Central Asia



Kazakhstan

Astana

All buildings in Astana are new, because the most of the city was built after becoming the capital city of Kazakhstan in year 1998. Because I'm a fan of modern architecture Astana is for me the most beautiful city I saw in my live. Ak Orda Presidential Palace is the president’s place of work but not the president’s place of residence. Astana in its current shape is the child of the president Nazarbayev which rules Kazakhstan since the country became independent. The long stretching House of Ministries in Astana is flanked by the cone-shaped high-rise building. The unusual golden building is home to Samruk-Kazyna - sovereign wealth fund and joint stock company in Kazakhstan which owns many important companies in the country, including the gas and oil companies. The Nazarbayev Center is a a multifunctional research and educational public institution. Countless objects in the whole country were named after the first president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, e.g. buildings, universities and even mountains. View from hostel I stayed in Astana over the neighbourhood. Apparently attractive architecture were not constrained to the center of the city but sprawled to the residential areas too. Hazrat Sultan is the largest mosque in Central Asia and probably the most splendid. It can accommodate up to 10,000 people. The main dome is surrounded by eight small ones, at the mosque corners there are four 77 m-high minarets. The main entry to the Hazrat Sultan mosque and its inner finishing are decorated with traditional Kazakh ornaments. The construction of this mosque took as long as 3 years and was inaugurated in July 2012. The older Nur-Astana Mosque, built in year 2005, is the second largest mosque in Kazakhstan and in Central Asia. The 40-meter height symbolizes the age of the Prophet Muhammad of when he received the revelations, and the height of the minarets are 63 meters, the age Muhammad was when he died. Vast carpets of flowers decorate many places in Astana. The blue building at the left side of the picture is the Palace of Independence. The Pyramid of Peace was specially constructed to host the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The engineers had to design the building to withstand expansion and contraction due to temperature variations of over 80°C, from -40 to over 40°C - leading to an expansion of the building of up to 30 cm. View over the Independence Square and Kazak Eli Monument (white spire with the golden top). The blue building on the right is the Independence Palace. The Central Concert Hall's shape evokes the dynamism of a flower's petals as a metaphor for the dynamism of music itself. The main Concert hall for 3,500 seats is one of the biggest of its kind and excels with acoustic flexibility. This flexibility is produced by a system of acoustic curtains and a special false ceiling design called a black-hole, which absorbs most of the acoustic reflections of the hall. Baiterek is the Tree of Life in a Kazakh legend. In year 2002 this folklore symbol was embodied in a beautiful tower in the very center of Astana, resembling the ever-lasting fight of good and evil. Khan Shatyr translates as 'the Tent of the Khan'. The building's tented structure has great resonance in Kazakh history as the tent is a traditional nomadic building form. Underneath the Khan Shatyr tent, an area larger than 10 football stadiums, is an urban-scale internal park, shopping and entertainment venue with squares and cobbled streets, a boating river, shopping centre, minigolf and indoor beach resort. At the 6. July the 'Day of the Capital' and the birthday of president Nasarbaiev are celebrated in Astana. At this day an artificial kazakh steppe with synthetic turf and yurts was built near the Khan Shatyr. At the 'Day of the Capital' many people in traditional kazakh costumes could be spotted on the streets of Astana. Incidentally the name of the city is as artificial as the city itself. Astana means 'the capital' in Kazakh. During the 'Day of the Capital' there were a lot of events in the whole city. So it happened that these young pantomime artists took their lunch coincidental in the same restaurant like me. And as got dark Astana and the president were celebrated with a huge firework. Because of the requirement, that each building in Astana has to be unique, many buildings are influenced by the architectures from other parts of the world. The roof of the building on the photo resembles e.g. the roof of a Far Eastern pagoda. And the Triumph of Astana building has big similarity to the Triumph Palace in Moscow. It was a pleasure to stroll at the beautiful water front of the Ishim River. This river is a left tributary of the Irtysh River, one of the big siberian streams. This fact shows how far in the north Astana is situated. Arrived in Astana I was surprised how cold was in the city. But on time for the celebration the sun came out and it was a beautiful sunny and dry day, so I don't have any explanation for the rainbow on the sky. An unusual musical fountain on the bridge in Astana. The water is sprayed in rhythm of music. As I crossed the bridge a song of the Beatles was played. A huge alien spaceship landed among ordinary houses in Astana. Do not be frightened: this giant flying dish in the center of the city is just a Circus’ building, designed in an unusual shape. There are no any eyesores in Astana. Even ugly places like this heap of rubble were not simply hidden behind a fence, but the fence was decorated with a wallpaper of beautiful birch forest. Even in the night is Astana a feast for the eyes. An effort was made to illuminate the sky scrapers in such a way that their architectural features become emphasized. In the night the Baiterek tower is illuminated in constantly changing colors. At some buildings in Astana big screens were attached showing the whole night videos, advertisement, pictures of Kazakh landscape etc. Videos were even projected on the smooth surface of some sky scrapers in the city. The singing fountains alley is especially impressing in the night because the light effects could be better seen in the darkness. Additionally there is not so much street noise in the night so one can enjoy the music much more too. View from the observation deck of the Baiterek tower in the east direction. The observation deck is 97 m above ground level, corresponding to 1997, the year that Astana became the nation's capital. View from the observation deck of the Baiterek tower in the west direction. In year 2017 Astana hosts the World Expo exhibition and a lot of new buildings were under construction during my stay in the city. The biggest project is the Abu Dhabi Plaza with many towers reaching different heights. The tallest tower will reach a height of 382 m and thus will be the tallest building in Central Asia.

