence in August 1991 as many as 300,000 departed, joined by more of their countrymen after each revolution (see below). Russians now make up just 4% of the population. The majority of these identify as Russian Orthodox. Only 6% of the entire population report 'no religion' with over 90% identifying as Muslim - mostly Sunni.  Of the total population 78% now identify as Kyrgyz and 14% as Uzbek.

And so, we come to Manas.  Manas is the hero of an epic poem of the Kyrgyz people, primarily the interaction of the Kyrgyz people with other Turkic, Mongolic, and Chinese peoples. There are several monuments to Manas and we soon realised just how important he is to this country and the Kyrgyz people. The poem is like the Declaration of Independence to Americans. It's compulsorily taught in schools and many know it off by heart. Later in our trip, a man sat down to recite/sing it in the restaurant we ate at. The Epic is also claimed by Uighur historians in Xinjiang.
 

During the Soviet period there was an unsuccessful attempt to suppress the poem.  Instead, the Russians embraced the myth and erected the heroic statue that stood here until a year ago. But the very day we arrived, that old one, cast in Russia, was officially replaced with this new one (my photo) that more closely reflects the poem. In particular, he carries an eagle, and the once European Teutonic looking Manas now looks Asiatic.

Top: The new statue of Manas in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (my photos),
Bottom left: man in traditional dress reciting: 'The Epic of Manas'
Bottom right: the now demolished (Russian) statue (still seen in Google - street view)
 

The closely related Uyghurs are the principal ethnic group giving the Chinese Government a hard time across the border. The suppression of the Uyghurs in China is perhaps the Chinese government's biggest public relations disaster since Tiananmen Square. Like other rural Turkic Muslims, Uyghurs like to have large families.  Nine children is not uncommon here. Yet, China is a country which, between 1979 to 2015, allowed only one child per family. The policy replaced by a two-child policy in 2015, and subsequently by a three-child policy. Attempts to limit Turkic family size resulted in accusations of infanticide, forced sterilisation, and ethnic cleansing. As northwest China has advanced economically, the Turkic people have become a minority and tensions between them and the majority, Han Chinese, have led to violence and terrorism. Chynara told us, 'straight faced', that the Chinese murdered (Turkic or their own?) infants by dashing them against rocks.

For my earlier comments and our experiences in Urumqi see: In the footsteps of Marco Polo - China - Urumqi (on this website) and our recent trip to China Here...

Another place that we thought it would be a good to see, before the tour started, was the State History Museum. This turned out to be very worthwhile. As I have previously discussed (see: In the footsteps of Marco Polo), this part of Central Asia was conquered by both Genghis Khan in the 13th century and Timur (Tamerlane) in the 14th century. Various Khanates resulted before it was incorporated into the Russian Empire, only to be involved in the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, becoming a Soviet Republic in the 1920s, and then experiencing the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The State History Museum
 

Before the arrival of the Russians, the Kyrgyz people here were mainly nomadic herders. Initially the Russians were seen as allies and in 1863 built The Fort of Asku, at the request of the local leaders. But in the dying days of the Russian Empire expelled German farmers and newly freed serfs arrived, attracted by well-watered mountain pastures, and began farming (alienating) Kyrgyz pastures (shades of Oklahoma! - the farmer and the cowman should be friends), leading to bitter struggles, that continued after 1917, during the Russian civil war, until 1924 when these regions became a series of Soviet Socialist Republics. In 1936 a 'full union republic' was created, the Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic, often called Kirgiziya. Europeans flowed in and towns and cities grew, introducing: modern housing, transportation, health services, education and factories. It was evidently a prosperous time, of which the remnants can still be seen. But then disaster fell. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan's manufacturing sector experienced a sharp decline due to disrupted supply chains and the loss of traditional markets... now accounting for approximately 12.6% of GDP.

On the positive side, a new constitution transferred power to the local politicians. New freedoms were announced, Communist censorship was gone.

In the museum, the country's history since 1992 is a bit 'thin on the ground', so I was obliged to look it up online.

One of the first things one notices, getting off the plane, is the value of the currency. The Kyrgyzstanian Som is not a currency that your local bank is likely to have on hand. So, the first step to get some local currency, is to go to an ATM at the airport. I imagined that 300 Australian dollars would be a reasonable amount of pocket money. That turned out to be 17,000 Som, a history lesson in one transaction. I looked it up too. When the Som was introduced in 1993, one Som was equivalent to 200 Russian Roubles. But with the newfound freedom to print their own money, away the politicians went. Hyperinflation followed. Now a Som is worth less than a single Rouble. Never let politicians near your currency (monetary policy). That's what independent central banks are for (a lesson Mr Trump).

