Glossary
The encyclopedia of the tourist

S
Safed-Bulan
Saimaluu-Tash
Sak-Usan
San-Tash
Sarala-Saz
Sargyr
Sary-Oi (Kursk)  
Sary-Chelek 
Sary-Jaz  
Semenovka
Semenov-Tyanshansky
Shaar, waterfall
Shah Fazil, mausoleum
Shamshy
Sharkyratma
Shopokov
Shoro-Bashat
 Shyrdabek
Skazka
Sokuluk
Son-Kul  
Sulaiman-Too  
Suluu-Terek, dry canyons
Surat-Tash
 Suusamyr, valley
Suyab
Svetlyi Mys


Safed-Bulan. In the Moslem graveyard, on outskirts of the village of Safed-Bulan, between the villages of Ala-Buka and Kerben, is the brick mausoleum of Shah-Fazil, reputedly built by his son around 1050 AD and it is still an operating Sufi mosque and pilgrimage site. The central cupola is almost 16 m tall, and the interior is decorated with decorative panels, rosettes and relief inscriptions with Quranic texts and inscriptions in Farsi. Ibn-Nasir’s tomb stands in the middle surrounded by Islamic grave stones or kayrak. The site underwent major restorations in 1978 and 1996. People know the site as Safed Bulon, after a black maiden who is said to have lived in the area. Please note, the mausoleum is an example of living Central Asian Sufism, i. e. a site of religious significance - not a sterilized ’monument’ or ersatz culture, and so visitors should dress modestly when visiting. Top

Saimaluu-Tash. Tens of hectares are covered by the Stone Gallery, with tens of thousands of black-and-white rock paintings in the upper Saimaluu-Tash tract, dated to the 2nd century B.C. - 8th century A.D.
The Gallery is 30km to the south of Kazarman. The diversity of the paintings' subjects is amazing: pictures of animals and people, hunting scenes, ritual symbols, battles and work. The ruins of ancient settlements are preserved on the outskirts of Kazarman, reminding one of the city of 10-12th centuries. Memorials from the saks and usunis epochs are represented by 3-5m high barrows, scattered around, with burial chambers inside. Top

Sak-Usan, kurgans. Located in the village of Alexandrovka, West of Bishkek, there are a number of burial mounds scattered about the farmland. These are the last resting places for a some of the nobility of the ancient Sak and Usun tribes that settled in the Chui valley between the 7th century BC and the 3rd century AD. Top

San-Tash. Just inside the Kyrgyz border with Kazakhstan on the road between Tyup and Kegen, lies San-Tash, where there are a number of barrows (burial mounds) dating from the 7th to the 3rd century BC.
When the renowned Russian explorer Semenov (Tianshansky) first visited the region, he found here a large barrow of smooth stones. Legend has it that it was constructed by the army of Timur. They found their way into the basin and he gave an order that every soldier was to pick up a stone from the shore of the lake and take it to the pass … when the campaign was over they would return it to the shore. Very few of the soldiers survived and so the army effectively constructed its own memorial.
To the South lies the Djergalanskiy Zaiiv Canyon and the Tyup State Zoological Reserve. Top

Sarala-Saz. A jailoo about 60 km Northwest of Kochkor. It is one of the largest high altitude meadows in the Kochkor region. On the way up to the jailoo are several large burial mounds dating from the 1st to the 5th centuries - measuring 60 meters in diameter and 13 meters high.
A nearby waterfall is known to locals by the romantic name «Look for me» because it is well hidden amongst the rocks. It is possible to stand within a few meters of it, hear the rushing water, but not be able to see it. Higher up, past patches of wild onions, is a permanent glacier.
The legendary hero Manas is supposed to have visited frequently and relaxed on the nearby Kara-Too mountain, playing the traditional game «Ordo» with his followers. According to the legend, noticing that his horses were wandering away, he threw huge stones in front of them to persuade them to return - over a distance of 10 kilometers!. The stones are still to this day as witness to his incredible strength. Top

Sargyr Pass. At 3100 m this is the highest point on the 177 km road between Kazarman and Jalalabad and clearly marks the distinction between a spectacular road clinging to the mountain side and fertile mountain valleys. The pass is closed for most of the year by snow.Top

