Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Ecotourism

Ecotourism Revenues More Than Double as Visitor Numbers Rise in Kyrgyzstan

Ecotourism in Kyrgyzstan is gaining momentum, with revenues from visits to specially protected natural areas more than doubling in 2025, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision. Total revenue reached approximately $431,000, marking a 105% year-on-year increase. The surge reflects growing interest in nature-based tourism. In 2025, more than 271,000 tourists visited Kyrgyzstan’s nature reserves and national parks, a 24% increase compared with the previous year. Domestic tourism remains the main driver. Around 250,500 visitors were Kyrgyz citizens, while the number of foreign tourists also continued to rise steadily. Protected natural areas now cover 7.38% of Kyrgyzstan’s territory. The system includes 10 state nature reserves, covering 509,900 hectares, and 13 state nature parks with a total area of 724,900 hectares. These areas are designated to preserve unique ecosystems, biodiversity, and rare or endangered species. Among the most prominent sites are the Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO-recognised area known for its alpine lake; the Issyk-Kul State Nature Reserve; and Ala-Archa National Park, located near Bishkek and popular with both local residents and international visitors. In April 2025, Kyrgyzstan launched the Ak Ilbirs (Snow Leopard) Ecological Corridor in the Issyk-Kul region, a major conservation initiative aimed at protecting endangered wildlife. The corridor spans more than 792,000 hectares and connects several key protected areas, including Khan-Tengri State Nature Park, Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve, and Naryn Nature Reserve. The project is intended to provide a safe habitat for snow leopards and other vulnerable species, while promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. Growth in ecotourism is being accompanied by broader environmental initiatives. Under the national “Jashyl Muras” (Green Heritage) campaign, Kyrgyzstan is implementing reforestation and landscaping programmes in protected areas. In 2025 alone, more than 25,200 tree saplings were planted across 39 hectares, contributing to the restoration of natural ecosystems. Officials say that efforts to expand conservation areas, improve tourism infrastructure, and promote sustainable travel are helping position Kyrgyzstan as an increasingly attractive destination for environmentally conscious travelers.

Internet

Global Internet Freedom Rankings: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan Far Ahead of Eurasian Neighbors

The 2026 Global Internet Freedom Rankings, published this week by the research agency Cloudwards, have revealed that the five countries of Central Asia have significantly less internet censorship than all of their Eurasian neighbors. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan’s online environments emerge as particularly encouraging cases. Cloudwards defines internet censorship as the banning or restricting of online content or services, such as social media platforms, VPN apps, and certain political or religious messaging. It also covers the more welcome deletion of harmful content. Censorship can be done by governments, or initiated by a country’s internet service providers and other businesses. The internet freedom rankings do not measure state censorship per se. Cloudwards' research scored 171 countries on a scale of 0-100, rating their overall levels of internet censorship using five key criteria: torrenting availability; adult content accessibility; social media platforms; access to varied political and religious content; and VPN regulations. Eleven nations returned the highest score of 92, including New Zealand, Belgium and Timor Leste. While North Korea scored 0, the next four worst countries for internet censorship – each scoring just 4 – all border Central Asia: China, Pakistan, Iran and Russia. Tajikistan’s score of 56, while only middling in the global context, means that its internet is subject to significantly less interference than almost anywhere in the wider Eurasia region. The Times of Central Asia reported last year that the country has repealed a law that allowed citizens to be prosecuted for ‘liking’ posts on social media that are critical of the government. The only Eurasian country to rival Tajikistan is its northern neighbor Kyrgyzstan, which has the second freest internet in Central Asia, scoring 52 in Cloudwards' ranking. For comparison, 52 is also the overall score given to the United Kingdom and Brazil. Kazakhstan scored 36 – above Singapore and South Korea, which both received a mark of 32. Uzbekistan scored 24. While Turkmenistan’s mark of 16 places it firmly among the world’s worst countries for internet censorship, this is nonetheless higher than countries including India and Turkey (both 12). Turkmen netizens still experience fewer restrictions than internet users in the aforementioned China, Pakistan, Iran and Russia. The authors of the Cloudwards report, British editors Kit Copson and Sandra Pattison, commented: "The reasons behind online censorship range from protecting people targeted by hate speech to quelling political dissent. In especially restrictive locations, censorship and internet monitoring are tools commonly to control narratives." They added: "The consequences for breaching government-imposed censorship laws depend on the country. They could include fines or even arrest or imprisonment for those in highly restrictive locations."