Almaty

This photo shows the main difference between the new and the old Kazakh capitol city. Whereas Astana is located in the even steppe in the North of Kazakhstan, is the location of Almaty in the south part of the country much more spectacular, with the glacier covered picks of Tian Shan looming in the background of the city. View from my hotel over Almaty. I decided to fly from Astana to Almaty because of the almost 1,000 km distance between the two cities, which equals to 34 hours drive with the train through the monotonous steppe. In the west-east direction extends the country with 2.800 km even more. No wonder by those dimensions that Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, and the ninth largest in the world. From my hotel I had even good look into the Almaty Central Stadium. At this evening won the FC Kairat Almaty against the renowned Red Star Belgrade with 2:1 in the qualification to the Europa League. Something like this I didn't even see on the Octoberfest in Munich: a huge beer pipe with a tap. An genial invention: the guests could self fill their glasses with beer whenever they want. The St Nicholas Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox church situated very close to my hotel in Almaty. At the end of the USSR era the majority of the Almaty's population was of Russian origin. Today after all about 33% of the citizens are Russians. The iconostasis in the St Nicholas Cathedral. The iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings in Eastern Christianity. The construction of the Ascension Cathedral lasted between 1904 and 1907. It is claimed to be the second tallest wooden building in the world. And one more old, wooden building in Almaty. Today it is home to the Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. The Central Mosque of Almaty looks ancient, with its Turkish calligraphy, domes and minarets, but was only completed in 1999. A truly magnificent building and the second biggest mosque in Kazakhstan, accommodating up to 7000 worshippers. The former Presidential Palace in Almaty. Although Almaty is no more the capital city of Kazakhstan it is still the biggest city in the country, with a population of about 1.7 millions people. Environmental disaster from the Soviet era: the river bed and its shores are fully covered with concrete. Almaty is at an elevation of 700–900 m in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau, where the Bolshaya and Malaya Almaatinka rivers run into the plain. Graduates of the Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University. This is the first Kazakh higher education institution launched on September 1, 1928. The top of the Golden Warrior Monument. The Golden Warrior is a Scythian warrior recovered from a kurgan, or burial mound, some 70 kilometers from Almaty dating back to the 3rd or 2nd century BCE. The Golden Warrior was discovered wearing a gold-platted uniform, along with a gold dagger and sword, and a pointed headdress with plaques of winged horses with horns, panthers, goats, among other animals. Big park areas, a lot of flowers, streets crowded with people and hot summer weather: Almaty was the opposite of the lifeless and cold Astana. The new Kazakh capital city is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a position formerly held by Canada's capital, Ottawa. Example of modern architecture in Almaty: the Business Center Nurly Tau. The buildings repeat the silhouettes of mountains Zailisky Alatau.

Trans-Ili Alatau

View over Almaty from the Talgar pass (3163 m). This pass is the final ski lift station of the ski resort Shymbulak and the starting point of my 4 days trekking through the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range of Nord-Tian-Shan. Looking back to the Talgar pass with the highest ski lift station. Only at the morning of the first day there was some rain, the rest of the tour I had only beautiful sunny whether. Steep path leads to the bottom of the Left Talgar Gorge. I will follow this scenic gorge upstream in the south direction. The Left Talgar is a wild mountain stream. At some places it stretches over the whole bottom of the ravine. Unfortunately there were 2 or 3 littered up places on the track. It seemed as somebody deliberately collected the whole garbage and put it at these places, because the other parts of the trail were very clean. Fires of the last decade have destroyed large areas of forest consisting mainly of the native spruce trees from the genus Picea schrenkiana. These trees grow to 40-50 m tall and up to 1-2 m trunk diameter. They are important tree in central Asia for timber and paper production, where few other large trees exist. Commemorative plaques honor the young mountaineers, who tragically died in the soviet training camp called 'Alpine Rose'. After the end of the war, after a short stint, camp was closed due to high mudflow risk and difficulties in ensuring its vital functions and delivery of food. Carpets of flowers where ever you look, even like here in forest. But especially impressive were the lush mountain meadows in northern Tian-Shan. These were the most beautiful mountain meadows I've ever seen. Strange: for unknown reason the meadows in Kirghiz part of the Tian-Shan were by far not so spectacular. An example of odoriferous, gorgeous mountain meadow in North-Tian-Shan. The orange flowering plant is an endemic wallflower (Erysimum croceum) from the family Brassicaceae. Big perennial plants like the Bigleaf Ligularia (Ligularia macrophylla) could be marveled on the meadows too. But the real botanical stars of Tian-Shan are tulips: with about 25 species there is a worldwide hot spot here. Unfortunately all tulips blossom early in spring so I didn't see any in July. The Edelweiss (Leontopodium sp.) could be more often encountered than in the european Alps. And similar to Europe this plant is very popular in Kazakhstan too: there is even 500 Tenge silver coin dedicated to it. And one more bizarre plant of Tien-Shan: Schmalhausenia nidulans. It is the only known species of the Schmalhausenia genus from the daisy family. At this place small stream called Turistov river forks from the Left Talgar. Following the stream you can get to the Issyk Kul Lake in Kirghistan. The path leads across the Turistov Pass, a 3,960-metre shortcut over the glacier, followed by the ice-free Ozyorniy Pass (3,900 m). Dreams come true: a Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) hides in the dense and colorful vegetation near the trekking path. With camera at the ready I sneak up on the wild goat... ... and then this: what a disappointment! It's a pity: the Siberian ibex is the longest and heaviest members of the genus Capra and it has more beautiful colouration than the Alpine ibex. The nearer to the Turistov Pass the more barren was the landscape. Only groups of the Primula turkestanica adorn the high mountain landscape near the shore of the streams. The ice poppy (Papaver croceum) grows at high elevation too. Meltwater of the glaciers filled this lake near the Turistov Pass. The main purpose to go over this high pass was acclimatisation to the high altitude, because my next destination will be the Khan-Tengri Base Camp at 4,100 m where I'll arrive by helicopter. As I arrived at the Turistov Pass at late afternoon it was covered with deep and wet corn snow. Crossing this pass was only possible very early at the morning as long as the snow was frozen. But I decided to go back because I already achieved my acclimatisation goals: arriving at the elevation of 3,820 m and spending the night at ca. 3,550 m.