Sary-Jaz. The valley swings west from the north eastern foot of Khan-Tengri to the town of Enilchek.
At an altitude of about 3600 m, surrounded by 5000 m peaks like Semenov (5816 m) and Karakol (5280 m). There are the Uch-Kol petroglyphs, the Ak-Chunkur caves with early ochre wall paintings, hot springs and evidence of early mining activities including an early ore smelting furnace.Top

Semenov-Tyanshansky, Petr Petrovich. In Balykchi is a statue of the Russian explorer Petr Petrovich Semenov leading his packhorse. He was awarded the honorary title Tian-Shansky by the Tsar in 1906, some 50 years after his expeditions, in recognition of his achievements.
Born in 1827, Semenov was elected a member of the Russian Geographical Society in 1849 and later, in 1873, he became a vice-president of the society and he was to be an influential voice for the expansionist policy of the Russian Empire into Central Asia.
He translated the book «The Physical Geography of Asia» by the famous German geographer Karl Fitter from the original German into Russian and traveled to Italy, apparently climbing Mount Vesuvius seventeen times.
In August 1856, he arrived in Almaty — known at that time by the name Vernoe — and with an armed group of Cossacks, he crossed the Kungei-Ala Too mountain range and entered the Issyk-Kul hollow from the East. He mapped the lake, which he described as «A blue emerald set in a frame of silvery mountains». Later he approached the lake through Boom Gorge and discovered that the Chui river did not flow through the lake as everyone had previously assumed.
He returned in 1857 and proceeded further into the Tian-Shan mountains and discovered the upper reaches of the Naryn river. In July 1857, he crossed the Kok-Jar mountain pass and became the first Westerner to penetrate the region around Khan-Tengri and what was later to be named Peak Pobeda. He showed that the Tian-Shan mountains were not made up from young volcanic rock formations — but were, in fact, a very old mountain range. He explored many of the regions glaciers.
He died in 1914. Top

Shaar, waterfall. Located in the valley of the river Bash-Kaindy (inflow of At-Bashi, Naryn region). It can be seen from far away, as far as the entrance of the valley. (There is a remarkable hill, which offers a beautiful view of the river and the ridge of At-Bashi.) The waterfall is not well known. It takes half a day walk along the trail to the waterfall. The waterfall is approximately 300-400 meters, consists of several cascades and is fully visible only from afar.      Top

Shah Fazil, mausoleum. Is one of the most significant monuments of architecture of 16-17 centuries.. The mausoleum is located in the Ala-Buka area, in the ancient village of Safed-Bulan, and this name combines two great cultures - Arab and Turk.
These locations were strategically important in terms of trips to Bukhara and Samarkand.
Later, according to legend, the terrible events took place. During the execution of the prayer innocent people were attacked and as a result 2700 Arab soldiers were beheaded. Local girl by the name Bulan, washed severed heads, to find the head of her lover among them, and buried them here. The mausoleum was built to commemorate this event. There is huge stone near the ditch, at the entrance to the mausoleum. According to legend, it was the place where Bulan washed cut off heads of soldiers. There is a place Kyrgyn-Machet where 2700 of Arabs were beheaded, and where is the low shrine of Safed-Bulan now.
Only women can enter Mazar and read Quran and ask for blessings from the saint. There is a stone of fertility, where women, can ask for the welfare of the family, and childless - the children, touching the stone by the hand.
Scientists have found that the ruler of Ferghana Mahmud ibn Nasir, known by the nickname Shah Fazil, which means a fair check, was buried in the mausoleum. This museum was built in the memory of a beloved Shah. Mausoleum of Shah Fazil is a dome-centric structure, oriented to the sides of the world by angles. The total height of the monument from the ancient floor level to the top of the dome is 15.5 m, the outer perimeter of the base is 11.7 m
Different carved stucco ganch retained traces of the once abandoned dark-blue, blue, yellow and red colors of paint.
In the late 19th - early 20th centuries as well as in the distant Middle Ages, religious festivals were held with the sacrifices of animals. The pilgrims streamed here from the entire neighborhood.   Top

