Things to see and do Central

A hundred kilometers northwest of Djalalabad, several thousand rock engravings cover the rocks of the Saïmali-Tash site, in the Ferghana ranges near the Kurgat pass. Situated near a lake at an altitude of 3,000 m, these 3,000-year-old icons are dedicated to the cult of the Sun Man. Hunting scenes and ritual dances are depicted in over 11,000 drawings spread along a 3 km trail.

The Karakhanid city that controlled this stretch of the Silk Road until the ^12th or ^13th century covered more than eight hectares. All that remains today are sections of the walls, gradually crumbling into dust. Legend has it that Manas, the mythical hero of the Kyrgyz epics, built it and a mausoleum for his comrade-in-arms Koshoï. As the snow-capped foothills of the nearby mountains contrast with the steppe, a few red earth walls still protrude from the ground, forming a Hollywood-style backdrop that you'll never tire of strolling along.

Following Narynskaya or Usman Kasimov Street, turn left and then right to reach the banks of the Chuy, crossed by a small bridge. There's a beautiful panorama framing the snow-capped mountains to the north and the lower, green and ochre mountains to the south of Kochkor. Horses and sheep graze in the pastures on either side of the river, when they're not making way for the livestock market. Nor is it unusual to see cars parked directly in the river, to be washed by their owners..