Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture - The Times Of Central Asia

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Asel Baibagysheva Becomes First Kyrgyz Woman to Climb Everest

Asel Baibagysheva has made history as the first Kyrgyz woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. She reached the 8,849-meter summit on May 11, and safely descended to base camp the following day, planting the Kyrgyz national flag at the top of the world. Baibagysheva’s achievement was swiftly recognized by Kyrgyzstan’s leadership. On May 12, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliyev personally congratulated her via video link. “On behalf of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, and myself, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this historic ascent,” he said. “Your success is an inspiring example for everyone, demonstrating the ability of Kyrgyzstanis to reach any height. It fills us with pride in our country.” Kasymaliyev praised Baibagysheva for her courage, resilience, and high level of professionalism, noting that completing the climb in 54 hours was not only a personal milestone but also a moment of national significance. Baibagysheva responded by expressing her sense of responsibility in representing Kyrgyzstan on Everest. “I felt a special duty to my country with every step I took toward the summit,” she said. With eight years of mountaineering experience, Baibagysheva has previously summited some of the most challenging peaks in Kyrgyzstan and beyond. Her accomplishments include Lenin Peak (7,134 m), Khan Tengri (7,010 m), and Pobeda Peak (7,439 m) in Kyrgyzstan, as well as Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in Russia’s Caucasus region. She was also the first Kyrgyz woman to climb Manaslu in Nepal, the world’s eighth highest mountain, reaching its 8,163-meter summit. Baibagysheva now joins an elite group of Kyrgyz climbers who have reached Everest. Eduard Kubatov became the second Kyrgyz man to summit Everest in May 2021, following in the footsteps of Dmitry Grekov, who achieved the feat in 1997.

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Top Kyrgyz Heart Surgeon Warns of Critical Infrastructure Shortfalls Costing Lives

Prominent heart surgeon Kaldarbek Abdramanov has issued a stark warning about the dire state of cardiac care in Kyrgyzstan, stating that thousands of lives are being lost due to the lack of adequate medical infrastructure. His urgent appeal, posted on Facebook, has sparked widespread public concern. Abdramanov emphasized that while Kyrgyz cardiac surgeons have performed more than 70,000 heart surgeries since the country’s first operation in 1959, systemic failures are now threatening the field’s progress. “Although we do not yet perform heart transplants, which is every cardiac surgeon’s dream, this is due to a lack of proper infrastructure and equipment, not knowledge,” he wrote. The surgeon recalled a fire last winter at the Research Institute of Heart Surgery and Organ Transplantation, which left the facility severely damaged. Since then, staff have been working in makeshift, substandard conditions not suited for complex procedures. He criticized the international aid programs targeted at the center as largely symbolic, offering little real assistance. “We are the students and followers of the great Isa Akhunbaev. We’ve conducted 70,000 heart surgeries and perform nearly all procedures that clinics in Europe and the U.S. do. We have the expertise and the specialists, but not the environment to support our work,” Abdramanov stated. He called for the urgent construction of a new, modern cardiology complex with at least 250 beds. “Yes, such facilities are expensive. But no cost is higher than the lives of hundreds or thousands of citizens who die each year due to the absence of this kind of center,” he warned. Abdramanov also voiced frustration with foreign medical missions, accusing them of offering superficial support. “They come and perform basic surgeries that our young specialists could handle. They don’t teach us new technologies and they don’t leave behind any equipment. This is not real help,” he said. His remarks come amid political fallout in the health sector. President Sadyr Japarov recently publicly criticized Health Minister Erkin Chechebaev for failing to manage the country's hospitals effectively. The president was informed that 24 children with critical heart conditions are awaiting surgery, with three deaths reported in recent days.

