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Monday, December 28, 2015

Kyrgyztan, Cool Facts #87

<= 86. Tajikistan                                                                                                       88. Uzbekistan =>
  


1. Epic of Manas

Manas is the mythical national hero of Kyrgyzstan, who allegedly united the forty tribes of Kyrgyzstan to fight against the Uyghurs and Mongols. The forty rays of sun in the flag refer to these original forty Kyrgyz tribes.

The epic of Manas is twenty times longer than Ilias and Odyssey together and two and half times longer than the Indian epic Mahabharata. The people who recite the parts of the epic are called the Manaschi and the people who remember all the half a million poetic lines are called the master-manaschi.

Epic of Manas


2. Turkestan Soviet Republic

Kyrgyzstan became a part of the Imperial Russia in 1876, when the Uzbek Khanate of Kokand was annexed to Russia and Kyrgyzstan at the same time as Kyrgyzstan was ruled by Kokand from the beginning of the 1800s. After the October Revolution in Russia a civil war erupted, which was then won by the Bolsheviks who defeated the Imperial government of Russia. 

As a result the Tsarist autocracy was dismantled and the socialists started ruling Russia. Central Asia was split into two Russian states, Kirgizistan and Turkestan, in the year 1918. Later in 1924 Turkestan was split into four separate Soviet states to relief the ethnic tension in the Turkestan area. 

Kirgizistan = current Kazakhstan
Turkestan = current Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan


3. Tian Shan Mountains

The Tian Shan mountain range covers about 80% of the land in Kyrgyzstan. So only 8% of the land is cultivated and mainly in the Fergana Valley. The highest point of Kyrgyzstan is the 7439m high Jengish Chokusu peak and it's considered the northernmost peak over 7000m in the world.

The mountain lake of Issyk-Kul in the Tian Shan mountains is the second largest mountain lake in the world after Lake Titicaca.

Kyrgyzstan is the farthest country from any sea or ocean in the world.

Tian Shan mountains
Issyk-Kul lake


4. Ideal Location for Santa Claus

The Swedish engineering company Sweco calculated that the ideal spot for Santa Claus would be in Kyrgyzstan. According to the demographics of the world the distance from Kyrgyzstan to every single home in the world would be the shortest. 

Also the high elevation of Kyrgyzstan would be an advantage when the Santa Claus could easily take off with his reindeers from the high peaks of Kyrgyzstan. One peak was even named Mount Santa Claus and the government of Kyrgyzstan tried to promote tourism with this action.




5. Horseback Riding Culture 

Horseback riding is an important part of the Kyrgyz culture. There are different horseback sports in Kyrgyzstan, which are very popular there and in the other Central Asian countries.

Ulak Tartysh = two teams of riders wrestle for possession of headless goat carcass and attempt to deliver it across the opposition's goal

At Chabysh = long distance horse race, sometimes even more than 50km

Jumby Atmai = while galloping the contestants try to shoot a bar tied to a pole and break it

Kyz Kuumay = a girl gallops away as a man chases her trying to win a kiss from her, if the man isn't successful the girl can turn around and chase the man attempting to beat him with a horsewhip

Oodarysh = two contestants wrestle while riding a horse trying to throw the other one from his horse

Tyin Emmei = the contestants try to pick up a coin from the ground at full gallop

Ulak Tartysh
Kyz Kuumay

Timeline

840 The Kyrgyz state reached its greatest expansion after defeating the Uyghur Khaganate
1207 The Kyrgyz became part of the Mongol Empire peacefully
1685 The Mongol Oirats start ruling the Kyrgyz areas
1758 The Manchu Qing Dynasty of China starts ruling the Kyrgyz areas
1800s The Uzbek Khanate of Kokand rules the Kyrgyz areas
1876 Kokand ruling the Kyrgyz areas is attached to Russia
1916 Uprising against the Russians covering the whole Central Asia. The soldiers of the Tsar defeated it by force and as a result of that one third of the Kyrgyz fled to China
1917 A civil war followed the October Revolution in Russia and after that Central Asia was split into two Soviet states Kirgizistan, later renamed as Kazakhstan and Turkestan, which included the current Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (Kara-Kyrgyzstan)
1924 Turkestan is split into four separate Soviet states of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kara-Kyrgyzstan
1930s The Basmachi national movement in Turkestan continued guerrilla war against the Soviet Union
1985 The leader of Kyrgyzstan, Turdakan Usulbalijve was fired and replaced by Absamat Masalijev
1990 Disputes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek people erupt in southern Kyrgyzstan
1991 Kyrgyzstan becomes independent and Askar Akajev the first president of Kyrgyzstan
2000 Military agreement with USA, where Kyrgyzstan promised to give USA the Bishkek airport for the US operations in Afghanistan
2005 Fraudulent parliament elections lead to the Tulip Revolutions. Kurmanbek Bakijev becomes the president as Akajev flees to Russia
2010 Bakijev is overthrown in April Revolution and Rosa Otumbajeva becomes the first female president in a Central Asian country
2012 The interim president Otumbajeva steps down like planned and Almazbek Atambayev becomes the 4th president of Kyrgyzstan

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Manas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirghiz_Autonomous_Socialist_Soviet_Republic_(1920–25)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Shan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkestan_Autonomous_Soviet_Socialist_Republic
http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2007/12/22/kyrgyz-peak-will-become-mount-santa-claus


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