Shamshy, gorge. It is situated in east part of Chu valley in Shamshy gorge in 85 km from Bishkek city. In these gorges there are thick forests represented by firs and other evergreen trees that are source of charming aromas. Tien-Shan fir trees and pines represent natural forest. In summer on forest glades you can admire bright butterflies that are fluttering over the flowers. This area is the place of inhabitation of wild boars, deer’s, ermines, hares, turkistan lynxes, stone martens. Behind fir forest there are separately standing archa bushes and fir trees. Wonderful high plants of sub alpine meadows grow mostly on north and west slopes where there is more moisture.
As a place of interest can serve lake Tuyuk-Koltor (altitude 2725 meters, area of surface 0.2 square kilometers) that is situated in upper Tuyuk river, Shamshy and Chon-Koltor waterfall hat consists of several cascades and is located in the right tributary (hamshy river) to Chon-Koltor river.
The Shamshy gorge is considered by some people to be the most beautiful of the canyons in the Kyrgyz Krebet. The golden mask of the ancient beauty, Queen Shamshy, was found nearby. Twelve kilometers into the valley is the junction of the Shamshy and Tuyuk rivers. (Not to be confused with the Tuyuk river of Kok-Moinok). The wooded slopes and high mountain plateaus are home to a wide range of fauna and flora.
In summer it is possible to cross the mountains and head towards Kochkor.   Top

Sharkyratma. The cascade waterfalls. Top

Shopokov. A small town on the road between Bishkek and Tashkent - named after a hero of the Soviet Union who fell as one of the 28 Panfilov heroes, killed defending a small village outside Moscow against invading German tanks in 1941.Top

Shoro-Bashat. Just inside the border with both Uzbekistan and Jalal-Abad oblast lies the site of an ancient settlement which dates from the 4th century BC through until the 5th century AD. Top

Shyrdabek. Shyrdabek, on the Naryn - Osh road, is the site of an ancient fortress dating from the tenth century. The fortress was built at the cross-road of caravan routes and measures 120 x 117 m. The walls are 6 m high. In the corners of the fortress there are towers. The walls and the towers are made of pahsa and adobe and have loop-holes.Top

Skazka - «fairy tale», valley. Demolished sandy rocks are located near the village of Tosor. They have a form of various posts, changing their color from red to orange. Here you will find yourself in a magical city. Double fortification, stretching for several kilometers along the ridge of hills protects the peace of the sleeping castles and wonderful animals from red clay and sandstone - elephants, hippos, snakes, and some other wondrous animals. Photos.   Top

Sokuluk (Belogorka). The Sokuluk gorge is located to the south-west of Bishkek (72 km). In the Sokuluk Valley to the West of Bishkek lies the village of Tash-Bulak («Stone Spring»). It sits astride the Sokoluk river which flows through alpine meadows and woodland with many varieties of wildlife. The village is still known to many locals by it's Soviet name Belogorka, and it was the site of a very successful collective farm. Nowadays the village is not as prosperous but is still quite attractive with decorated houses. It can serve as the starting point for several walks. In this wonderfully beautiful place there is one of the highest waterfalls in the whole North Kyrgyz range. The height of it is 60 meters and it produces a water cloud which hangs around it. On the way there (which is easy and takes around 1 hour) you can see bushes of wild current and bushes of other wild berries and flowers.
Nearby is the Pigeon»s waterfall - not to be confused by it's more famous namesake in the Alamedin valley - which plummets over the steep cliffs. There is a trail over the mountains to the Kochkor - Suusamyr road which used to be used to drive sheep over the mountains, but it hasn»t been used in recent years and is generally impassable now.
There is a route between the Sokuluk gorge and Ala-Archa over the Ozernyi pass (3900 m). Photos.   Top