Labor Migration

Private Employment Agencies Expand Overseas Recruitment of Kyrgyz Migrants

Private recruitment agencies that arrange overseas employment for Kyrgyz citizens contributed about $230,000 in tax payments to the state budget last year, according to data published on the Open Budget portal. At the same time, some migrants say that working conditions abroad do not always match the promises made by intermediaries. Kyrgyz media report that 159 companies in the country currently hold official licences to facilitate employment abroad. While Russia remains the main destination for labor migration, interest in jobs in Europe and Southeast Asia has increased in recent years. Kyrgyz citizens can seek employment abroad through the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration, which has intergovernmental agreements with several countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Slovakia, and South Korea. However, many migrants continue to use private agencies, citing faster processing times and a broader choice of destinations. According to official information, licensed companies offer employment opportunities in 26 countries, with the largest number of permits issued for sending workers to Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Germany, and the Baltic states. Migrant experience One Kyrgyz migrant, Nurbek Nogoibayev, said he decided to seek work in Europe for the first time after previously working in Kazakhstan and participating in a Work and Travel programme in the United States. A welder by profession, he said a Bishkek-based agency offered him a factory job in Kaunas, Lithuania. “They promised inexpensive housing, a two-year residence permit, and stable work. I had an interview via WhatsApp, and since I speak English and Russian and have experience, they quickly accepted me,” he told The Times of Central Asia. After completing paperwork, obtaining a visa, and paying for travel, he arrived in Lithuania three months later. According to Nogoibayev, the contract signed in Bishkek specified a salary of €5.5 per hour with the possibility of gradual increases. However, he said he was asked to sign a new contract with different conditions upon arrival. He also reported higher housing costs than initially promised and changes to his working schedule, including a six-day work week and mandatory night shifts without additional compensation. When he contacted the agency in Bishkek, he said he was told it could not assist further. Nogoibayev added that he cannot easily change jobs. According to his understanding of local regulations, foreign workers are required to remain with their first employer for a certain period before switching employment, or risk losing their residence permit. He also said that leaving earlier could result in financial penalties. “I would like to work overtime to earn more, but that is not possible,” he said. Calls for oversight Cases such as this have prompted discussion about the need for stronger oversight of private recruitment agencies and improved protection of Kyrgyz citizens working abroad. Observers note that while overseas employment provides an important source of income for many households, disputes over contracts and working conditions remain a recurring concern.

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team will be discussing a series of major developments across the region, from unusual trade figures linking Afghanistan and Central Asia to the expansion of border fencing and fortifications between two Central Asian states. We also look at the arrest of one country's anti-corruption chief on corruption charges, the suspicious death in custody of a man accused of attempted assassination, and Kazakhstan's shifting position on peacekeeper commitments in the Middle East. The episode also explores Turkmenistan's growing role in assisting foreign evacuations out of Iran, before turning to the main story: the war in Iran and the implications it may have for Central Asia, alongside renewed fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan in some of the heaviest clashes seen since the U.S. withdrawal. On the show this week: Stephen M. Bland (The Times of Central Asia).

