Ethno Village and Manaschi - Kyrgyzstan

Between the bank of Issyk-Kul and the road to Karakol, we come across a fenced area. Its purpose is not obvious at first glance.

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Ethno village at Issyk-Kul

One might think, that the buildings are remnants of the Soviet era, but that is not the case. These are the remains of a planned Ethno village, planned around the turn of the millennium. Unfortunately, the investor ran out of money.

Since then, the complex decays. A drone flight over the terrain shows the true dimensions of the complex.

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Beyond the road, are already the foothill of the Tian Shan Mountains. The statue of a manaschi sits enthroned on one of the hills.

Manaschi

Manaschis are people who pass on the Epic of Manas by word of mouth, over centuries.

The Epic of Manas is the most important work of classical Kyrgyz literature. It is about the fight of the mythical popular hero Manas against the Uyghurs. It covers 500,000 verses. Only in 1885, one wrote down the first version. Today there are around 65 different versions of the work. Manas was said to have been born and buried in the city of Talas. The mausoleum was probably built in 1334.

In 2013, the Epic of Manas was included in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

You are planning a trip to the south shore of Issyk-kul?

Check Destination South Shore to get more information about activities, tours and accommodation.

Please read on> Broken Heart and the Seven Bulls

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Disclosure: Our trip was organized in cooperation with Discover Kyrgyzstan, and made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). All opinions are our own.