Nomads Today
The Kyrgyz are very hospitable people who have a different concept of time
In an oasis of Central Asia…
Deserts and steppes are characteristic of Central Asia. The mountain chains of the Tien-Shan have Lake Issyk-Kul at their heart, an oasis in the middle of this arid region. Lake Issyk-Kul (180 km long and 60 km wide, max. depth 668 m) is the second largest high mountain lake in the world. The lake is 1,600 m above sea level and is surrounded by mountain ranges with altitudes up to 7,439 m. A combination of extreme depth, thermal activity and mild salinity means the lake never freezes. Within a short car journey of the lakeshore you can see many different landscapes; semi-deserts, steppes, mountain meadows and forests, sub-alpine and alpine meadows, snowdrifts and glaciers. They are inhabited by many species, some of which are threatened by extinction, such as the snow leopard, the Marco Polo sheep and the Ibisbill being the best known.
…an old nomadic culture has survived
The traditional culture of the Kyrgyz people has survived throughout time. In summer some of them go into the mountains with their yurts and their livestock in order to take advantage of the lush summer pastures, where they live in harmony with nature – secluded from “civilization” – as they did thousands of years ago. The Kyrgyz are very hospitable people to whom time is not important.
Experience old nomadic traditions in the 21st century