Kyrgyzstan

Central Tian Shan

An helicopter approaching the Karkara-camp. Next day at the morning I will fly with this helicopter to the base camp on the South Engilchek Glacier. Arrived in central Tian Shan. The huge Soviet helicopter makes so much wind, that all people near the machine have to duck down to the ground. The tents and the outhouse of the base camp on the South Engilchek Glacier. The climbing season in Central Tian Shan takes only one month, from mid of July to mid of August. And exactly so long exists this base camp. Dreamland for the mountaineers. To the right the massive marble pyramid of Khan-Tengri. Khan Tengri's geologic elevation is 6,995 m but its glacial cap rises to 7,010 m. For this reason, it is considered a 7000m peak. View of the Peak Pobeda, with 7,439 m the highest peak in Tian Shan. This mountain is one of the 5 peaks of 7000m and above located in the former Soviet Union. In Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains there are three of them, including Ismail Samani Peak (formerly Communism Peak), with 7,495 m the highest peak in the former Soviet Union. Melting water excavated the ice on the Engilchek Glacier. Shortage of crevasses and the thick layer of debris on the ice are indications of the moderate glacier velocity. In many places the surface of the glacier resembles the surface of a highway. The small gradient is responsible for the low glacier velocity. Despite of all my efforts I wasn't successful by catching the alpenglow on the summits of mountains. The sunsets and sunrises always looked like on this photo of Pik Pobeda. Panoramic picture around the base camp on the South Engilchek Glacier. The striking, wonderful sunny weather and the huge sighting distance prevailed in all 5 days of my stay in the base camp. Photo with the Russian mountaineers in base camp. From right to left: Alexej (he was almost 60 years old), Vadim and Vladimir (with him I shared my tent). They tried to climb to Khan Tengri following the Normal Route on the West Ridge. They probably failed to rich the summit, because I didn't found their names on the list of the successful Khan Tengri climbers for the year 2015. To the right is Jordi from Catalonia, to the left Sahraoui, an American climber of Arabic origin. Both tried the difficult climb to Khan Tengri over the East Ridge, unfortunately without success. The interesting conversations with mountaineers were one of the highlights during my stay in the base camp. To rich the entry to an ice cave we had to cross small snow field. I fell down into a crevasse hidden under snow, but fortunately hung with both arms on the edge of the narrow crevasse. Ending up at the bottom of crevasse would probably mean broken legs and the early end of my journey. Magic world in ice: the reflective surfaces in an ice cave. A meltwater river forms a 380 degree loop in ice. The ice at this lake is only little polluted with debris. But especially at its south part the Engilchek Glacier is covered in dirty gray moraine as a result of its millennia of churning its way through rock and ice. A beautiful lake landscape on the glacier. In the distance the yellow tents of the base camp could be spotted. Andrey from Russia worked as mountain guide in the base camp and together with his fellow worker discovered the ice caves. He was a stout guy too and ran first over the crevasse I fell down, but the snow could carry his weight. Stone and ice mountains surround the picturesque glacier lakes. The best place for a souvenir picture. The inflow glacier is steeper than the main ice stream. With a length of 60 km Southern Engilchek is the largest glacier of Tian Shan and second in size mountain glacier among CIS countries after Fedchenko glacier on Pamir mountains (77 km long). I'm not sure but possibly I photographed here from helicopter the joint of the Northern and Southern Engilchek Glaciers. In this case the lake should be the famous 'Disappearing Lake': Lake Merzbacher. But this lake seems to be much smaller than I would expect, may be because of the early summer. Again green landscape by approaching the Karkara-camp. The river marks the border between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Together with a German couple Andrea and Dirk we arrived at the morning in the Karkara-camp and used the free afternoon for a ride up the river. Masked Wagtail (Motacilla personata) resembles the White Wagtail known from Europe. The White Wagtail breeds only in northern steppes and forest-steppes in Kazakhstan, on all other territory occurs on migration. The Masked Wagtail breeds in southern and eastern Kazakhstan and in all other countries of central Asia. The larkspur 'Delphinium confusum' lives in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and it's there an important medical plant. A decoction of this plant was traditionally used to treat intestinal disorders, to increase muscle tone, and as antiparasitic treatment for cows.

Issyk-Kul Lake

Beach life at Issyk-Kul lake. Despite of its high altitude of 1,607 m the water in the lake has in summer a nice temperature for bathing. Only the many stones on the lake ground are unpleasant for walking on barefoot. Nice family houses with the mountains in background in Karakol, the administrative seat of Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. Russian cultural centre in Karakol. The roof of the house and the entrance gate are painted in the national Russian colors. The impressive wooden mosque was built without metal nails by the Dungan people. Dungans are Muslim people of Chinese origin, which settled in the countries of central Asia. The minaret of the Dungan Mosque in Karakol. The Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral in Karakol was built in 1895. In the time of the Soviet Union it was used for diverse not sacral purposes, e.g. as a Coal Store (!), so it still need more restorations. The tent in Belzhan Yurt Lodge in the village Grigoryevka, where I spent 2 nights. The setting was bucolic, in the midst of an orchard. It's a kind of social enterprise, ran by Jacobiene, a bighearted woman from the Netherlands, closely cooperating with local people from the village. The thunderstorm clouds formed on the horizon about the north shore of Issyk-Kul lake. In the distance the ruggedly beautiful Teskey Alatau Range looms over the lake's southern shore. The Kungey Alatau of the Tian Shan runs parallel to the north shore. There is a beautiful trail going over this mountain range from the lake to Almaty in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately due to the forbidden border crossing the trail is closed since many years. Beehives in the picturesque Chong-Ak-Suu gorge. The gorge descends from the Kungey Alatau to the village Grigoryevka.

