The village of Yrdyk is approximately 10 km west of Karakol. Here lives the closed community of Dungans, the successors of the Muslim Chinese, in China described as Hui. Until recently, only Dungans who are married to Dungans are allowed to live in Yrdyk. About 140 years ago, the Dungans were expelled from China and […]
Culture
Village festival at Pentecost in Eckfeld
Already in 2014, we attended the Village festival at Pentecost. It is staged by the volunteer fire department in Eckfeld. This year we decided to visit it again. Eckfeld, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatine, became known for his prehistoric excavations. The Pentecost festival is famous beyond the village limits, especially because of the freshly baked bread. […]
Uzbek Plov Master Class in Bukhara
In the evening we attend a plov master class and learn the preparation of a traditional Uzbek Plov. Cooking and sharing this delicious one-pot dish is very important in the Central Asian culture. Every family has its own traditional recipe. Plov is the centerpiece at Central Asian festivals, weddings, and other special occasions. In 2016, […]
Yurt Building in Kyzyl-Tuu
A yurt is not comparable to a tent, but rather to caravans or campers used in the western world. With the difference that yurts exist already since the Bronze Age. We are in the center of worldwide yurt manufacturing, in Kyzyl-Tuu on Yssyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. The region produces yurts and ships them to anywhere […]
Traditional Felt Carpet Production
After breakfast, we drive from the Almaluu Yurt Camp to the nearby village Bokonbaevo, in the Karymshakova Street 69. Here is the craftsworkers’ collective Altyn Oimok (Golden Thimble), a non-governmental organization (NGO). It was founded by Janyl Baisheva. Janyl has made it her business to pass on the traditional Kyrgyz craft techniques, learned from older […]