Kyrgyzstan is another Asian country, which can be proud for its appealing mountainous attractions, as well as a huge variety of natural and human-made sights. The magnificent mountains of Central Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai are the main destinations for the hikers and alpinists. Those are especially hard to reach during the winter time, when the mountains are covered with snow. The picturesque lakes and rivers and green forests are also present in the territory of the country, which is yet another reason to travel to Kyrgyzstan.
The capital of Kyrgyzstan is Bishkek, which concentrates the political, economic, scientific and cultural spheres here, without being an old city. The city is rather new, though the sites of it are impressive. The Soviet Street is hosting Kyrgyz State Opera and Ballet House, State Art Museum and National Library. The main square of the city is named “Old Square”. Here you can explore the Oak Park, “Manas” complex, Panfilov Park with its popular fountains, as well as the History Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, State Memorial Museum Frunze, Kyrgyz State Historical Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts Atieva, A. Tokombaev Museum, the Museum of Literature and Art Toktogul, Zoological Museum, and the Museum of Mineralogy.
The second largest city in the country is Osh. The city is believed to be the southern capital, having a long history. Currently this ancient city serves as an administrative center of its region. The spirit of the Asian culture can be identified here, as having a rather large territory it only has 250,000 population. The place resembles an oasis, as it’s surrounded with rocks from all sides.
Issyk-Kul is a region famous for its lake. It’s located in the heart of aquamarine silver-rimmed snowy mountains. The place is known for having a healing sense. This is why lots of people come here just for that. The name of the lake if translated means “hot lake”, or “sacred, reserved lake”. The world-known popularity of the lake comes from the fact that it’s one of the largest and at the same time one of the deepest lakes in the world. Karakol is the largest city and administrative center of the Issyk-Kul region. It’s a located at the foot of Terskey Alatoo mountain.
The historical origins of Kyrgyzstan can be explored with the visit to Arslanbob. This is a fantastic blooming oasis, which is around 1600m above the sea level. The place serves as an ideal resort with its highlighted natural conditions. Not far from the resort itself there’s a huge walnut forest, which is considered to be the largest walnut forest in the world. Another extreme site is the high bridge connecting the slopes of the nearby mountains. The scenery from there is simply charming.
The country is also reach in archaeological sites. One of them is caravanserai Tash-Rabat. It is a unique architectural monument dating back to the early Middle Ages and one of the major archaeological sites in Kyrgyzstan. The place used to serve as a hosting place for the travelers, where they could change their transportation or leave the camels and horses to rest. It’s located at Kara Koyun Canyon at an altitude of 3200m, which means it can be called a great mountain architecture sample.
The natural charm of Kyrgyzstan is not limited to the few parks in the capital. There are various rivers and lakes, which are worth visiting. The most beautiful and picturesque lake in the west of Kyrgyzstan is the alpine lake Sary Chelek. It’s in fall when the surrounding trees get yellowish and have their leaves falling into the lake, making it look majestically beautiful.
