Kyrgyzstan - Khan Tengri

Khan Tengri Peak 6995 metres. View from the Dikiy Pass.

Sent by Alexander of Russia who visited Kyrgyzstan.

Khan Tengri or Hantengri Peak (Uyghur: خانتەڭرى‎, Chinese: 汗腾格里峰; pinyin: Hànténggélǐ Fēng) is a mountain of the Tian Shan mountain range. It is located on the China—Kyrgyzstan—Kazakhstan border, east of lake Issyk Kul. Its geologic elevation is 6,995 m (22,949 ft), but its glacial cap rises to 7,010 m (22,999 ft). For this reason, in mountaineering circles, including for the Soviet Snow Leopard award criteria, it is considered a 7000-metre peak. The name "Khan Tengri" literally means "King Heaven" in Uyghur and possibly references the deity Tengri. In some other local languages, it is known as Khan Tangiri Shyngy, Kan-Too Chokusu, Pik Khan-Tengry, and Hantengri Feng.

Khan Tengri is the second-highest mountain in the Tian Shan, surpassed only by Jengish Chokusu (formerly known as Peak Pobeda) (7439 m). Khan Tengri is the highest point in Kazakhstan and the third-highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, after Jengish Chokusu (7,439  m) and Pik Lenina (7,134 m). It is also the world's most northern 7000 m peak, notable because peaks of high latitude have a shorter climbing season, generally more severe weather and thinner air. (read further)

Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek At Night

Bishkek at night.

Sent by Maria from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Bishkek (in Kyrgyz and Russian: Бишкéк), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.

The name is thought to derive from a Kyrgyz word for a churn used to make fermented mare's milk (kumis), the Kyrgyz national drink. Founded in 1825 as the Kyrgyz-Khokand fortress of "Bishkek", then, in 1862, named as the Russian fortress Pishpek(крепость Пишпек), in 1926 the city was renamed Frunze (Фрунзе), after the Bolshevik military leader Mikhail Frunze. In 1991, the Kyrgyz parliament restored the city's historical name.

Bishkek is situated at about 800 metres (2,600 ft) altitude just off the northern fringe of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range, an extension of the Tian Shan mountain range, which rises up to 4,855 metres (15,928 ft) and provides a spectacular backdrop to the city. North of the city, a fertile and gently undulating steppe extends far north into neighboring Kazakhstan. The Chui River drains most of the area. Bishkek is connected to the Turkestan-Siberia Railway by a spur line.

Bishkek is a city of wide boulevards and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous Soviet-style apartment blocks surrounding interior courtyards and, especially outside the city centre, thousands of smaller privately built houses. It is laid out on a grid pattern, with most streets flanked on both sides by narrow irrigation channels that water the innumerable trees which provide shade in the hot summers.(Source)

Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz Yurta

Kyrgyz Yurta.

Sent by Maria from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

A yurt is a portable, bent dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall (again steam bent). The top of the wall is prevented from spreading by means of a tension band which opposes the force of the roof ribs. The structure is usually covered by layers of fabric and sheep's wool felt for insulation and weatherproofing.(Source)

Kyrgyzstan - Camp of Nomads

Camp of Nomads.

Sent by Sonya and Travis who visited Kyrgyzstan in April.

Kyrgyzstan - Tash Rabat Caravansarai

KYRGYZSTAN
Yurt camp at the TAsh Rabat caravansarai.

Sent by Aysuluu from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

This is from Wikipedia : Tash Rabat is a well-preserved 15th century stone caravanserai in At Bashy district, Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan. Some argue that it was originally a Nestorian or Buddhist monastery going back to the tenth century. It is located somewhat east of the main north-south highway.

To the south is Lake Chatyr-Kul and Torugart Pass. To the north is Koshoy Korgon, a ruined fortress of uncertain date. The area is a center for hiking and horse-trekking.

Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK - KYRGYZSTAN
The national game kyz-kuumay, the Kyrgyz girl, and the Wedding Palace.

Sent by Rustam from Kyrgyzstan.
Note : The first postcard received from Kyrgyzstan.