Karakol

Issyk-kul Central Mosque of Karakol city named after Ibrahim Aji was built by initiative of Ibrahim Aji. He invited the famous Beijing architect Chou Seu and 20 carvers with the skills of traditional Chinese architecture and composition techniques for building the mosque. Construction of the mosque began in 1904 and completed in 1907. An ingenious system allowed builders to build the mosque with no metal reinforcement tools. The mosque holds 42 based pillars. Encircling the building is multi-tiered wooden cornice, decorated with images of plants like grapes, pomegranates, pears and peaches. Besides it the mosque is registered as a historical monument and protected by the law. It’s the only Chinese architecture in Kyrgyzstan.

In July 1869, when Karakol was a garrison town on the edges of the Tsarist Russian Empire, the first church was built here. The Karakol church, however, was destroyed in an earthquake in 1889, which caused havoc in the town and took several lives. It took six years to complete, and was consecrated in 1895. It has seen considerable service, not just as a church. Over the years, particularly following the Revolution in 1917, it has been used as an educational centre housing a school, ladies’ gymnasium, an institution of higher education, a sports hall, a theater, a dance hall, and as a coal store. Then, in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Kyrgyzstan, the local authority gave the building back to the church. The paintings and symbols inside the church are different from churches in Europe and interesting.

The museum is housed in a pretty chocolate-box cottage in central Karakol. It was the pre-revolutionary summer home of the Iliana merchant family. From 1918-1920 the building earned its socialist stripes as headquarters of the Regional Revolutionary Committee, and in 1948 was transformed into a museum by order of the Soviet Council of Ministers. The museum has several interesting displays (labeled in English, Russian and Kyrgyz). Scythian artifacts include bronze pots retrieved from Lake Issyk-Kul, displayed alongside exhibits of petroglyphs. Besides a comprehensive display of traditional Kyrgyz punched leatherwork, felt wall hangings and woven yurt decorations, the museum has a colorful collection of national costumes, and examples of finely worked silver jewelry. One hall covers the region's flora and fauna - much of which is endangered. The museum is also worth visiting to gain a Soviet perspective of history in the region. A couple of walls relating to Kyrgyz union with Russia and the subsequent revolution are now historical artifacts in themselves. There are many stuffed animals inside, and great pictures by Ella Millart, a famous Swiss traveler.

Nikolay Mikhailovich Przhewalsky was one of the first Russian geographers who started studying in detail the geography, flora and fauna of the Central Asia. Beginning in 1870, he arranged 4 large expeditions to Mongolia, China and Tibet. During his expeditions he revealed the exact directions of the mountain ranges and borders of the Tibetan Mountains. Przhewalsky collected an enormous zoological collection, which comprised several thousand of species of plant, animals, birds, fishes and insects. In the year of 1888, he died from typhoid fever on the eve of his fifth expedition to Central Asia; he was buried on the Issyk-Kul lakeside, not far from the city of Karakol. The museum has more than 8 works of Przhewalsky published between 1883 and 1947, and 30 photocopies and photos. Today there are personal things, documents photos and articles of Przhewalsky kept there. Not far from the museum there is the traveler’s tomb and monument. In 1998 Hussein Karasaw, a famous Kyrgyz linguist, was buried there too. Przhewalsky is one of the first Europeans to discover Karakol and the mountains. To the rear of his resting place lies the remnants of a Soviet torpedo testing facility.

Karakol Zoological Park was founded in 1987. This is the only zoo in Kyrgyzstan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the economics of the country quickly fell into disrepair in 2001, there was a question about closing the zoo. However, sponsors were found to preserve the wildlife area and keep it in a relatively prosperous state. There are many local bears, wolf, deer, camels, Prjevalski's horses, peacock and many other animals.

Early on Sunday mornings one of Kyrgyzstan’s biggest animal markets takes place around 2 km north of central Karakol. Typical of such markets, you’ll observe scenes at once sad and comical, with locals improbably bundling voluptuous fat-tailed sheep into the back seats of Lada cars. The setting amid semi-derelict flourmills might seem unprepossessing, but on clear days the backdrop of white-topped mountains is more striking from here than from the town center. A series of earthen unloading platforms lead north. Jostle through the chaos to reach a bigger main compound one block north, where you’ll find horse sales and vendors of beautiful embossed leather saddles. On foot, the bazaar is about 25 minutes’ walk from the city center.

A beautiful rock formation besides an ageing sanatorium, 35 km west of Karakol and south of the Jeti Ögüz village. This and many other sights can be found on the way to or from Karakol around Issyk Kul—see the region article.

Local tour companies rent mountain bikes which are good for exploring the area.