In the comments to the previous part, I was asked to compile a selection of city architecture. Unfortunately, friends, the goal was the mountains: a six-day window for a mini-vacation appeared. To cover all of Kyrgyzstan would take more than a month. On the other hand, the location we will discuss now best reveals traditional housing outside urban areas.
A great multitude of diverse animals grazing in the eco-friendly highlands are watched over by local shepherds. They live in cylindrical yurts with conical roofs. The outer shell of modern examples consists of dense white canvas, protecting against the blazing mountain sun. The structure is made from a thin wooden frame, with walls covered in mats and carpets. Inside, there are full beds, and stoves are used for heating. In severe winter frosts, yurts are taken down until the new season. There are stone versions, but I encountered those only once.
Frosts deserve a special mention. The location where I observed all this beauty is at an altitude of three kilometers in Sonkel — a high mountain lake. In winter, the serpentine roads are not cleared, and only poachers reach it. During the day, autumn temperatures rise to 20 degrees, but closer to evening and at night, they drop to -2 and lower. I camped in a tent, and since the place is open, a strong wind rises at dusk; for the first time in my experience, I had to set up additional storm protections to keep my shelter from flying away.
Because the lake is surrounded by a mountain ridge, there are a couple of hours when neither the sun nor the moon is visible in the sky. Honestly, I have never seen such a sky — it’s an ideal place for an observatory. At dawn, wherever you look, you can see studies reminiscent of Nicholas Roerich’s works. It’s stunningly beautiful.