Great Silk Road

The geographical location of Kyrgyz Republic occupies a noticeable place on the Great Silk Road.
The Silk Route cannot be called a single and unvarying stone-paved road connecting definite settlements and trade centers. Caravan routes repeatedly changed staging posts and gave only basic directions: East-West and back. Because the Tien-Shan and Pamir mountain chains strictly dictated the conditions of the Silk Road, the routes on the  Kyrgyz territory did not change their directions for centuries. Since ancient times three branches of the Great Silk Road passed through Kyrgyz Land.
	Along with trade caravans, poets, writers, thinkers and pilgrims passed the territory and brought their traditions, culture and religion to the region. The influence of the Great Silk Road begins to explain the phenomenon of the coexistence of Zoroastrism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam followers in the region.
A nomadic life style formed Kyrgyz culture. To move from summer pasture to another, one needs a light-weight, mobile dwelling. Traditional Kyrgyz yurts protected nomads from the summer heat, cold winters and rainy autumns. Inside decorations were made from products of stock-breeding: felt from sheep’s wool, thick and soft floor carpets, and dishes, clothes and boots made from leather. The conditions of nomadic life induced artistic conceptualization out of common materials.
Girls show their skills by creating their dowry, women cook traditional dishes for their husbands’ arrival, brave youths compete in dexterity and strength through horse riding games, men hunt with falcons and golden eagles in Tien-Shan mountains, honorable old men pass from one generation to another stories about the fearless hero of the great epic Manas and fill the life of nomads with wondrous melodies of hand-made musical instruments. Life simply took its natural course. The traditions that sprang out of the ancient nomadic life style still shape the philosophy of the nation today.			Thus Mediaeval Kyrgyz Land came to be one of the cultural regions inhabited by Turkic nations. It is not by chance that among the entire Turkic world, from Lake Baikal and Black Sea, from the Taiga up to the Chinese Wall, it was in Tien-Shan that the first Turkic towns and money appeared and the poet who created the first Turkic poem “Kutagdu bilig” was born.
Kyrgyz Concept invites you to explore the Silk Road countries, following the trails of ancient trade caravans. Traveling along Silk Road opens your eyes to the grandeur of culture, nature and the architecture of places you visit.