Terskey Alatau

A monument of argali (Ovis ammon) marks the entry into the village Chong Kyzyl-Suu located about 10km inland from Lake Issyk Kul. Argalis are the largest species of wild sheep. In Tian Shan they are considered an endangered or threatened species, due largely to habitat loss from overgrazing of domestic sheep and hunting. The rock formation of red sandstone cliffs become a kind of tourism trademark for the Jeti-Ögüz District of Issyk-Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. The most famous of these rocks resemble seven bulls and the 'broken heart'. The Chong-Kyzyl-Suu gorge name means 'the big red water' because water in a river at the bottom of it seems to be red. The reason for this phenomenon is red clay coloring the water. Unfortunately as I went through the gorge the water in the river became muddy after some days of rainy weather. The last river crossing over the Chong-Kyzyl-Suu near the Karabatkak climate station (2,550 m) was done by means of a cable car. At the other side of the river was the entry into the Karabatkak valley. View of the upper Karabatkak valley. Looking up at Archa Tor Pass (3894 m). This pass was very difficult to find because of confusing many paths in the mountains, the most of them made by pasture livestock. A steep climb from Asantukum Valley to Archa-Tor pass. I could find this pass only with the help of Ben from Germany and his girlfriend In from Hong-Kong. They had a GPS track to the pass. The first view of Jeti Oguz Valley after crossing the Archa-Tor pass. Walking in Jeti Oguz Valley. The balloon attached to the backpack from In was inflated and described by her on the Archa-Tor pass. It was a ceremony she wanted to celebrate on each of the 4 passes during the Terskey Alatau traverse. The first river crossing during the traverse. It was a small tributory of Jeti Oguz river. The Jeti Oguz river was too big and the current was too strong for a crossing by foot. So we hired some local shepherds and their horses. The bridge over the river was destroyed this year in spring by unusual high water. Rain-drenched we decided to ask a Kyrgyz family for shelter in the night. The family consisted of mother and two teenage sons and was apparently poor because they wasn't able to afford a yurt. Our shelter was basic but waterproof and thanks the oven dried our wet cloths very quickly. In and me inside the shelter of the Kyrgyz host family. For Dinner we got fried potatoes and buttermilk. The whole day we drunk a lot of kumis too: a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare's milk. At the evening we enjoyed Kyrgyz folklore by lamplight in the form of folk songs. Our hostes Nurbek said that the most songs were love songs. This is something astonishing in an islamic society where the most marriages are still arranged by parents or forced by bride kidnapping. Football play on the mountain meadow in something modified form. The ball was kicked uphill and then it rolled very fast down the steep slope. The difficulty was to catch it before it falls into the river. By cow milking at the evening the boys were involved too. Mornings Nurbek stood up at 5 o'clock to milk the cows. Few hours later all milk from the pastures was collected by a dairy van belonging to the creamery in the Nurbek's home village Jety Oguz. Because of the heavy rain we had to stay the whole next day by the Kyrgyz family. The beautiful sunset at the evening rose our hopes for good weather. At the next morning the sun was back again. Time to say goodbye to the Nurbek's family. We continued our trekking into the Telety Valley. The crossing of the Telety river was the most challenging one during the whole Terskey Alatau traverse, but still not very difficult, despite of heavy rain falls in the last days. The landscape east of the Teleti Pass (3,750 m) was already protected as part of the Karakol Nationalpark. Unfortunately even in the national park I saw grazing domestic animals, but by far not so many than in the other parts of the Terskey Alatau range. From the reduced pasturing benefited the meadow vegetation, which was lusher and with a profusion of flowers. A beautiful camping place at the Karakol river. At the evening came the national park ranger, collected the camping fees and sold beer (!), a luxury on the trail. The Karakol Valley in the national park of the same name was much more forested than the areas with summer pasture. At this place, where the Kurgak creek wides to almost a small lake, I pitched my tent at late afternoon, as protection against strong rain. The rainfall continued the whole next day so I was forced to spend there two nights. One of the sixteen species of the Parnasssius butterfly, which are resident in the mountains of Central Asia. Some of them can even be found in the subglacial landscape between 4,000 and 5,000 m (Parnassius simo). The trail to Ala-Kul leads up and up, along the Kurgak stream, coming from the Ala-Kul lake. This part of the trail to the lake is the most frequented one. The glacial Ala-Kul lake lies at an altitude of approximately 3,560 meters and with its turquoise water color it is one of the highlights on the Terskej-Alatau traverse. The glacier at the east end of the Ala-Kul lake gives water to the lake. In the far distance the Ala-Kul pass (3,920 m) with some little people silhouettes on it can be seen. Unfortunately as I arrived at the Ala-Kul pass the high peaks of Tian Shan were hidden in the clouds. The Polish couple Maciek and Gosia were my camping neighbors not only in the hot-spring village Altyn Arashan but one day bevor too. Maciek was a former mountaineer who lost all his fingers by his attempt to climb Makalu peak in Himalaya. The next day there was again a rainy one. Because I already experienced a lot of rain during this tour I decided to abstain from climbing to the 4. pass (Aschuu-Tor) and leave the mountains through the forested Arashan Valley.

Bishkek

Ala-Too Square, looking south. It's the the central square in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. The Ala-Too Square was built in 1984 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Kyrgyz SSR. The statue of Lenin was replaced in 2011 by a 10-meter bronze statue of the national epic hero Manas. A 45-meter high flagpole with the huge waving flag of Kyrgyzstan is installed on the Ala-Too Square and guarded by soldiers. The ugly buildings made with precast concrete slabs from the Soviet Era contrast with the beauty of the high mountains in background. This warehouse and other buildings in Bishkek from the time of the Soviet Union weren't renovated since Kyrgyzstan gained the independence. The common myna (Acridotheres tristis) adapted extremely well to urban environments and is very common in cities like Bishkek or Almaty. A pyramid of potted flowers in the city of Bishkek. Roses in front of the university building ... ... and Bishkek City Hall, just at the opposite side of the Chui Avenue, the city's main street. My first hostel in Bishkek was situated near to Kyrgyz Technical University. Oak Park is almost of the same age as the city itself. Bishkek is a small but green city. There are over 20 parks, apart from the reserves located within the city limits. Immense yurt-shaped monument erected on 40th anniversary of end of WWII on Victory Square.

