Postcard from Bishkek

Ala-Kiyiz are felt carpets, which sometimes serve as carpets, and sometimes as wall hangings. They can be large or small and it is possible to find examples that are like pictures.

What seems like many years ago now, I was driving up to Naryn and as we passed through the town of Kochkor, I saw a sight that made me smile.  Draped over the fences were row upon row of colourful shyrdaks, felt carpets.  There were even shyrdaks laid on the side of the road.  I […]

The Shyrdak is a traditional Kyrgyz thick felt carpet that can be laid out in a yurt, or simply on the grass.  They are often found in Kyrgyz homes, either on the floor, or sometimes on divans, or even as a wall hanging. The carpet is noticeable for the contrasting colours and large patterns. It […]

The Kyrgyz are an ancient people that have, for many centuries, preserved a traditional, nomadic, pastoral lifestyle in the Tien Shan Mountains of Central Asia. Although most Kyrgyz now live in towns and villages and the number of nomadic shepherd families is not as great as it used to be there is a strong interest […]

The latest issue of the magazine Discovery Central Asia has landed on my desk. To be honest, it sat on my desk for a few days as I got on with the routine work, until I found myself with some spare moments waiting for someone to turn up for a meeting.  I like being busy […]

I happened to be in the hotel for a meeting, and was about to leave, when I heard that someone was looking for me.  I walked down the corridor and was met by a familiar face, but couldn’t think where I met the lady before.  Fortunately, she put me out of my misery with her […]

We’ve launched another of our websites in our series of Cultural aspects of life in Kyrgyzstan: the people and their traditional lifestyle and culture; the places and the history of the country; and (especially as we are a tour company) about the tourism potential of the country and the region.  This one is called Crafts.kg