THE Spektator №16 March 2011

Your monthly guide to what’s happening in and around Bishkek

Seven
years on

Silk Road
the

Plus:
An Ode to
Manas
It’s Not
Hollywood
Travels in
Turkestan

. .
Tourist Map What’s On Restaurant Guide

ContentsThe Spektator Magazine
Founder: Tom Wellings
Managing Editor: Chris Rickleton
(editor@thespektator.co.uk)
Staff writers: Robert Marks (rmarks@
thespektator.co.uk), Dennis Keen
(denniskeen@thespektator.co.uk),
Holly Myers, Evan Harris,
Patrick Barrow, Pavel Kropotkin
Anthony Butts (anthonybutts@
thespektator.co.uk), Sergey Vysotsky
Guest Contributor: Vladimir Petrov
Design: Aleka Claire
Advertising Manager: Irina Kasymova
(email: advertise@thespektator.co.uk)
www.thespektator.co.uk
Want to contribute as a freelance
writer? Please contact:
editor@thespektator.co.uk
The Spektator Magazine is available at locations throughout Bishkek, including: (Travel Agencies) Adventure Seller, Ak-Sai Travel, Carlson Wagonlit, Celestial Mountains, Ecotour, Glavtour,Kyrgyz Concept,
Kyrgyz Travel, Muza, NoviNomad (Bars & Restaurants) Cowboy, Hollywood, Metro, New York Pizza, No1, 2x2, Boulevard, Coffeehouse, Doka, Fatboy’s, Four Seasons, Live Bar, Lounge Bar,
Meri, Navigator, Stary Edgar’s Veranda, Adriatico, Cyclone, Dolce Vita, Santa Maria, Golden Bull (Casinos) Europa, Golden Dragon, XO (Hotels) Dostuk, Hyatt, Golden Dragon, Holiday, Alpi-
nist (Embassies and Organisations) The UN building, The American base, The German Embassy, The Dutch Consulate, CAMP Ala-too, NCCR, The Bishkek Opera & Ballet Society.
THE
Focus
It’s not Hollywood
A brief, entertaining look at the archives
belonging to the state film production
company. Guided tours are available.
Possibly.
16
Seven Years on the Silk Road
Christopher Aslan Alexander endured
18
ups and downs as manager of a silk
carpet weaving cooperative in Khiva,
Uzbekistan. This month Spektator founder
Tom Wellings gets the scoop on his book
A Carpet Ride to Khiva, as well as the
author’s impressions of the Uzbek state
and the stereotype sneakiness of Khiva’s
timeless rivals, the Bukharans.
This Month
News and Views
Trolleybuses, nuclear radiation and canine
4
assassinations - all legacies of the Soviet
Union. Still, at least in those days a wheel
of lepyoshka was affordable. We round up
the month’s news for our readers.
Out & About
The Land Time Forgot
The Spektator’s partners in crime the
8
Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan bomb off to
southern Kazakhstan for a whistlestop tour
of the country’s distant past, discovering
unspoilt gems along the dusty, arid steppe.
Ode to Manas
In Kyrgyzstan the national hero Manas
10
pops up in the most unexpected places.
Dennis Keen reports on an afternoon of
ethnographic-architectural weirdness.
The Guide
Restaurants, Bars, Clubs
All the best bars and clubs in town.
22
City Map
Don’t get lost. 25
What’s On
The pick of the entertainment listings. 26
ON THE COVER: A silk carpet pattern employing the
colours traditional to Uzbek handicrafts (C.A. Alexander)
Spektator
.co.uk
The Spektator is now online at www.thespektator.co.uk
 4 This Month
In Bishkek, the Mayor’s Office is Still Shooting Dogs
BISHKEK, March 8 (Kloop.info)
An online petition against the plans of Bishkek au-