Ala-Archa

The Alpine style lodge at the entry to the Ala Archa Nationalpark. The NP is located approximately only 40 km south of the capital city of Bishkek. There is not much water in the Ala-Archa river in August. But the vast gravel fields on the banks of the river are a hint, how powerful the river could be in spring when the snow is melting. A Kirghiz falconer with his golden eagle. The young brown dipper (Cinclus pallasii) was probably not full fledged, because it tried to flee by foot. The adult birds are dark brown in color. Following up the Ala Archa river one get to an old, now abandoned, ski area between numerous 4000m peaks. Red sunset light washed the craggy peaks looming over my camping place in Ala Archa river valley. Rhodiola linearifolia is growing in wet places of high mountain meadows, on thin soil near timberline, on rocks. High over the small Ak-Sai creek leads the trail to the Ratseka hut at the altitude of 3,200 m, where remains of a Soviet climbing base indicate the high quality mountaineering within the park. View over the Ratseka hut at Korona Peak (4860m). Its 1,000m high northwest  wall over the Uchityel glacier is extremly difficult to climb, so it is only very seldom ascended. The photo shooting in the alpine base camp seems to be a great fun for these young russian climbing girls. At late evening a herd of Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) appeared near the Ratseka base camp consisting of females and young animals only. A Siberian ibex in twilight. Both sexes have beards, although the male's beard is more pronounced, and those of females are sometimes absent altogether. So the animal at the photo should be a young male. Glaciated peaks surround the alpine base camp. At my last day in the NP I wanted to climb to the 4527 m high Uchityel peak but unfortunately I got fever in the night so I was forced to ascend and go back to Bishkek.

Osh

The second largest urban area in Kyrgyzstan, Osh is often referred to as the southern capital. The Osh region accounts for 14,6% of Kyrgyzstan´s territory, but 24,5% of the population lives there. The main attraction for visitors to Osh is the towering and everpresent Suleiman-Too (Solomon´s throne) mountain, where King Solomon supposedly spent a night. The Three-Storey Yourt in Osh is actually a museum. The Osh Region makes up much of Kyrgyzstan´s portion of the fertile Fergana Valley, currently divided between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The university building in Osh. Historically the Uzbeks lived in Osh and the surrounding valley while the pastoral or nomadic Kyrgyz occupied the mountain slopes. As the Kyrgyz wanted to join others in the lowland for better work opportunities, tensions over space and housing erupted, notably in 1990 and 2010. The Babur House is a 16th century mosque built on the mountaintop of Suleiman-Too. Babur was a conqueror born in the vicinity of Osh, who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor. Downtown Osh, seen from Sulayman Too. To Central Asian Muslims the Suleiman-Too is the third most sacred place, after Mecca and Medina. So most of them ascend the mountain on foot, instead of using the asphalt road. Not only children but adults too slide down on the sacred smooth rock Bel Bosh Tosh. Slide down on the part of your body that hurts and it will be cured. The Uzbeks are much more religious than the Kyrgyz. So in Osh the largest mosque in the country and the 16th-century Rabat Abdul Khan Mosque can be found. The city has several monuments, including one of the few statues of Lenin remaining in Central Asia. The Navoi park in Osh is a popular place to take wedding photos. Bridal couple in Navoi Park. They are Kyrgyz people identifiable by man`s hat: traditional Kyrgyz felt kalpak.

Tajikistan

Khujand

Selling pumpkins and melons at the road just over the border to Kyrgyzstan. By crossing the border the physiognomy changed the people too. The Kyrgyz people are a Turkic ethnic group which was conquered by Mongols and intermingled with them, so that today they generally have an East Asian appearance, in contrast to the mostly Caucasoid Tajiks, which are Persian-speaking people of Iranian origin. 22 km from Khudjand is the enormous artificial lake of Kairakkum. It has a number of resorts, which are very popular with local people in the searing heat of the summer, particularly at weekends. The center of Khujand by night. It is the second-largest city of Tajikistan. The Victory Park in Khudjand. Next to the park are the remains of the old citadel rebuilt in the 13th century, and now being reconstructed. Khujand Fortress and the moon. It is possible to see sections of the walls in the original brickwork. Kamal Khujandi Mausoleum in Victory Park. Kamal Khujandi was a Persian poet of the 14th century, born in Khujand. The interior of Kamal Khujandi Mausoleum. The modern city of Khudjand stretches along both banks of Syr Darya. I was surprised how clean was the water in this river. Christmas feeling in Khudjand. Of course in the city with Islam as prevailing religion the illuminated trees have nothing to do with the Christian festival. The very ornate pink and white building, a very confectionery style, is the Panjshanbe bazaar with stalls spilling over to the surrounding streets. A bazaar saleswoman with golden teeth. Across from the Panjshanbe bazaar is an new mosque with the blue cupola, next to 13th century mausoleum and shrine, dedicated to Sheikh Muslihiddin. There is a 21 m minaret of baked brick built in 1865. The gallery of Tajik poets replaced the Lenin monument, the biggest one in Central Asia. In the time of Soviet Union Khujand was called Leninabad. View on the right side of the Syr River. The biggest building on this photo is the Leninabad Hotel, a top hotel in the city in the time of USSR. The valley of the Zarafshan River between Khujand and Panjakent. The river was formerly a tributary of the Amu Darya, but currently it doesn't reach the main river due to the big water consumption especially by big desert cities like Samarkand or Bukhara. With this car I drove from Khujand to Panjakent. The cars of the brand Opel are the most popular in Tajikistan, mainly imported as used cars from Germany or Holland. Some of them have still funny stickers attached by their former European owners.