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Central Asian Perspectives Take Center Stage in Milan

A pale Milanese dawn draped the city in shifting greys, as visitors crossed the threshold into the space of Fondazione Elpis, a foundation created to promote dialogue with emerging geographies and young artists. This time, it was Central Asian artists who were in the spotlight, claiming a shared history fractured by Soviet rule and global currents. The show YOU ARE HERE: Central Asia redraws a regional map, allowing artists to redraw the borders of their belonging beyond nation-states. At the same time, it invites each visitor to relate to the works by locating its place within these stitched, erased, and reconfigured narratives. Curators Dilda Ramazan and Aida Sulova orchestrated twenty-seven artists into a living constellation: from Munara Abdukakharova’s rolled patchwork, its golden hammer-and-sickle motifs softened by the hand-stitched curves of Kyrgyz kurak korpe, to Vyacheslav Akhunov’s furious erasures of scraped notes, the show reassembled in unexpected patterns stories of resilience, resistance, and reimagined belonging. YOU ARE HERE not only reframed Central Asia for a European audience but asserted that the region’s histories are neither static nor singular, they are stitched, erased, reconfigured, and claimed anew by the very people who live them. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Kazakh curator, Dilda Ramazan. [caption id="attachment_31541" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] "YOU ARE HERE. Central Asia", installation view, primo piano, Fondazione Elpis, Milano © Fabrizio Vatieri Studio[/caption] TCA: Can you tell us about the genesis of the show? The show emerged after the invitation of the Fondazione Elpis, whose founder, Marina Nissim, became interested in the region and its artists after seeing one of the Central Asian pavilions at the Venice Biennale. By presenting the complex Central Asian landscape to a European public who might not know it very well, we wanted to give artists the platform for free expression without framing the region from the stereotypical perspective, as is often the case in the Western context. We wanted the artists to reflect on the idea of space and belonging through the idea of locating oneself. TCA: Do you feel there is a growing awareness of Central Asia in Europe? Yes, I can feel and see it, but it is a natural process one should expect within the logic of globalization. The exhibition addressed the impact of Soviet and post-Soviet transitions on the cultural identities of Central Asian nations by showcasing artists of several generations. Some of them had a direct experience of living under the Soviet regime, so again the artists spoke for themselves and the region’s past through their works. [caption id="attachment_31542" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Emil Tilekov, Traces and Shadows, 2024 © Fabrizio Vatieri Studio[/caption] TCA: How is the theme of migration explored in the exhibition, particularly concerning its economic and emotional implications for Central Asian communities? Migration was one of the key aspects evoked in the show because it is still an experience lived by the artists and/or their relatives and families. Two Kyrgyz artists, for example, raised this issue in their projects. This was the case in the video by Chingiz...

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May Day in Central Asia: From Soviet Parades to a Celebration of Unity

In Soviet times, May 1 and 2 were public holidays. May 1 was International Workers' Day, marked by large-scale parades celebrating the proletariat, while May 2 served as a day to recuperate before returning to work. Today, three of the five Central Asian republics have preserved the tradition of celebrating May Day, effectively marking the arrival of spring twice, once through Central Asian customs – Nauryz - and again through European ones. Workers of the world, unite! Coined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto, this famous communist slogan once appeared on the coats of arms of the Soviet Union and its republics. International Workers' Day became the living embodiment of this phrase. Celebrated on 1 May, May Day began as a European festival of spring but gained global significance through the labor movement. The Second International, formed at the 1889 International Workers Congress in Paris, called for an annual demonstration advocating an eight-hour workday. The date honors the U.S. general strike that started on 1 May 1886 and led to the tragic Haymarket massacre on 4 May. The date became a powerful symbol of working-class solidarity and a yearly tradition across large swathes of the globe. [caption id="attachment_31352" align="aligncenter" width="1174"] Soviet-era poster for International Workers' Day[/caption] Before the Bolsheviks came to power, political agitators in the Russian Empire used May 1 to call for change with slogans such as “Down with the Tsar” and “Give us freedom.” After the October Revolution, May 1 and 2 became official state holidays, with May Day becoming synonymous with International Workers' Day and mandatory parades. Unlike the more formal and solemn celebrations honoring the October Revolution, however, May Day events were often met with genuine enthusiasm. After the collapse The fall of the USSR brought about a widespread reevaluation of Soviet holidays. The celebration of the October Revolution on November 7 was widely discarded, but many post-Soviet republics retained May 1 as a public holiday, albeit with new interpretations and meanings. In Central Asia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan do not officially celebrate May 1. Turkmenistan has developed a distinct holiday calendar, while in Uzbekistan, May 1 is observed symbolically as the Day of Fountains. [caption id="attachment_31353" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Day of Fountains, Tashkent; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] Though celebrations are more modest and it is no longer officially a day off, Tajikistan has retained the holiday’s Soviet-era name, International Workers’ Day. Some traditions, such as honoring outstanding workers, persist. Kyrgyzstan calls the holiday Labor Day, in line with its American equivalent. It is marked by festive events and activities organized by trade unions. Kazakhstan has taken a different approach, reimagining May Day as the Day of Unity of the People of Kazakhstan. The name reflects the country’s emphasis on stability and interethnic harmony, a model promoted by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, an institution established on March 1, 1995, at the initiative of the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Since 2016, March 1 has also been celebrated as Thanksgiving...