thorities to shoot up to 10,000 stray dogs won sup-
port from over 1,000 people in over 50 countries
around the world on the first morning of its exist-
ence. The Kyrgyz authorities challenged petitioners
to feed the animals themselves.
The organizer of the campaign, American
organization Care2.com, headed the petition ad-
dressed to President of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otun-
bayeva.
“There are many programs, spay neuter pro-
grams and building shelters for the dogs,” Care2.
com wrote in the petition.
Referring to a representative of the Mayor’s Of-
fice, the organization said that “a team of 10 shoot-
ers” are engaged in the canine assassinations morn-
ing and night.
“Please let President Roza Otunbayeva of Kyr-
gyzstan know that this action of shooting 10,000
dogs is barbaric and there are other ways to prevent
small hours of the morning in the presence of repre- One is the World Veterinary Service (WVS), a UK
the massive killings,” write the campaign organizers.
sentatives of the Municipal Territorial Council (MTC). based charity that has reached out to retired Ser-
At the end of the morning on which the pe-
Azamat Bayymbekov, an official at the Lenin bian dancing bears and Egypt’s post-revolutionary
tition went online, February 20th almost 1,000
District branch of the MTU, says shooting occurs strays in recent times. Having made contact with
people had already signed the petition, with Kyr-
weekly, on Wednesdays. “Upon request, the staff concerned citizens earlier in the month, WVS is now
gyzstani citizens beginning to put their names to
shoot about three or four dogs in one day,” Bayym- seeking a local coordinator to establish a channel
the document by noon. A little more than a quarter
bekov told Kloop.kg. of communication between themselves and the
of the first thousand signatories were U.S. residents.
A bone of hope? Mayor’s office.
In second place with just under 10 per cent
were dog-lovers from South America’s most popu- Since Care2.com’s petition was launched, other
lous country, Brazil. The top five by country also in- western NGOs have been contacted by locals in ef- To make a donation to WVS, or read more about the
forts to lobby Bishkek over the dog shootings. work they do, visit www.wvs.org.
cluded residents of Portugal, the UK and Germany.
In total, residents from over 50 countries, including
some as distant from Kyrgyzstan as Uruguay, Co-
lombia and New Zealand, signed the petition. Kyrgyzstan in brief
Some signatories left comments: “Stop the
madness!” says Rita Schulz of New York, “So much
suffering, so much senseless stupid violence.”
Kyrgyzstan ranks 79th in Envi- Obama and Otunbayeva talk
Julie O’Donnell from Australia made an ap- ronmental Performance Index Transit Center
peal to the humanity of the Kyrgyz President. “Dear BISHKEK – March 10 (24.kg) - According to an WASHINGTON DC - March 9 (Kloop.info) – Presi-
Madam President Otunbayeva!” she writes. “Please Environmental Performance Index (EPI), com- dents of the United States and Kyrgyzstan held
consider what you’re doing and look for possible piled by researchers from Yale and Columbia an unscheduled meeting on March 7 during
humane alternatives.” universities, Kyrgyzstan ranked 79th place, Rosa Otunbayeva’s trip to Washington. Obama