Although rural folk were largely unaffected, the economy collapsed and famine gripped the cities and towns. 

As in other ex-Soviet countries, the founding Constitution gave the President far too much power - similar to the US (at the expense of a Parliament - of peoples' representatives). Almost inevitably, this leads to attempts to manipulate elections and the Constitution in favour of the incumbent President.

In 2001 the new Kyrgyzstan government granted US and allied forces the right to establish a base at Manas to conduct operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.  Then, playing both sides, in 2003, an air base was established by Russia, at Kant, about 20 km east of Bishkek, "to support a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) rapid reaction force intended to defend CIS countries from Islamist guerrillas".

In 2005 economic mismanagement and a possibly 'rigged election' led to the 'Tulip Revolution', with alleged clandestine US support (subsequently exposed by Wikileaks.), after which, many felt that everything would be 'hunky dory'. The new president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, supported the US base. Unfortunately, Bakiyev soon was accused of being a corrupt totalitarian who, allegedly, had several people opposed to his rule murdered. Suddenly, censorship was back (shades of the unconscionable Diệm regime in Vietnam).

In 2010 a second revolution, known as the 'Melon Revolution' removed, allegedly corrupt, President Bakiyev from power. In 2012 the lease on Russia's Kant air base lease was renewed with a 15-year extension and in 2013 the new Kyrgyz parliament voted overwhelmingly to end the US air base lease. US forces withdrew from the base in July 2014.

Then in 2020, a third revolution erupted (with no flowers of fruit - now they just count them) as a result of elections deferred, on the grounds of the Covid 19 pandemic. The following year elections were held and Sadyr Japarov, the current President, came to power. The Kant air base lease has subsequently been extended for a further five years in return for $500 million from Russia, to reduce the country's debt.

The new President seems popular. He has attracted Chinese money for 'One Belt, One Road' projects. A couple of good highways have been built and a new coal mine is underway. Some expensive new dwellings have popped up.

According to Wikipedia: "Metallurgy is the main component of the manufacturing sector, particularly through gold production, which is a major export commodity. Metallurgy accounted for approximately 21% of the manufacturing sector in 2024. Production of food products (beverages) and tobacco, which is focused on processing agricultural products into consumer goods, accounted for approximately 19.4% of the manufacturing sector in 2024. Textile production, production of wearing apparel and footwear, leather and other leather goods, which is focused on garment manufacturing, accounted for approximately 4.5% of the manufacturing sector in 2024. Production of rubber and plastics items and other non-metallic mineral products, which comprises producing a variety of goods for domestic and regional markets, represented approximately 10.5% of the manufacturing sector in 2024. Production of refined petroleum products accounted for approximately 8.5% of the manufacturing sector in 2024."

Growth has been particularly strong in mining (especially gold and coal), electricity generation, small-scale hydropower, and light industries like textiles and food processing. Yet, the country is only just recovering and tourism is now believed to be a panacea for its economic woes.

Again, to quote from Wikipedia: "Kyrgyzstan's tourism sector, centred on the scenic Issyk-Kul Lake and mountain trekking, has seen impressive growth over the past two decades. From attracting around 450,000 tourists annually in the early 2000s, the country welcomed over 8.6 million visitors in 2024. This rapid growth has boosted tourism service exports to nearly $480 million in the first half of 2024 alone."

In the Museum there was a display of current political affiliations drawing our attention to the political importance of their big neighbour China and of Russia, on the other side of Kazakhstan.

Diplomatic relations
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping visiting (Erdoğan too - he gets around)
 

At the museum, we also learned of the cultural importance of both horses and yurts, the circular crown of which forms the central motif on the national flag. We would experience these directly later.

The State History Museum
 

Another display stressed the importance of children to the Kyrgyz. According to this, Kyrgyz children were historically trained in horse riding and played various national games (logic, skill, and power games) due to frequent warfare and nomadic life. These traditional games are said to have contributed to their physical and logical development.

Today, national sports remain popular, and Kyrgyzstan's World Nomad Games initiative has elevated their global recognition. The Kyrgyz state actively supports sports development and athletes, leading to international recognition for Kyrgyz Olympic athletes.

Interesting sports - mostly on horseback including horseback archery and hunting with eagles. See: the BBC report of the last games

Horse riding remains an essential skill in rural areas and city children are encouraged to learn, archery also seems to be popular.