Glossary
The encyclopedia of the tourist
I
Irkeshtam pass, (2841). Irkeshtam,
pass (2841 m). Irkeshtam begins in Osh city in the south of Kyrgyzstan. The
road goes south along the valleys of rivers Taldyk and Gulcho as far as the
village "Sary-Tash" (Yellow Rock). The road to Dushanbe, Tajikistan leads
west through the valley of Kyzyl-Suu, and the road leading south goes to
the Mountain - Badakshansk region of Tajikistan; Murgaba goes through Kyzyl
Art pass, and the road to the Chinese border goes east. The road is in bad
condition, but it attracts much interest as it is the shortest way from Fergana
valley to China. The frontier post is called in the honor of the Russian
officer that perished during the rebellion of basmachi in 1931. The Irkeshtam
pass is 238 kilometers from Osh and 250 kilometers from Kashgar. For many
years the pass was open only for commercial purposes and for the passengers
was only opened in 2002. In 2003, the two governments made a visa regime
for the citizens of the two states to have appropriate documents for crossing
the border. Currently the Irkeshtam pass is actively used for transporting
various loads from China to Kyrgyzstan. Top
Issyk-Ata.: 77 kilometers from
Bishkek, nestled at a height of 1775 meters a. s. l. in the Issyk-Ata
valley which cuts into the Kyrgyz Range which runs south of the
city. The slopes of the mountains have numerous alpine meadows and
in the vicinity of the resort are fruit and decorative trees. The
waters have attracted visitors for many centuries and this used to
be a place of pilgrimage and in the nineteenth century villagers expressed
their gratitude for the healing properties of the water by smearing onto
a large rock which has an inscription on the Buddha on it which dates from
the tenth century. The Tibetan inscription is on the face of a boulder
with an eagle sculpture on top. Unfortunately, contemporary, modern, graffiti
now joins it. Nearby, it is said, was the home of an Uzbek shamaness,
famous for her healing powers, who led a hermit's life here until the
1950's, after her husband and son were both killed as Basmachi rebels.
Turkic nomads worshipped the springs and early Russian colonists used
to take the cure here - when the only accommodation was local yurts.
The Soviets built the first permanent building
here as early as 1928. The upper reaches of the valley are covered
in rich vegetation and are home to herds of horses. Top