Reaction of the authorities ahead of all its Central Asian neighbours. Among said that the process of buying fuel for the tran-
A spokesperson of the President of Kyrgyzstan, the CIS countries, Belarus proved itself the most sit center will be “more transparent” in the future.
Almazbek Dzhumabaev, declined to make official environmentally sound in 53rd place, while Turk- The U.S. president additionally promised to
comment on the issue. He did, however, suggest menistan had the poorest showing -157th. “maximize the benefits to the Kyrgyz people” of
that petitioners feed the dogs themselves. Iceland, Switzerland, and Costa Rica topped the transit center.
“Let these people feed them,” he told a journal- the ranking, while Mauritania, Central African The two leaders also discussed the develop-
ist from Kloop.kg. Republic and Sierra Leone appeared near the ment of democracy in the country.
According to the department for pest control bottom. The EPI ranks 163 countries on 25 per- During the talks at the White House, Presi-
under the Mayor’s Office, ‘Tazalyk’, killing dogs is the formance indicators tracked across ten policy dent Obama stated the U.S. commitment to sup-
sad but inevitable result of a lack of funds for the categories covering both environmental public porting Kyrgyzstan in strengthening its demo-
construction and maintenance of dog kennels. health and ecosystem vitality. cratic transition.
Deputy chief of Tazalyk, Pavel Klimenko, said at
a press conference on February 15, that to capture
Kyrgyz Rights Activist Award- Kyrgyzstan’s football team
and maintain strays would cost an estimated 15 mil- ed Czech Human Rights Prize won’t be at London 2012
lion som. In the case of finding such funds, Tazalyk PRAGUE - March 9 (RFE/RL) - A prominent Uzbek BISHKEK March 10 (Kloop.info) – Kyrgyzstan’s Ol-
promises “measures”. rights activist jailed for life over last year’s deadly ympic football team played out a 0-0 draw with Iran
“Do not make barbarians of us,” pleaded Kli- violence in southern Kyrgyzstan has been awarded in the second leg of the first round of qualifying for
menko. “In accordance with the analysis, the dogs a Czech human rights prize. the summer Olympics in 2012.
[have litters] of four puppies. This year we plan a dif- Azimjan Askarov earned the 2011 Homo Homini As a consequence of the first leg in Tehran,
ferent approach and ask the owners not to dispose prize, awarded by Prague-based NGO, People In Need where Iran defeated the Central Asian side by a
of the puppies, or just to call us and we will try to (PIN). PIN leader Simon Panek said he had shown “un- score of 0:1, the country will not compete in the
make arrangements for them.” usual personal courage” in fighting for human rights football category in London.
Shooting on Wednesdays in extremely difficult conditions. Askarov’s son, Sher- The only goal over the two ties was scored in
The shooting of stray dogs is carried out by 10 gun- zod, received the award for his father at the opening the 33rd minute of the game in Tehran with a pre-
men, and hunting takes place after dusk and in the of the One World film festival in Prague. cise free-kick from dead-ball king Bakhtiar Rahmani.

