The best museums Kyrgyzstan

If you're lucky enough to be in Karakol on Saturday evening, get up before dawn the next day. Every Sunday there's a gigantic livestock market, one of the biggest in the country along with Öuzgen. Cows, sheep and, of course, horses are bought and sold by the herd between 2 and 6 am. The following five hours are reserved for individuals who come to buy a few head for a wedding or a birthday. In both cases, you'll find an atmosphere like no other, and a hustle and bustle worthy of the Palais Brongniart!

Probably one of the most interesting museums in the country. It retraces the history of the region, exhibits objects from the nomadic culture: everyday objects, but also musical instruments, carpets, jewels... It is a good opportunity to perfect one's culture on the subject, and one realizes while rubbing shoulders with this nomadic culture that many questions come to mind: how food is conserved, where are clothes stored, how a yurt is transported... So many subjects and themes tackled in an illustrated way in this beautiful museum. At the same time, a large collection of archaeological objects dating from the Scythian period can be discovered, in particular many finely worked gold jewels. Most of them were discovered in kurgan and have allowed us to learn more about the burial sites of this nomadic people. In the ethnography section, you will know much more after your visit about traditions, clothing styles or akyns... The museum's collection is really interesting but there is a lack of means for the presentation and explanations in English or French of the different exhibits, even if things are tending to improve. The best thing is to be accompanied by a guide, who will be able to reveal all the secrets to you. In addition, the museum has collected numerous photos of petroglyphs discovered throughout Central Asia, particularly in the more remote regions of Kyrgyzstan, such as Kazarman, but also in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The restoration of this museum lost some of its panache, with the disappearance of the murals and painted ceilings in the purest Soviet realist style. After five years of renovation, the form has become less fascinating, but the collection remains interesting, with a vast collection dedicated to nomadic traditions and customs on the^1st floor (costumes, war equipment and harness, crafts, reproduction of a yurt...), and a second floor that takes a long look back at the Russian conquest and the Soviet period, with a wealth of weapons and period photographs.

Like the Musée d'Histoire, the Musée des Beaux-Arts underwent a famous facelift after the pandemic. Numerous works of painting and sculpture, once kept in reserve or displayed in dark corners, are now showcased in bright, pleasant spaces. There are no exceptional pieces in the collection, but there are some fine collections of handicrafts, as well as the usual litany of Russian and Kyrgyz painters from the Soviet period. The first floor hosts interesting temporary exhibitions.

In its original state, this museum is housed in the supposed home of the prestigious Soviet general Mikhail Frunze, born in Bishkek in 1885. Numerous photographs from the 1920s and propaganda posters are on display. The second floor is devoted to more contemporary military history. Press clippings even tell of the "Tulip Revolution" that put an end to the Akaev government. The first floor features a reconstruction of Frounze's house, oddly presented with a thatched roof.

The Museum of Zoology presents stuffed versions of all the flora and fauna of Kyrgyzstan. The stars, of course, are the Marco Polo sheep and the snow leopard (don't dream of seeing real ones in the country, so take advantage of this consolation prize), but enthusiasts will be able to spend time in front of the showcase of insects and butterflies brought back from Africa, the Himalayas or the Tian-Shan by Russian and Kyrgyz expeditions.

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..

Built in 1908, it was the first city racecourse in Tsarist Russia. It owes its existence to a very romantic love story between an officer of the czar and the daughter of General Petrakov. The general strongly opposed the marriage of his daughter Elena to the young captain Pianovsky, so the two lovers decided to flee from Tashkent. They seized the General's best horses and galloped to Karakol, where they took refuge and built the racecourse, which still sometimes hosts horse races.

The museum, opened to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the death of Nikolai Przhevalsky (1839-1888), traces the life of the famous 19th century Russian explorer by exhibiting engravings dating from his travels as well as some extracts from his publications and journals. Linger in the first room where, around a globe, are presented the four successive great expeditions in Central Asia of the man who gave his name to the small prehistoric horse that has now disappeared from the Central Asian landscape. The number of individuals was so small that inbreeding accelerated their near-extinction, before attempts at reintroduction were made in Kazakhstan. Don't miss to carefully observe the murals, which seem to move as the angle of vision changes. The second room is interesting for photos of Kyrgyzstan at the time of the explorations. It shows the different populations in their ethnic diversity as well as their traditions and scenes from their daily life in the 19th century. A few pieces of Przhevalski's personal material decorate the showcases here and there, as well as stuffed animals among those he listed. The 10-hectare park surrounding the building is also home to the memorial itself, which consists of a statue and a small chapel. In the cove of Mikhailovka, where in Soviet times torpedo tests were carried out, CBT organizes excursions and fishing trips by boat. Find out more at Karakol.

This strange museum has been set up in the largest of the caves on the cliff. It presents the different religions that were once followed in the region: Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Shamanism, Islam. The different places of worship are represented by cardboard and pasteboard reconstructions. Don't miss the cave called "stone fantasy", a marvel of useless kitsch. On the first floor, after a staircase full of stuffed animals, there is a large vaulted room that is almost empty, but offers a beautiful view of the valley from its bay window.

This museum is a small architectural feat, since it was set up in a yurt with... three floors! And yet it's made sense for years. An ideal setting for discovering local and particularly nomadic customs. An interesting collection of photographs on the different minorities present in the country and their daily life before the Soviet standardization can be detailed through various objects and tools. Beautiful photographs also of Osh, and especially a very nice collection of shyrdaks.