Jalal-Abad (Kyrgyzstan)
The city of Jalal-Abad is the administrative center of the Jalal-Abad region and the third largest city in Kyrgyzstan. Tourists are attracted by a variety of mineral springs and therapeutic mud. According to legend, there was a source of Chashma-Ayub (“Job’s source”), which was visited by the prophet Ayub (biblical Job). Many of the sources are known from the II century. BC. and are considered sacred. At a distance of 5 km from the city there is a resort complex “Jalal-Abad”.
In the Jalal-Abad region on the southwestern slopes of the Fergana and Chatkal ridges of South Kyrgyzstan within 800-2100 m above sea level are located the world’s largest massifs of walnut-fruit forests. In these forests, there are up to 130 species of trees and shrubs, including walnuts, pistachios, almonds, pears, apple trees, cherry plums, and currants. The forests are multi-layered, with a variety of shrub undergrowth. The productivity of walnut forests is quite high. There are individual trees that yield up to 200-400 kg of nuts per year. The age of these old-timer trees exceeds 800 years, and their height reaches 30 m with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m.
The most famous recreation area is called “Arstanbap (Arslanbob)” and is located 70 km from the city of Jalal-Abad at the foot of Weber Peak in the Babash-Ata ridge. Here you can see the small and large waterfalls, 35 and 80 m high respectively. On the opposite side of the Babash-Ata massif, in the valley of the Chon-Kerei River, a small but very beautiful lake Kutman-Kol comfortably hid in the frame of a juniper forest. On the north-eastern side of the Isfandzhailau ridge, located next to the Babash-Ata ridge, at an altitude of 1900 m, there is Lake Kara-Suu, where fishing is very popular.
Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve, located in the spurs of the Chatkal Tien Shan Range in the Jalal-Abad region. It was organized in 1959 to protect the walnut-fruit forests. The lower boundary of the reserve passes at an altitude of 1200 m above sea level, the highest point is 4247 m (Mount Mustor). The largest of the lakes (507 hectares) and the most famous is Sary-Chelek. More than 1000 species of plants grow in the reserve, up to a height of 2100 m forests of walnut and apple trees predominate. At an altitude of 2100-3000 m there is a subalpine belt, including fir and spruce forests, higher – forb-cereal meadows. Some areas of walnut-fruit forests are a kind of geobotanical museums, they combine tree species typical of Siberia and different places of the Tien Shan. There are many waterfowl on the lakes in spring and autumn.
Mausoleum Shah-Fazil, which is located in the Jalal-Abad region near the village of Safid-Buland, has no analogues in the architecture of the Karakhanid period among the monuments of the 11th century, of which very few have survived. Its interior is especially unique, covered with carved ganch from floor to ceiling. Mount Archa-Mazar, towering nearby, is a Muslim shrine for the entire Ferghana Valley, the spiritual value of the people.
Karakol (Kyrgyzstan)
According to THEDRESSEXPLORER, Karakol is the administrative center of the Issyk-Kul region. The city is located at the mouth of the Karakol River in the eastern part of the Issyk-Kul depression, at the foot of the Terskey Ala-Too at an altitude of 1770 m above sea level. The city is located just 13 km from the coast of Issyk-Kul Lake. Karakol is connected with the capitalby a good quality highway 403 km long.
The sights of Karakol include a memorial complex-museum with the grave of the Russian traveler and explorer of Central Asia N.M. Przhevalsky and a monument located 12 km from the city, on the high shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. It is worth visiting the city park with unique alleys of Tien Shan firs, founded by a military doctor and an active public figure N.M. Barsov in 1895. In Karakol, a Dungan mosque built of wood in 1912 and a wooden Orthodox church of the last quarter of the 19th century have survived to this day. Karakol is famous for one of the largest bazaars in the country and many souvenir shops and shops.
Many mountain routes along the Central Tien Shan start from this city, and an alp camp operates in the upper reaches of the Karakol River in summer. From Karakol you can go to many of the most beautiful gorges on the northern slope of the Terskey Ala-Too ridge: Altyn-Arashan, Dzhety-Oguz, Jergalan, Ak-Suu, Chon-Kyzyl-Suu, Kereg-Tash and others. In almost every place there are springs of warm mineral waters that are good for health. Along the valley of the Karakol River, you can climb to the glacial lake Ala-Kol. Ski base “Karakol” is located 7 km from the city of Karakol in the forest zone at an altitude of 2300 m. More than 20 km of trails with a length of 400 m to 3.5 km are prepared for skiing here. The highest point of skiing is 3040m, the height difference is 800m.