March 2011 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk

 This Month 5
Kyrgyzstan’s Trolleybuses: Out with the Old, in with the New
CHRIS RICKLETON

BISHKEK, March 8 (Spektator)

It may not buy you a decent premiership football-
er these days, but for those interested in what 15
million euros fetches in the market for antiquated
public transport, they need look no further than
Bishkek for the answer: 200 trolleybuses.
These magnificent, silent vessels that cruise
across the capital like battered galleons breast-
ing concrete seas are to be upgraded, the press
service for the Mayor’s Office confirms.
The latest renewal of the fleet was paid for with
a fat grant from the European Bank for Reconstruc-
tion and Development (EBRD), and EU taxpayers
will be happy to know that their contributions are
ensuring a continuing peace of mind in Kyrgyzstan’s
largest city.
“I like to sit on a trolleybus, just to think,” says
Guliya, a university student who migrated to
Bishkek from Batken oblast two years ago. “The
noise and pace of Bishkek life is difficult for some-
Above The M2B-82 in front of the newly built Opera and Ballet Theatre circa 1950s (A.Sydykov)
one who comes from a village. Twenty minutes on a
trolleybus is enough time for me to clear my head.” Yet for some, the leisure gained is nothing likely to resemble the sort imported by the Kyrgyz
Indeed, the trolleybus is muted in its majesty, more than a lag too long, and at one point, it was government from Belarus last year. Although not
its happy hum barely audible to many of the pen- assumed that trolleybuses would be discarded in noticeably speedier, these space age-seeming pro-
sioners who ride it contentedly, watching the world post-Soviet Central Asia’s race to modernize. totypes are less wobbly than their forefathers, with
jog past its tin-rimmed windows as it crawls from Instead, the opposite is happening. Just as the trade-off of sounding out an irritating beep at
A to B, oblivious to the hustle and hurry afflicting Bishkek’s zero-emission contingent grows, with every stop.
other forms of transport. new routes slated to sleep-drive passengers be- Such vehicles will likely be operational by the
“Trolleybuses are romantic,” argues Bakit, a low- tween the city and the suburbs, the same process “fourth quarter of 2011”, according to the head of
ranking bureaucrat in the Ministry for Emergency is at work 300 km north in the glitzy Kazakh me- municipal trolleybus management, Gennady Melit-
Situations. “I met my wife on one. In marshrutkas tropolis of Almaty. sky. But what then of the older models?
there is so much aggression – people pushing and There too, along the smoothly tarmacked “Decommissioned vehicles will be dismantled
shoving each other. On the trolleys you actually roads that oil built, in the shadow of shiny skyscrap- into parts, which will then be used as spare parts,
have time to start a conversation with someone.” ers and billboards honouring the ‘Leader of the and the remainder sold for scrap metal,” Melitsky
And you can bet you’ll have time to finish it too. Nation’, a form of transport considered obsolete in said.
The Spektator recently took the liberty of timing a much of the Western world is expanding its writ, To quote the ancient Greek Heraclitus - who
trolleybus run from Sovietskaya street to the city’s once more with the help of the EBRD. never experienced the joys of riding a ZiU-9: “The
western Osh bazaar. The journey took 13 minutes However, Bishkek’s incoming fleet may leave only constant is change”.
and 53 seconds, compared to 9 minutes and 35 admirers of the old MTB-82, ZiU-5 and ZiU-9 Soviet-
seconds in a mini-van driven by a white-knuckled era models rather disappointed. Indeed, the new Cholpon Nurlanova of Kloop.kg contributed to this
maniac. trolleybuses currently being tendered for are more report

Kyrgyz MPs divided over the question of which revolution to celebrate

BISHKEK, March 10 (Kloop. info)
At a recent session of the Jogorku Kenesh, Social
Democrat (SPDK) MP Gulnara Zhamgyrchieva
raised the issue of transferring the day of the
people’s revolution from March 24 to April 7. Of
the MPs assembled, several opposed the idea.
According to Zhamgyrchieva, the 2010
coup saw rebels “knowingly and confidently” go
against the government of President Kurman-
bek Bakiev. The MP added that in contrast to
this spontaneous uprising, the events of March
2005, when the opposition led by Bakiev over-
threw first president Askar Akayev, represented
a “capture” of power by opposition politicians.
In favour of the suggestion to relocate the
“people’s revolution” holiday was fellow SPDK
MP Egemberdi Ermatov, although he stated that
the events of March 2005 could also “be consid-
ered a revolution.” Ermatov said he supported
a change in the calendar “because [the 2005
coup] did not yield any results.”
“After the March revolution, Bakiev was
brought to power, but he did not meet every-
one’s expectations. Now [is the time] for the
rebirth of the system. Parliament is working for
the people and our work is more transparent,”
Ermatov told Kloop.kg. The holiday was original-
ly introduced by President Kurmanbek Bakiev in
early 2006. According to a representative from
Ata-Meken, Ravshanbek Sabirov, there should
be holidays on both March 24 and April 7.
“I think that both events should be cel-
ebrated as days of national revolution and the
celebration of these days should be very careful,
since they were accompanied by so many vic-
tims,” said Sabirov.
Elmira Djumalieva, an MP from the Respub-
lika party, believes that the history of the coun-
try itself, “must prove” that April 7 was a day of
national revolution.
“It is not advisable to declare April 7 as a
holiday. Not enough time [has passed]. When
we begin to truly live and to raise the country’s
economy, then people will call the day a day of
revolution,” said Djumalieva.
The MP added that if the government pass-
es a proposal regarding April 7, then March 24
“should be repealed” as a holiday. “You need to
work more, rather than celebrate,” she lectured
her colleagues. The biggest opposition towards
the celebration of April 7 as a holiday came from
the ranks of opposition party, Ar-Namys. MP An-
war Artykov is against all celebrations of “revolu-
tionary” events in the country.
“How can you celebrate the bloodshed
that claimed so many victims?” Artykov asked.

