Archa
Archa
One of the main sites around Bishkek that is featured in many of the “Must do … must see …” of essentials for visitors to Bishkek is a trip to the Ala Archa National Park, less than an hours’s drive from the Bishkek city center tourists. An alpine valley with spectacular scenery, home to a variety of wildlife and plenty of opportunities for different activities – from mountaineering to trekking, from horse riding to simply having a picnic.
The valley takes its name from the Archa tree – Archa is the local name for the Juniper Tree.
A member of the cypress family, Juniper
There are more than 50 different species of Juniper which are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and they also represent one of the most common trees in the country with the four different varieties found in Kyrgyzstan providing almost half of the woodland in the country.
is a very sturdy tree which can withstand a daily temperature change of up to 80 degrees Centigrade with some of the species able to grow at high altitudes; at over 4000 meters above sea level. They can reach up to 200 years of age (although it is hard to judge the age of a particular specimen by looking at it).
Juniper trees vary widely in both size and shape; from tall trees reaching twenty to forty into the skies, to low spreading shrubs with long trailing branches.
An “evergreen”, their leaves can appear like long, hard and sharp needles or fleshy overlapping scales. In some species, the may exhibit both types – young trees sporting needle like leaves, but more mature specimens featuring leaves with scales. Seeds may be encased in hard shell “berries”. The bark has been described as “flaky”.
The trees seem to thrive clinging to rocks which have little soil in which to sink their roots and arid conditions – although they also thrive in valleys with quite different conditions where they reach a height of 15 meters. Their strong root systems have served as a barrier for landslides and avalanches.
Grasses provide a major threat to the archa tree – especially to juvenile trees, because they soak up the moisture in the soil, but another threat is man – much of the stock has been chopped down for timber.
Juniper berries are used as an aromatic spice used in a variety of dishes, (and especially as a traditional accompaniment for game dishes, such as rabbit and venison), and, perhaps most notably, in the production of Gin. (Indeed, the name “Gin” is an abbreviation of ”Genever” which is the Dutch word for Juniper.)
Archa has been used as a fuel, probably since prehistoric times - and in the Norus celebrations the Kyrgyz fumigate their homes (yurts) with smoke from burning archa twigs – the smoke is said to drive away evil malicious spirits.
Juniper is also used for landscaping and as a decorative shrub – and it is one of the most popular plants used in bonsai cultivation.
Bishkek