Panjakent

The bustling bazaar in Panjakent, an important town on the Silk Road. The town is only 60 km away from Samarqand, but couldn't benefit from this neighborhood because the border to Uzbekistan is closed since years. Bread for Tajik people ia the number one in consumption. The round and flat bread is called 'non' and is baked in a 'tanur' oven. The tapchan is Tajik outdoor bed or even a tea platform. The abandoned old city of Panjakent was escavated by Russian archaeologists. The old Sogdian (an ancient Iranian civilization) city was built in the 5th century and besieged by the Arabs for two years, eventually captured in AD 722. Ancient brickwork of the old city in Panjakent.  The Arabs set fire to the city, and as at Pompeii, the sudden destruction lead to preservation of magnificent frescoes, which are now exhibited in museums in Dushanbe and St Petersburg. The tomb of Rudaki in Panjrud. The poet Rudaki is the founder of modern Persian. The village Mogien near Panjakent seen from the street is a collection of mudbrick buildings and walls. But behind the wall there are big courtyards with beautiful gardens. Taji was the driver of the shared taxi I drove from Khujand to Panjakent. He invited me to his house in the village Mogien. A rickety bridge in the village Mogien. It is a wonder that this unstable construction survived the high tide in river caused by snow melt in spring. Women from the village Mogien washing carpets in the river. Road under construction. Despite of high unemployment in Tajikistan the road was built by the Chinese. The high altitude landscape on the way to Anzob Pass (3.373 m). The newly built infamous Anzob Tunnel was flooded in the time I drove from Panjakent to Dushanbe so we had to take the old road over the high pass. Driving the dusty, steep, single lane road over the Anzob Pass was an adventure. But it is still better than the Anzob Tunnel: a mind-boggling 5km succession of potholes, unlit mid-road hazards and lethally pinging rebar steel spikes. But the beautiful mountain landscape of Zerafshan Range was a satisfying compensation for the bad road conditions. Due to the snow coverage the road over the Anzob Pass is closed in Winter. Dushanbe is not far away. The car wash is mandatory before entering the capital city of Tajikistan. Waiting for the car wash to finish is a good opportunity to thanks Allah for surviving the dangerous crossing of the high Anzob Pass.

Fann Mountains

On the way to Artuch alpine base. It's the beginning of one-week trekking in the Fan Mountains, a part of the western Pamir-Alay mountain system. Great view from my camping site over one of the biggest Kulikalon Lakes. The Fan Mountains area is dotted with spectacularly situated lakes. The largest lake, Iskander Kul, is supposed to have been visited by Alexander the Great (Iskander is the Arabic rendering of 'Alexander'). Alpenglow at the evening on Kulikalon Lake. There were no sings of sudden change in the weather pattern at next day, with rain and storm. It forced me to stay the whole day in the tent. One of the upper Kulikalon Lakes and the glacier, which gives water to this lake. The Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo) fluffs up his feathers. Fluffing feathers creates air pockets which make him warmer: very important at this rainy and cold day. The Alaudin lakes seen from the pass of the same name (3.860 m). At the day of the pass crossing the weather was very bad, with little snowfall on the pass. The Alaudin lakes lying at an altitude of about 2,700 m are considered as most beautiful lakes of Fan mountains. The Alaudin lakes are most impressing at early morning, when there are no waves on the water surface. The highest peak in Fan Mountains is Chimtarga at 5,489 m. 6 other peaks top 5,000 m. The geology of the area is immensely varied, although the main rock ridges are composed predominantly of metamorphosed limestone. Ascend to Mutny lake by the best mountain weather. The region has a semi-arid, continental climate, with an annual rainfall of about 25 cm. Interesting goat and sheep breeds pasturing on both sides of the path to the Mutny lake. The murky water of Mutny lake. Several factors determine a lake's clarity. A lake's depth and the amount of water flowing in and out of it are important, as is the type of soil base beneath the lake's surface. Entry point to the ascent to Chimtarga pass (4,740 m). Because of very unstable weather next day I decided to give up the climb to this high elevation pass. The mountain poplars are quite seldom in Fan Mountains. At altitude above 2,000 m juniper is the predominant species. These trees are under pressure from the summer inhabitants of the mountain valleys who use them for fuel. The stone houses of the herdsmen. The mountains are inhabited from May to September, when herdsmen bring their flocks and cattle to the high valleys for grazing. Steppes ratsnake (Elaphe dione) has a huge distribution from East Ukraine to Korea. This species isn't venomous. Young Tajik herdsmen I met before the ascent to Laudan Pass. They invited me to sit down for tea, a custom I was confronted with many times during my hiking in Fan Mountains. This can slow down progress on a trek considerably but is one of the highlights of traveling in the region. There are only few minutes walk to the top of the Laudan Pass (3,630 m). Simply gorgeous: the contrast between the lovely, green valley and the huge, rough and intimidating mountain in the background. The Mijigon Lake at 1,640 m is the first of 7 beautiful lakes on the Shing river south of Penjikent. The lakes were created as a result of frequent earthquakes or mud slides that sealed off the Shing river in the past. The fourth lake is the Nofin Lake at 1820 m. All lakes are in fact very different, changing the colors from turquoise to green, blue and even black depending on sun position in the sky. The sixth Marquzor Lake at 2140 m. All lakes are very popular with locals arriving for a weekend including the president of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon who said to have his summer residence here.