Sulaiman-Too, Sulaiman Mountain (Throne of Solomon). It is located in the city of Osh. The height of the mountain at the highest point is 100-150 m, length is 1.5 km and the width is 120 m
According to the legends and folk legends the Suleiman mountain is considered to be sacred since time immemorial. Its slopes and foothills abound with historical monuments of the past - from the Neolithic to the Late Middle Ages.
The name Takhti Sulaiman (Throne of Solomon) was received after Muslim Prophet - Sheik Suleiman was burried at the foot of the mountain.
In the X century pilgrims from all over Asia come to the mountain, because from time immemorial, it is believed that it was here that the Prophet Sulaiman turned to God, and the prints of his forehead and knees remained on the stones.  Muhammad Zakhiriddin Babur (1483-1530 years.), the grandson of Tamerlane and the founder of the Mughal dynasty, built a small hudjra (cell) with a mihrab above this sacred for every Muslim place, the site where today the white stone mosque is located as well as  the " Babur's house ", recreated according to archival sources. According to the legend it was on this mountain, where a woman can ask God to bestow her child, and the top is the legendary "test track", which can’t be passed by an unfaithful wife, as the legend says.
The Suleiman Mountain keeps valuable information in their caves and grottoes, on the slopes and cliffs. Hundreds of petroglyphs carved on the rocky outcrops of the mountain, the stone tiles, on the walls of caves and grottoes. The oldest petroglyphs are made thousands years ago.
There are entire inscriptions on the rock carvings. The most famous of them is on the south side of the first peak of the Mount Suleiman. It is made with Kufic script and has the name of the Samanid Amir Nasr ibn Ahmad and dated back to 329 year of the Hijrah (940-941 years).
In 1956, excavations were carried out in a cave Rush Unkur - Cave Eagles (now one of the halls of the cave complex at Osh combined historical and cultural museum reserve). As a result of the excavations a collection of stone tools of the Late Neolithic was discovered. This collection is stored in the Osh Museum.
In 1967, the elevating pottery, identical to the painting and method of making ceramics of Chust culture, was found on the southern slope of the Suleiman mountain. It was assumed that there was the first permanent settlement there.   Top

Suluu-Terek, Dry Canyons (Konorchok Canyons) - 125 km from Bishkek these canyons stretch for nearly 200 km.
After 50 minutes of slow walk the valley of red castles, columns and sculptures is opening to your gaze. These canyons are the masterpieces of nature’s architecture.
It‘s wonderful at any season, but it is the most interesting and attractive at the period from May till October, when everything is growing and blooming. It’s a valley of contrasts. It’s a temple. It’s great nature’s theatre.
To see Sulu-Terek Canyons completely would take a long time - but it is possible to spend a few days exploring the spectacular scenery. The canyons have romantic names like "Grand Canyon", "Bobsleigh" and "Skyscraper". They were formed about one and a half to two million years ago and since that time erosion by wind and water has turned a plain plateau into gigantic stone pillars, some of which are 400-500 meters high. The canyons see almost no precipitation at any season of the year - between 1980 and 1990 the canyons received no snowfall at all, and in the last decade of the twentieth century snow has fallen twice. If the air temperature in Bishkek is 20 degrees below zero, in the Sulu-Terek Canyons it is +5 degrees - however, in recent times the climate in the Canyons is becoming a little colder. One peculiarity of the Sulu-Terek Canyons is that plants growing there tend to be very large - much larger than usual. One of the main attractions at Sulu-Terek is an extinct volcano, dating back to 2.5-3 million years ago with slopes covered with fossilized sea shells the size of the child's fist and the remnants of lava.
The unique beauty of the Sulu-Terek canyon lies in its overwhelming rocks, dry and transparent air, long shadows fall- ing from the nature-carved sculptures lit by the setting sun of the Tien-Shan.
Dry, free from any vegetation, the canyons display a red colour due to the oxidation of mineral particles; they look like an accumulation of half -ruined castles, ancient temples, modern skyscrapers, columns and spires, The queer shapes of these constructions led people to give them strange names.
The Konorchok canyons are the product of an erosion process lasting for several millennia. The movement of the earth crust produced cracks and fissures. Rainwater, filling the cracks during frequent summer thunderstorms, loosened castles of Konorchok the sandstone stratum beneath the surface soil and decorated the landscape by carving fantastic columns. The slopes of the sur-rounding highlands eventually turned into a labyrinth of sharp pointed ridges, low table mountains, domes, pyramids and pil-lars. Thus step-by-step, time, water and wind created the fairy-tale land of Konorchok. Looked at from a distance the landscape resembles the ruins of ancient towns spread out on a vast stretch of earth.
The Castle Rock is an impressively large massif with a flat top rising up to 300 metres, crowned with crenellated turrets. Picturesque tracks, twisting among the walls of the canyons, form massive blocks of rocks that gleam under the rays of the sun with all the hues of crimson, copper and orange. At sunrise the towers and domes of Konorchok become tinged by red and purple banners that flutter and play in the rays of the sunset, finally absorbing the golden hues of the expiring day. Top