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2011 The Spektator

 6 This Month
Kadji-Sai Uranium Tailings are a Serious Environmental Threat
SERGEY VYSOTSKY
KADJI SAI, March 14 (Spektator) - Uranium tail-
ings at the disused Kadji-Sai mine in the Issyk-Kul
region of Kyrgyzstan represent a real threat to in-
habitants of the region, environmental activists say.
In order to protect the population, activists have
placed warning signs, indicating “a zone of high ra-
diation” around the perimeter of the Kadji-Sai site.
“The tailings at Kadji Sai are the most problem-
atic [environmental] object in the Issyk-Kul region,”
Banuri Abdieva, coordinator of the Issyk-Kul Oblast
Environment Project told the Spektator on March 5.
According to Abdieva, in order to protect lo-
cal residents and tourists near the hazardous zone,
activists have installed three 2.5 x 4 m metal panels
with the inscription “Warning! Zone of increased ra-
diation”. MPs and the local village council provided
funds for the panels.
Abdieva added that it is necessary to convey
to all citizens of Kyrgyzstan their responsibility to
ensure environmental security in the country. Issyk-
Kul region should be protected in order that our
children and grandchildren may enjoy the gifts of
its nature, she said.
During the Soviet era the village of Kadji-Sai
was home to uranium and thorium mining facili-
ties which provided the raw materials to the Union’s
nuclear power plants. Development of uranium in
Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek Food Prices Soaring, Discontent Brews
CHOLPON OROZOBEKOVA
BISHKEK, March 3 (EurasiaNet.org)
With the approach of spring, Kyrgyzstan’s traditional
season for airing public grievances, food prices are
skyrocketing. Many now fear that rapid inflation
could spark fresh instability and street protests.
While some officials want to impose price controls,
economists warn that such action could foster
shortages.
Though caused by factors beyond Bishkek’s
control, such as a drought in Russia, a leading wheat
supplier, and a bad harvest in Kyrgyzstan last year
brought on by political and social instability, the rise
in prices is presenting a formidable challenge for
Kyrgyzstan’s shaky coalition government. The price
of wheat has jumped 54 percent since last June,
according to the World Bank. The United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization has identified
Kyrgyzstan as one of the countries most burdened
by the price hikes.
As an emergency measure, on February 17,
Deputy Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov sent a bill
to parliament asking legislators to remove import
duties on essentials such as meat, oil, flour, sugar
and rice, but MPs have not yet debated the meas-
ure. The State Antimonopoly Agency wants to take
efforts further, controlling prices on essential food-
stuffs, as well as on cement, coal, some medicines
and petroleum products.
Controls are necessary, argues the head of the
State Antimonopoly Agency, Baburbek Jeenbekov,
to battle collusion between importers and wholesal-
ers. Price manipulation, Jeenbekov suggested, was
one of the factors that are driving up consumer costs.
Under current legislation, “the only thing we
can do is speak to wholesalers and suppliers and
kindly ask them not to raise prices. Ideally, since
March 2011 The Spektator
Above The Kadji-Sai tailings are being brought to public attention (Sergey Vysotsky)
Kyrgyzstan began in the mid-1940s continuing un-
til 1968. As a result of the exploitation of uranium
deposits, septic tanks and tailings with a high con-
tent of uranium, thorium and other radioactive ele-
ments have remained in the village.
prices for petroleum products have decreased, the
prices for foodstuffs should decrease at least a little
bit,” Jeenbekov told EurasiaNet.org, referring to the
recent decrease in gasoline prices in Kyrgyzstan af-
ter the Kremlin lifted a tariff on petroleum products
bound for Kyrgyzstan. Since the removal of tariff,
prices have continued to rise.
Outside government, economists are aghast at
