The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Kyrgyzstan

10 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Kyrgyzstan

Unusual
Attractions
in Kyrgyzstan

Another angle from the outside

At-Bashi District, Kyrgyzstan

Tash Rabat

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

40.8234, 75.2888

Added by Tawsam

Yuri Gagarin's big boulder head.

Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan

Monument to Yuri Gagarin

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.

42.0095, 77.6143

Mural, depicting a raw man-slaughtering Nazi on a demon horse (Flickr / Nathan Hamm)

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

National Museum of Kyrgyzstan

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

42.8778, 74.6039

Added by Tawsam

View of the lake with its floating icebergs

Ak-Su, Kyrgyzstan

Merzbacher Lake

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year.

42.2110, 79.8493

Added by Tawsam

The suspended entrance to the minaret (Commons Wikimedia)

Burana Tower

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

42.7464, 75.2504

Added by Tawsam

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek Circus

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

42.8814, 74.6142

Added by Max Cortesi

Kojomkul Memorial.

Kojomkul, Kyrgyzstan

Kojomkul Memorial

An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.

42.1230, 74.0878

Added by Max Cortesi

Aalam Ordo.

Aalam Ordo

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

42.1731, 77.2262

Added by hrnick

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Kyrgyzstan

Borsok

Gastro Obscura

Ritual & Medicinal

Borsok

Kyrgyzstan’s fried dough marks special occasions and "feeds" the dead.

Gastro Obscura

Added by EricGrundhauser

Kurt

Gastro Obscura

Meats & Animal Products

Kurt

These pocket-sized cheese balls have fueled Central Asian nomads for centuries.

Gastro Obscura

Added by susarm

Sumalak

Gastro Obscura

Ritual & Medicinal

Sumalak

A sweet and simple pudding traditionally made in a joyous, spring ritual.

Gastro Obscura

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Stories
About Kyrgyzstan

An abandoned trailer in the frost of Mailuu Suu.

Life in Kyrgyzstan, 26 Years After the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Trying to see the future and reckon with the past in the former Soviet state.

by Anika Burgess

August 30, 2017

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