Surat-Tash. There are ancient petroglyphs dating from about 1000 BC on the rocks of Surat-Tash.Top

Suusamyr, valley. The Suusamyr valley is a high steppe plateau - 2200 meters a. s. l. - that although only some 160 kilometers from Bishkek is also one of the more remote and rarely visited regions of Kyrgyzstan.
There are signs of early settlement dating back to between the 9th and 11th centuries.
The population, of about 6000, is mainly Kyrgyz and they are nearly all involved in agriculture. In Soviet times this was one of the major sheep breeding areas in the country. Up to four million sheep would be driven over the mountain passes in Spring to graze on the luscious grasses of the steppe.
Since 1991, the flocks of sheep grazing here have dwindled substantially and the people have diversified into other forms of agriculture - growing potatoes, garlic, cabbages and fodder crops. Today, most foreign visitors simply pass through as they travel the main Bishkek - Osh road.
Leaving Bishkek, you travel to Kara-Balta and then turn South towards the mountains. The road climbs through the spectacular Too-Ashu gorge - the original road climbed right to the top of the pass, but nowadays there is tunnel burrowed under it. You emerge from the tunnel and the plain lies below you. It is worth stopping and climbing a little to get a spectacular panorama of the plain.
Descending the road comes to a junction and a sign points to the village of Suusamyr, some 15 km west of the road, and the right fork takes you on towards Osh in the South, the Toktogul reservoir, lake Sary-Chelek, or the road over the Otmek pass to Talas.
Suusamyr village lies at the Eastern edge of the plain and has a yurt camp in summer, it is possible to find home stays, and there is a dacha some kilometers from the village which takes in guests.
From the village, there are two roads to Kochkor. The Northern route follows the valley of the Karakol river - at the foot of the Kyrgyz Range and is practically deserted - there are virtually no settlements here. The Southern road takes you through the villages of Kojomkul and Kyzyl-Oi before you reach the turning to Min-Kush or continue onto Chaek and Kochkor. The roads are not good.
Karakol is a small village on the banks of the river of the same name where it emerges at the extreme Eastern edge of the plain.
Kojomkul is named after a giant of a man, (he was 2.3 meters tall), and who died in 1955. The village has a small museum where you can see photographs of him, some of his clothes and you can see huge stones which he is reputed to have lifted onto his shoulders. A little out of town you can another weighing almost 700kg which he is supposed to have lifted and placed on the grave of a local official.
The road to Kyzyl-Oi (Red Bowl) passes through a narrow valley of the Kekemeren with the mountains rising steeply on each side. Photos.  Top

Svetlyi Mys. Hamlet of Svetlyi Mys, tucked away near the shores of lake Issyk-Kul, just South of the village of Belovodsk — about 50 km from Karakol.
This is reputadley the burial place for the Apostle, Saint Matthew.
Having been a tax collector, he was called to be a disciple of Jesus. According to tradition, he later wrote the Gospel of Saint Matthew for his fellow countrymen in Palestine, - but about the time of the persecution of Herod Agrippa in AD42, he left for other lands. Of his subsequent life and career we have only inaccurate or legendary information. Ancient writers are far from unanimous about his travels, but almost all mention the land of Ethiopia - South of the Caspian Sea, not the one in Africa! - and some mention Persia, the kingdom of the Parthians, Macedonia, and Syria. There is little information about his death and at least one author maintains that he did not die as a martyr - although others disagree. Is it possible that he made it as far into Central Asia as Issyk-Kul — and died here?
Whether he did, or not, this site has attracted pilgrims for centuries, and it is thought that various religious communities (Nestorian, Armenian, Orthodox) have been been based here. In 1888 the Tsar ordered that an orthodox monastery be founded here - some of the wooden buildings still remain - and the roads were set out in the form of an orthodox cross. In the uprising of 1916 the monastery was attacked and most of the monks were killed. One of the icons of the Virgin Mary was said to have shed tears and blood - and was later placed in the cathederal church in Karakol, where it can still be seen. Two monks survived - one fleeing to Almaty and the other moved down the road to Ananievo - and were later canonized as saints. Top

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