the idea of fixing prices. Keeping prices artificially
low will cause international suppliers to seek mar-
kets elsewhere, leading to a decrease in imports,
shortages, and even hoarding, all of which will
drive prices up further, they warn. Similar moves in
neighboring Tajikistan, where Dushanbe police are
patrolling markets to enforce bread prices, will not
have the desired effect, economists there fear.
Azamat Akeleev, director of Promotank HQA,
a market-research outfit in Bishkek, believes the
Antimonopoly Agency is hampered by the opaque
economy. The government must improve its under-
standing of markets in order to take action to break
the influence of cartels, involving suppliers, distribu-
tors and retailers, Akeleev said. At the same time, he
acknowledged that government intervention could
easily cross a line, harming the public interest. “They
[officials] should carry out their direct responsibili-
ties using better analysis and market intelligence,”
he said. “There is no legal basis for controlling gro-
cery prices in the market. In my opinion, any regula-
tion of prices will bring us shortages.”
Seventy percent of Kyrgyzstan’s economy
operates in the shadows, estimates economist Ai-
ylchy Sarybaev of the Kyrgyz National University in
Bishkek. “Kyrgyzstan’s market is wild, without regu-
lations. The government doesn’t have any instru-
ments for this, doesn’t even have information about
Of particular concern is the fact that the disused
Kadji-Sai mine is vulnerable to erosion, flooding and
mudslides, which lead to the ‘seep’ of radioactive
materials into Lake Issyk-Kul from the site. Kadji-Sai
is located on the lake’s southern shore.
how many companies and firms are supplying flour,
oil, sugar, how many companies are intermediaries,”
he said. The system, “serves corruption.”
Meanwhile, bakers say they are operating at
a loss because they are forced to sell through mid-
dlemen that, they assert, the government is afraid
to touch. On February 22, Akbar Atakeev, chairman
of the Kyrgyz Bakers’ Union called on the State An-
timonopoly Agency to help bakers set up shops to
distribute the bread directly to consumers. “We work
hard, but we are now at a loss without any help from
government,” he said. “How long can we suffer?”
Jeenbekov from the Antimonopoly Agency
says these tough times require radical measures
to ensure the supply of food, most of which is pro-
cured abroad. In 2010, Kyrgyzstan produced half
as much wheat as it did the previous year, he said,
citing political instability as the root cause of the
decline. He suggested Kyrgyz officials should work
with their counterparts in Kazakhstan to fix prices
on Kazakhstani imports bilaterally, rather than let-
ting individual traders or the market decide.
While parliament tries to decide what to do, pric-
es continue to soar. On February 24, local news agen-
cies reported that the price of bread had shot up 10
percent in a single day. In Osh, the epicenter of ethnic
violence last summer, Mayor Melisbek Myrzakmatov
warned on March 2 of increasing “public discontent”
due to break prices, Interfax reported.
“The economic situation is very hard; social
tension is very strong. The government must take
urgent measures to reduce tension in the society”
-- Temir Sariyev, the interim government’s former
finance minister, told EurasiaNet.org -- “even if it is
necessary to distribute bread free of charge to some
poor families.”
www.thespektator.co.uk
 8 Out & About
The Land
Time
Forgot
Those intrepid ramblers the Trekking Un-
ion of Kyrgyzstan never miss an oppor-
tunity for an adventure. This time round
their destination is southern Kazakhstan, a
long expanse of barren steppe and desert
interrupted only by the odd town, some
Bactrian camels and a series of preeminent
mausoleums.
Above While empires have risen and fallen,
Bactrian camels remain an eternal feature of
the steppe lands in southern Kazakhstan (all
photos Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan)
Above Right Sauran’s walls, in the process of
reconstruction, are a magnificent if somewhat