Turkic Languages

Uzbek Scholar Proposes Unified Writing System for Turkic Languages

Across the Turkic-speaking world, debates over language policy and writing systems are gaining renewed importance. More than 300 million people across Eurasia speak Turkic languages, yet they use different scripts, Cyrillic, Latin, and Arabic. Uzbek scholar Bakhtiyor Karimov argues that this diversity of alphabets weakens cultural and intellectual connections among Turkic societies. Karimov, a linguist and professor who helped develop the pan-Turkic auxiliary language Ortaturk, is an academician of the Turon Academy of Sciences and director of its Ortaturk Language Research Institute. Together with Shoahmad Mutalov, he developed the concept of the Ortaturk language. In this interview, he discusses the challenges posed by alphabet diversity, his proposal for a new writing model, and his view that language policy is closely linked to political and geopolitical developments. A fragmented writing landscape Karimov describes alphabet diversity as one of the most serious challenges facing Turkic-speaking communities. “Roughly thirty Turkic languages exist,” he said. “About twenty use the Cyrillic alphabet, three use the Latin alphabet, two are transitioning toward Latin, and many communities still rely on the Arabic script. In numerical terms, around 100 million Turkic speakers use Arabic, another 100 million use Latin, and another 100 million use Cyrillic.” The situation has deep historical roots. Over the past century, shifting political systems and state policies have shaped the writing traditions of Turkic languages. As a result, speakers of closely related languages often find it difficult to read each other’s texts. For example, Uyghurs in China write using the Arabic script, while Uzbeks in Afghanistan also rely on Arabic-based writing. In Uzbekistan, both Cyrillic and Latin scripts are used. Azerbaijani communities in Iran use the Arabic script, whereas Azerbaijan employs a Latin-based alphabet. Most Turkic languages within Russia continue to use Cyrillic. Karimov also notes legal constraints. He points to Russian legislation requiring languages used in official contexts to employ the Cyrillic alphabet, arguing that this limits the ability of Turkic-speaking communities in Russia to adopt Latin scripts even if they wish to do so. “About twenty Turkic peoples living in Russia are effectively restricted to Cyrillic,” he said. Meanwhile, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan have fully adopted Latin alphabets. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are gradually transitioning, although the process has been uneven. Kyrgyzstan continues to rely primarily on Cyrillic. “All of this means that the Turkic world is linguistically connected but graphically divided,” Karimov said. Efforts toward a common alphabet Recognizing this challenge, the Organization of Turkic States established a working group of linguists to explore the creation of a unified Turkic alphabet. Experts from Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey participated in the initiative. “They worked together for about two years and produced a draft proposal,” Karimov said. “However, the project remains under discussion and has not yet been formally adopted. Ultimately, political leaders must reach a consensus.” Karimov believes the draft proposal contains technical shortcomings, particularly in how certain sounds are represented. “In some cases, a single phoneme is represented by more than one graphic symbol,” he said. “From a computational...

Kyrgyz Art

Munara Abdukakharova: Stories of Art, Identity, and Political Memory from Kyrgyzstan

A yellow hammer-and-sickle symbol is sewn onto black, yellow, blue and red mattresses in Up on Manas, down on Sovetskaya, a powerful artwork by artist Munara Abdukakharova presented last year at Fondazione Elpis in Milan. Inspired by the traditional kurak korpe (the hand-stitched patchwork cushions and mattresses that roll up like futons), the piece reimagines a familiar domestic object as a carrier of collective memory for Central Asian migrants, often the most tangible material link to home. Born in 1990 in Bishkek, just one year before Kyrgyzstan declared independence from the Soviet Union, Abdukakharova belongs to a generation that grew up during a profound political and cultural transition. The lingering Soviet legacy, the rise of nationalism, increasing religious influence, and the pressures of global capitalism all intersect in her work, which frequently draws on textiles, felt, and everyday objects rooted in local culture. “The art I make is mostly narrative, based on my everyday life, and depicts broader social issues in Kyrgyzstan,” says Abdukakharova from her home in Bishkek, from where she realizes most of her work. A finalist of the B. Bubikanova Art Prize, Abdukakharova works across embroidery, printmaking, photography, and installation. Speaking to The Times of Central Asia, she reflects on her path from architecture to contemporary art, the political realities shaping life in Bishkek, and the role artists play in questioning the direction of a young nation. TCA: You often describe your artistic practice as emerging from observation and your everyday experience. Did you grow up in a family that was into art? Abdukakharova: Not at all. All the members of my family are pharmacists, and while my parents wanted me to go to medical school, I couldn’t; I’m really scared of blood! (laughs) I went to an architectural school instead. I didn’t draw as a child, but I remember really liking to dismantle objects, whether it was toys or even a chair, furniture, and trying to put it back again… something I still love to do. The passion for drawing came only later on, in high school. TCA: Your decision to study architecture in Bishkek came at a time when many young people in Kyrgyzstan still looked toward Russia for their education. Could you describe the circumstances that led you to that choice and the cultural expectations surrounding it? Abdukakharova: When I finished high school in 2008, studying in Moscow was still seen as the best option. Unlike how it is today, growing up in Bishkek, there was a strong belief that anything coming from the former Soviet Union was inherently good. The teacher who helped me prepare university applications only suggested schools in Moscow or St. Petersburg; other countries were never really discussed, even though I already spoke English quite fluently. Looking back, I realize how dominant that perspective was at the time. I took a gap year, thinking that I could go to an art school later, maybe the Moscow Surikov State Academic Institute of Fine Arts. In the end, my parents didn’t let...