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Kyrgyzstan Triples Blood Donation Compensation to Boost Supplies

The Kyrgyz government has tripled financial compensation for blood donors in a move aimed at securing adequate blood supplies for hospitals nationwide. The decision marks the first increase in donor payments since 2009. According to a government statement, the new policy is designed to promote blood donation, enhance the quality of medical care, and ensure consistent availability of blood and its components for hospitalized patients. “Despite technological advances, donated blood and its components remain an indispensable national resource,” officials noted. Under the updated compensation scheme, blood donors will now receive 800 Kyrgyz som, or approximately $9-10, in addition to a free meal on the day of donation. This represents a significant increase from the previous 300 KGS ($3-4). Double immune plasma donations will now be compensated at 1,600 KGS (about $18). Meeting Demand, Especially in Emergencies Representatives of the Republican Blood Center told The Times of Central Asia that while there is generally an adequate supply of blood across the country, occasional shortages occur, particularly with rare blood types and negative Rhesus factors. In such cases, hospitals may issue public appeals via media outlets to solicit donations. “At the moment, we are meeting the needs of all patients. However, certain blood types remain in limited supply. These are usually rare groups with a negative Rhesus factor,” a spokesperson from the center said. “The increased compensation is not only to encourage more people to donate but also to support their health. Donors need to eat well on the day they give blood, and proper nutrition supports faster recovery.” The center publishes up-to-date data on blood availability by region on its official website. Funding for the enhanced donor compensation is being drawn from the state budget, with additional support from a dedicated special account for blood donation programs.

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Kyrgyzstan Prepares for First-Ever Ultramarathon Around Lake Issyk-Kul

Kyrgyzstan is set to host its first-ever ultramarathon around Issyk-Kul Lake, one of the world’s largest high-altitude lakes, between May 5 and 10. The event, titled the 1st Issyk Kul Six-Day Challenge, is billed as the world’s longest six-stage foot race, covering a total distance of 460 kilometers. The ultramarathon will take place over six days and six grueling stages: 90 km, 74 km, 87 km, 85 km, 79 km, and 45 km. Participants will race on a mix of asphalt, gravel roads, and dirt trails at elevations reaching up to 2,000 meters above sea level. Participation is capped at 100 runners. The racecourse has been carefully planned not only to circumnavigate the entire lake but also to showcase some of Kyrgyzstan’s most dramatic landscapes, including the otherworldly Fairy Tale Canyon and the striking rock formations of the Seven Bulls. “Issyk-Kul has been a place of power for many great marathoners, including Olympic champion Valentina Egorova and Olympic bronze medalist Satymkul Dzhumanazarov,” said Alex Golowin, Race Director and Head Coach at Running Expert. “We at Running Expert have been coming here for years to train for both marathons and ultras. The working altitude, mild weather, food familiar to Europeans, and the stunning nature make training here not only effective but also inspiring.” Organizers hope the event will help establish Kyrgyzstan as an emerging destination for sports tourism, drawing endurance athletes from around the world to the heart of Central Asia.