ghostly reminder of the city’s glorious past
Far Right With nomad warriors no longer
roaming southern Kazakhstan, the Karakurt
spider is now one of the steppe’s most lethal
predators
Next Page The Hodja Ahmed Yasawi towers
above all other structures along the road to
Turkestan. It is one of several mausoleums to
get the pulse racing on a trip to the region
March 2011 The Spektator
VLADIMIR PETROV AND DMITRI LUJANSIY
T
HE HISTORY OF the Central Asian re- arrived in Taraz by nightfall.
gion is a shattered mosaic. While some What a shame that much of this medieval city
of its shards are painted and glazed, is submerged under modern roads and Soviet-
preserved for all eternity, others have era architecture! As Kazakhstan’s development
decayed and crumbled into steppe and proceeds apace, there is little in the exterior of
desert, never to be unearthed again. The histori- contemporary Taraz to hint at the splendour of
an-traveller ponders these lost fragments with a its middle ages’ namesake. The city baths, in the
mixture of melancholy and excitement. He fills suburbs of the present-day settlement, are the
their voids with his own imagination, places him- most accessible remnant of the town’s former
self in the court of bygone despots, anticipates glory. The baths have been restored in the typi-
the rhythm of caravans laden with riches, and cal adobe style and are thus as close as possible
summons the terrific din of advancing armies. to the original in terms of composition. The fact
This exercise in fantasy brings him no closer to that they no longer operate is of incredible pity,
the truth, naturally. But the mesmerizing inter- as the dusty, arid climes of southern Kazakhstan
section of what is known and what is not, solid leave the traveller’s body in dire need of a long,
fact and shameless legend, lures him back to the soapy wash. The entrance fee here was nominal,
space where the mosaic began, to contemplate the experience itself unmemorable.
its half-spoken message once more.
The face that built a mausoleum
“Better to see once than hear a hundred times” Twenty kilometres west of Taraz, is a much more
The idea to visit the region of southern Kaza- evocative monument to the city’s past. Near the
khstan was more or less spontaneous. My friend village of the same name, the Aisha-Bibi mauso-
and colleague, archaeologist Dmitry Lujansiy, leum is a true treasure of the region, the construc-
had worked on digs in the region, and his exper- tion of which is shrouded in myth and mystery.
tise and companionship were to prove uniquely The facades on both the Aisha-Bibi and the Babaji
valuable in an itinerary that took in the Hodja Khatun are magnificent, but whereas the Babaji
Ahmed Yasawi mausoleum near Turkestan, Arys- Khatun is a “from scratch” restoration, the Aisha-
tan-Bab’s tomb by the ruins of Otrar, the mausole- Bibi was restored gradually using a mixture of old
ums of Aisha-Bibi and Babaji Khatun, the Sauran and new materials, at times encased in glass in or-
archaeological complex and Taraz, the country’s der to protect the monument from the elements.
sixth largest city. Dubbed “the pearl at the rim of love” by local
Taraz, the former ‘city of merchants’, would be residents, the Aisha-Bibi is the more eye-catching
our first stop. But before we arrived there we took of the two mausoleums and holds the greater ap-
a brief detour to a batch of petroglyph-bearing peal to a wandering romantic. “Autumn Clouds ...
rocks in the foothills of the Kyrgyz Alatau moun- the earth is beautiful” muses ornate Kufic script
tain range. Imprinted on these time-worn sur- engraved on a patterned column of the famous
faces we found scenes of life scrawled by nomads mausoleum. The offering is an anonymous one
that ran across the great steppe, hunted wild ani- - the sage or poet to whom this pretty thought
mals and raised their hands in religious supplica- once belonged has dissolved into the annals of
tion to the sun. After a saunter and a picnic, we history - but the legend that stands behind the
www.thespektator.co.uk