Dushanbe

The Green Bazaar is bustling with stalls selling fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fruit and spices. My hostel in Dushanbe was located in the vicinity of this bazaar. Selling meet at Green Bazaar. But on the outskirts of the city are much larger bazaars, selling everything from cars to gold. The Rudaki Avenue runs north to south through Dushanbe for a little less than four kilometers, so all the main sights of the city are within walking distance. The giant statue  of Ismoil 'Somoni' dominates the Dusti (Friendship Square). Ismoil was a great king of the Somonid dynasty and is a cult hero of modern Tajikistan. A Tajik bridal pair on the Dusti. A government building in center of Dushanbe. On 9 September 1991 Tajikistan declared independence from Soviet Union. But soon began the civil war, which ended 1997 with signing a UN-brokered peace deal. Rudaki monument in Rudaki Park not far away from the Rudaki Avenue in Dushanbe. It is an indication for the importance of the founder of classical Persian literature for the Tajik nation. The National Museum building in Dushanbe. The World's Largest Teahouse was completed after five years of construction and no one knows the total cost, although speculation says that this rather impressive building used up to five percent of Tajikistan's GDP during each of the years of its construction. Entrance to the World's Largest Teahouse, which was build mostly by Chinese workers. That's very controversial in a country as impoverished as Tajikistan. Already, over 1 million people – perhaps half of working-age males – have gone abroad looking for work, mostly to Russia. The laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) could be often seen in Dushanbe. This species is spread over huge areas in Africa and Asia. The Writers' Union Building has a facade with sculptures of great figures in Persian literature. Dushanbe by night: illuminated fountains. The Haji Yaqub mosque and medrassa was build, mainly with Saudi money, starting in 1990, on the side of an earlier mosque. During the civil war the Haji Yaqub mosque became the informal head-quarters of the anti-communist alliance.

Romit

The Romit State Nature Reserve is located on the right bank of the Sardai Miyona river, only 65 km away from Dushanbe. A group of school kids in the village Romit at first day of the new school year. I followed this small stream up the valley. Soon the desolated state of the reserve was apparent, caused by uncontrolled livestock grazing, illegal logging and harvesting of forest products. Huge boulders became wedged between the thick branches of the tree. It's an indication of the power of river water during the spring run-off. Arrived at the mountain tops the vista improved significantly. But even there there was nothing to see from the much vaunted abundance of life in the reserve, e.g. the more than 100 species of birds living there. The reserve was established im year 1959 to restore the lost population of Bukhara deer (Cervus bactrianus). In the independent Tajikistan the settlement inside the reserve was allowed and soon the deers were extinct and the forests destroyed. The beautiful Alcea nudiflora is common in all countries of Central Asia. It lives on stony slopes with shallow soil. An unique bazaar on the river bridge in the town Vahdat, about 37 km away from Dushanbe.

Uzbekistan

Samarkand

The Gur-e-Amir in Samarkand is a mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Timur. In Persian it means 'Tomb of the King'. The Gur-e-Amir by night. My accommodation in Samarkand was very close to this mausoleum. The entrance portal to the Gur-e-Amir ensemble is richly decorated with carved bricks and various mosaics. The ornaments and decorations of the walls include floral and vegetal symbols which are used to signify gardens. Gardens are commonly interpreted as paradise in the Islamic religion and they were both inscribed in tomb walls and grown in the city itself. Inside the Gur-e-Amir, the walls have been covered in tiles through a technique, originally developed in Iran, called 'mosaic faience' a process where each tile is cut, colored, and fit into place individually. The tiles were also arranged in a specific way that would engrave words relating to the city's religiosity; words like 'Muhammad' and 'Allah' have been spelled out on the walls using the tiles. To the second half of the 15th century belongs the Ak Saray tomb with a superb fresco of the interior. It is located very close to the Gur-e-Amir. Inside of the Ak Saray tomb. The decoration with Arabic calligraphy and inscriptions is a common feature in Islamic architecture. The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes - and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture. The rear part of the Sher-Dor Madrasah. In the 17th century the ruler of Samarkand ordered the construction of the Sher-Dor and Tillya-Kori madrasahs. The images of tigers with the sun on their backs on each side of the arch are interesting, in that they flout the ban in Islam of the depiction of living beings on religious buildings. Zooming on the Sher-Dor Madrasah. Especially impressive is the ribbed dome flanking its portal. The inner yard of the Sher-Dor Madrasah. The Ulugh Beg Madrasah was built by order of Ulugh Beg, Timur’s grandson, in 1417-1420. Called a scientist on the throne, he was a prominent astronomer of his times and an ardent promoter of education, science and art in his kingdom. The square courtyard of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah. The madrasah was one of the world’s best Islamic colleges in the 15th century. The Tilla-Kori Madrassah is the final building in the Registan architectural Ensemble. The construction of it was commenced in 1646 and was finished only in 1660. As part of the celebration for Uzbekistan's National Holiday in Samarkand a movie about world's cultural history was projected on the facade of the Tilla-Kori Madrassah. The large inner yard of the Tilla-Kori Madrassah consists of two floors of arched niches. The smaller ones are Khudjras (cells), intended for students. In the western part of the Tilla-Kori Madrassah there is the mosque, crowned with the big glazed dome. Its inner decoration amazes by the quality of the gold. The name of the Madrassah is derived from the rich golden decoration on the facade. 'Tilla-Kori' is translated as 'decorated with gold'. The enormous congregational Bibi-Khanym Mosque was in the 15th century one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. After his Indian campaign in 1399 Timur decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic mosque in his new capital, Samarkand. The mosque was built using wealth looted during his conquest of India. Entering the Bibi-Khanym Mosque from the northeast through the vast (35 meters high) parade portal leads to the courtyard. The cupola of the main mosque is even 41m high. The high, decorated outer walls surround the whole Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Only on the picture with humans the huge size of the mosque will be evident. From the beginning of the construction, problems of statistical regularity of the enormous structure revealed themselves. Various reconstructions and reinforcements were undertaken in order to save the mosque. The interior courtyard contains an enormous marble Quran stand that lends some scale to the place. Local lore has it that any woman who crawls under the stand will have lots of children. The Qoraboy Oqsoqol Mosque is one of many little known mosques in Samarkand. It is situated in the old Jewish Quarter of the Old Town. A nice building but its European style architecture horribly clashes with the islamic dominated town picture. The entry to the Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble. It includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 9-14th and 19th centuries. The Shah-i-Zinda is stunning avenue of mausoleums, which contains some of the richest tilework in the Muslim world. The ensemble comprises three groups of structures: lower, middle and upper connected by four-arched domed passages. The inside decoration in colors white, blue and dark blue are typical for so called Samarkand school. The upper group of buildings in Shah-i-Zinda ensemble consists of three mausoleums facing each other. At the end of the pathway between the mausoleums, the complex opens up into Samarkand’s main cemetery from 9th century, which is still used today.

