Prepared by:

Aisuluu Alymbekova

FSA FLEX exchange student 2010-2011

November, 2010

Unknown Land - Kyrgyzstan

"At the beginning of mankind God gave land to every people.

God noticed the Kyrgyz, who had been sleeping at the foot of a tree

This carelessness touched God so much in his very heart, that He decided to give him an especially fertile and beautiful part of the world,

And this land became a Kyrgyzstan…"

Kyrgyz Legend

Population – 5 million people

General InformationEthnic groups

KyrgyzUzbekRussianOthers

Capital City - Bishkek with a population of 1 mln people

Official Languages

Kyrgyz (S-tate)

Russian (Of-ficial)

System of Govern-

ment

1990-2010 Presidential

August 2010 Parliamen-

tary

General Information

*Location

*Kyrgyzstan-officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the six independent Turkic states, Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous.

*Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and Republic of China to the east.

• ->

"Kyrgyz", is believed to have been derived from the Turkic word for "forty", in reference to the forty clans of Manas, a leg-endary hero who united forty regional clans to-gether.

• ->By extension, Kyrgyz is

also thought to mean "un-

conquerable" or “unde-featable”.

Flag

The 40-ray sun on the flag of Kyrgyzstan is a reference to those same forty tribes.

The graphical element in the sun's center depicts the wooden crown of a yurt -- a portable dwelling traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.

Emblem

Light blue is known as

color of courage and ge

nerosity 

Behind the moun-tain 

there is a rising sun

Eagle represents the strength and free-dom of the nation

To the left and right of the coat of

arms, wheat and cotton are displayed.

In the middle, the Tian

Shan mountains are displayed, below which

fields are shown.

*Administrative Divisions

1. City of Bishkek

2. Batken

3. Chuy

4. Jalal-Abad

5. Naryn

6. Osh

7. Talas

8. Issyk-Kul

9. City of Osh

*Bishkek

*Bishkek is the capital and the

largest city of Kyrgyzstan.

Bishkek is also the administrative center of Chuy Province which

surrounds the city.

*History

*Kyrgyz people were known as a nomads and lived in “yurts”. Every season they moved to a new place with a fresh grass for their herds.

*Kyrgyz tribes were captured by Arabs, Mongols and other tribes.

*In the late XIX century, the majority part of what is today Kyrgyzstan was ceded to the Russian Empire. The territory, then known in Russian as "Kirgizia", was formally incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1876.

*Soviet era

*Soviet power was initially established in the region in 1919, and the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast was created.

*On 5 December 1936, under Stalin’s policy, the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic was established as a full republic of the Soviet Union.

*Independence

*On 19 August 1991, the State Emergency Committee assumed power in Moscow.

* Akayev announced resignations from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)

* This was followed by the Kyrgyz government declaring independence from the Soviet Union on 31 August 1991.

*“Tulip Revolution”

*The "Tulip Revolution", after the parliamentary elections in March

2005, forced the President’s resignation on 4 April 2005.

* Opposition leaders formed a coalition, and a new government

was formed.

* The nation's capital was also looted during the protests.

*April 2010 revolution

*On 6 April 2010, civil unrest broke out in the town Talas, spreading to Bishkek.

*Protesters attacked the President’s offices, as well as state-run radio and television stations.

*At least 80 people died as a result of clashes with police. 

*A transition government, led by former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, by 8 April 2010 had taken control of state media and government facilities in the capital.

White House

*Nature

*Kyrgyzstan is known for its natural beauty. 80% of the country consists of mountains.

*Issyk Kul Lake

*It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea.

*Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name, which means "hot lake" in the Kyrgyz language. 

*Issyk Kul Lake was a stopover on the Silk Road, a land route for travelers from the Far East to Europe.

*Culture

*Horse-back riding

*Horse-back riding is one of the most important parts of Kyrgyz culture, and a Kyrgyz saying even tells us: "If you would have only one day to live, you should spend at least half of it in the saddle."

*An abundance of horse-back riding games exist, which are often presented during festivals or shows, and the perfection of the Kyrgyz in the saddle, where the moves are mostly derived from every-day situations of former generations, is amazing.

*Children already learn how to ride a horse when they just start walking, and the boys will then soon also be caring for the sheep.

*Handicraft

*Girls, on the other had, very early learn the traditional handicraft, which means primaraly the very beautiful carpets, which take years to finish the work.

*The most famous carpets are Shyrdak and Ala-Kiyiz , which are both made from sheep felt and have colored patterns, that are derived from nature.

*Yurt

*The symbol of the Kyrgyz life, the Yurt. 

*Multifunctional, portable home, consisting of a wooden construction and the felt covers. The whole thing is fixed with short leather-ribbons (instead of nails) and ropes made from animal hair.

* Inside, decoration is spread out everywhere: Carpets on the walls and on the floor.

*The "Djuk" at the end of the yurt, opposite the entrance: It is bed sheets, spread at nighttime on the floor and offer a soft and warm place.During daytime they are kept fastened and covered with a beautiful cloth, forming the back part of the place for the most honored guest.

*National Instruments

Komuz Ooz Komuz

Chopo Choor Kyl Kyiyak

RAHMAT!Thank you for your

attention!Special thanks to my American

host family!