On our final day by lake Issyk-Kul, we first stopped in at Rukh-Ordo Cultural Center, which was dedicated to famous Kyrgyz author and ambassador Chinghiz Aitmatov. I unfortunately have not read any of Aitmatov’s works, which meant that the various abstract statues in the cultural center dedicated to his stories were not quite as meaningful to me as they could have been.
We stopped next (at my request) at a monument to the fallen during the Great Patriotic War. The relationship with World War Two here is an interesting one – they tend to prefer to call what we name WWII two separate wars: the Great Patriotic War between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and then everything that happened in Africa, Asia, and Western Europe as World War II.
Whatever you want to call it, this monument came equipped with a WWII-era towed anti-aircraft battery with a still-working mechanism for raising and lowering the gun. I have to say, I do not envy the soldiers who had to raise and lower it at speed to track aircraft – it was heavy! Being a nerd, I was incredibly jazzed about the fact that I was able to explore and experience this little piece of history before we went on our way.
Our final stop before we headed home was the petroglyph field at Cholpon-Ata. It was located in a giant field of boulders, probably a half-mile across, that stretched from the edge of the city straight into the mountains. Scientists believe that it was created several thousand years ago when an alpine lake’s natural dam broke and flooded into lake Issyk-Kul, leaving all these boulders behind on the way.
Since that event, people who have lived in the area have been drawing on them. Most of the petroglyphs depict different animals, including mountain goats, camels, deer, and dogs. Archeologists estimate that they date back around three thousand years, if not slightly more. Some of them were really very clear, others not so much, but all give a good idea of what sorts of animals were around at the time and what life was like for the people of the area. I’m just amazed that they survived so long while fully exposed to the elements.
Nate in Bishkek 2021 