Bukhara

Simurghs (Persian mythological birds) on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi madrasah in Bukhara. This madrasah is part of Lab-i Hauz complex, an area surrounding a pond in the historical center of the city. This modern hotel building near Lab-i Hauz perfectly fits into the old town architecture of Bukhara. The Chor Minor mosque is one of the Bukhara’s unusual monuments. 'Chor–Minor' is translated as 'four minarets'. This name is well justified: the corners of the square-rectangular madrasah building are really decorated with four small minarets crowned with blue domes, different in decors from each other. The Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah was built in 1652. It stands out with its rich decor of facade, portal and interior. The walls and ceiling decoration of the Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah is extremely luxury. Unfortunately the need for restauration is big too. An old stork nest in the old town of Bukhara. Several small ponds existed in Bukhara prior to Soviet rule, building good feeding grounds for a stork population. The ponds acted as the city's principal source of water, but were also notorious for spreading disease, and thus were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s by the Soviets. Typical for the bazaars in Bukhara are the countless cupolas. In the past the city was an important trading centre on the silk road. The Kalyan minaret was built in year 1127. It is also known as the Tower of Death, as according to legend it is the site where criminals were executed by being thrown off the top for centuries. The huge Kalyan mosque is able to accommodate 12 thousand people. Through a bridge it is connected with the Kalyan minaret. Inner courtyard of the Kalyan Mosque. The roof of the galleries encircling the mosque's inner courtyard has 288 domes resting on 208 pillars. The portal of Miri Arab Madrasah is situated on one axis with the portal of the Kalyan Mosque. However, because of some lowering of the square to the east, it was necessary to raise the edifice of the madrasah on a platform. Selling beautiful carpets on the street in Bukhara. The Ark is a large earthen fortification in Bukhara. The height of the walls varies from 16 to 20 meters. Emir's of Bukhara coronation and audience hall in Ark. After the Red Army conquered Bukhara the last emir escaped to Afghanistan with the royal treasury. The Bolo Haouz Mosque was built in 1712 on the opposite side of the citadel of Ark. It served as a Friday mosque for the emir of Bukhara.

Khiva

The outer city wall of Khiva. Along with Samarkand and Bukhara, Khiva is an important and often overlooked historical site on what was once the Great Silk Road. The plan view of Khiva's city walls. The surrounding walls are 6 to 8 m high and 6 m thick at their base. As in other cities in Central Asia the city walls were built of sun-dried bricks. View from lookout tower in the Kuhna Ark over the old city of Khiva. Kuhna Ark was a fortress-residence of the khans of Khiva. In the the throne room of Kuhna Ark the khans dispensed swift and brutal punishments against any transgressors. A narrow street in the old city of Khiva. A bed-chamber in islamic style. 81 steps lead up to the top of the Juma minaret, which can be accessed from inside of the Juma Mosque. The Juma Mosque contains 212 ornately carved columns that support the roof, dating back to the 12th to 15th century. The wooden columns were removed from other buildings which have been destroyed. The columns are masterpieces of wood carving. The Kalta Minor minaret is an iconic symbol of Khiva, mainly because of it's exquisite blue and green tile work and the fact that it remains unfinished. According to the legend the khan from Khiva intended to build a a minaret from the top of which he could see to Buchara, 400 km away. After his death in 1855 the construction works came to a halt. Souvenir sellers in front of the Islam Khoja Medressa. On the right the stairways to the Islam Khoja Minaret could be seen. The Islam Khoja complex includes a minaret and a medressa. The minaret is 57 m high and 10 m wide at its base. View from the lookout platform at the top of Islam Khoja minaret over the old city from Khiva. The building with the oval turquoise dome with white ornaments on the lower edges is the Pahlawan Mahmud Mausoleum. The walls inside of the Pahlawan Mahmud Mausoleum are covered with ornaments all over, depicting interlacing stalks of flowers, leaves and zig-zag or crossing lines. The majolica of the ceiling and dome in Pahlawan Mahmud Mausoleum. The Khiva's patron Pahlavan-Mahmud (1247-1326) was a poet, philosopher and wrestler.

Tashkent

The Mirobod Farmer's Market in Tashkent was built in the middle of the XIX century. A calling card, a distinctive feature of the bazaar is a light green canopy that covers the whole of the market, protecting against heat in summer and giving shade to traders and visitors to the market, and in winter from snow and rain. Inside of the Mirobod Bazaar: a fiesta of fruit bathing in the teal-green glow of its giant, octagonal flying saucer of a roof. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin is the Russian Orthodox cathedral in Tashkent built in 1871. As of 2008 only 20% of the about 2.3 millions people of the Uzbekistan's capital city are Russians. The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin is today a well-organized temple, which includes fountains, benches, flowers and golden dome. Regardless of religion, every believer can enter the cathedral and light a candle to any saint. A great idea: bar-complex built in the style of illuminated yurts in a park in the center of Tashkent. The Tsarist-era Romanov Palace was built in 1891 in the center of Tashkent. This is a one-storey private residence of Prince Nikolay Konstantinovich Romanov, who was a grandson of Emperor Nicholay I, and who was exiled by his royal parents to Tashkent in 1877 to live there until his death in 1918. Government building at square of independence (Mustaqillik Maydoni) in Tashkent. Sculpture of cranes on Ezgulik Independence Arch, the part of the Independence Square. The cranes are symbols of Uzbekistan's independence. Tashkent sits at the confluence of the Chirchiq River and several of its tributaries. The city is located in an active tectonic area suffering large numbers of tremors and some earthquakes. The old town of Tashkent. Due to the destruction of most of the ancient city during the 1917 revolution and, later, the 1966 earthquake, little remains of Tashkent's traditional architectural heritage. Alisher Navoi National Park is the green heart of Tashkent, covering a large park, a large lake, canals and fountains, a meadow and ornamental flower gardens.