mausoleum itself appears to have found a perma-
nent place in local oratory.
Reputedly, the governor of Taraz, then a 12th
century Karakhanid town stirring on the Silk Road,
had a great love for a young woman named Aisha.
However, when he asked for this young beauty’s
hand in marriage, her stepfather rejected his pro-
posal, as Aisha’s lineage, supposedly derived from
the Prophet Muhammed, demanded a better
marital union than one with a mere Karakhanid
apparatchik. But the governor was handsome,
and Aisha, in her pure way, rather fancied him.
Cunningly, Aisha convinced her stepfather and
other relevant elders that she should have leave
of her household as she intended to lead a small
military expedition against the Karakhanids’ mor-
tal enemies, the shamanistic Kara-Khitans. Yet in
truth, she was bound for Taraz. Unfortunately,
Aisha never made it to the city of merchants. She
died of snakebite at the Assa River, a day’s horse
ride from her lover’s waiting arms.
Since then, millions of people have visited
the site; pilgrims, tourists and ordinary townsfolk.
At the time of our trip, which coincided with the
celebration of the Muslim holiday Orozo-Ait, the
two mausoleums thronged with well-wishers,
some prying at inscriptions on the joints of the
Aisha Bibi’s arcs, which tell of the unfathomable
beauty of this tragic Sufi heroine.
Speeding on to Shimkent, we spent a night in
a town famous for its local brothels and beer, sam-
pling neither - there was too little time to spare.
Ahead of us was the discarded oasis town of Otrar,
and beyond that, the promise of Turkestan.
Otrar
The remnants of the medieval city of Otrar-Tube
stand stark and stumpy amidst a vast expanse of
steppe land. Trapped between layers of dried clay,
we knew, were untold stories. Yet what overcame
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us more than this was the sense of isolation - the
ceaseless wail of the wind was all that pierced the
silence of the place. Tube translates from Turkic
languages as ‘hill’, and although Otrar stands at
an elevation of only 20 metres, the sheer flatness
of the surrounding terrain means that the town
would have been visible for miles, a lighthouse
in the sand calling out to the weary traveller. To-
day, the idea of Otrar as an oasis town is heavily
ironic - there is certainly no store of water here.
If you are travelling the 150km from Shymkent,
be sure that 1) you are in a reliable vehicle that
won’t break down, 2) you have sufficient supplies
of bottled water, and 3) you have clothes to cover
your whole body, as the dust storms here are
more vicious than they are back in Taraz.
On the way out of this discarded settle-
‘Unfortunately, Aisha never made
it to the city of merchants. She died
of snakebite at the Assa River, a
day’s horse ride from her lover’s
waiting arms’
ment, cotton fields blurred past the windows of
our jeep. The crop was everywhere – swelling in
the ground, floating in the air. It had sucked the
region dry and parched the steppe. By the time
we got to the edges of Turkestan, we fully under-
stood the land’s thirst, and were glad of a glass
of liquid.
Turkestan
Surely in Central Asia you will not find a soul who
hasn’t heard of the word ‘Turkestan’. Its very utter-
ance struck fear into the heart of Soviet authori-
ties. Turkestan: the land of the Turks - a generic
denomination that had the potential to unify the
Out & About 9
countless tribes that spanned the breath of Rus-
sia’s underbelly, from the shores of the Caspian
to the Gobi desert. Indeed, the name of this Silk
Road town came to be associated with peoples
that would never see its limits. The word encap-
sulated the spirit of Occidentalism, and spoke of
a land with unknown borders and an unrivalled
capacity for mystique and legend.
The city itself, on the fringes of the Kyzyl-
Kum desert, served as the capital of the Kazakh
khanate (1456-1847) for some time, and wit-
nessed a battle that appears to have determined
the settlement patterns of two of Central Asia’s
major peoples. In 1470, under the command of
violent steppe-child Janybek Khan, Kazakh forces
drove their Uzbek rivals, led by Muhammad Shay-
bani, south towards the citadels of Samarkand
and Bukhara. Although the Khan and his succes-
sors made frequent attempts on these prestig-
ious settlements and others in the Fergana Val-
ley, the Kazakh khanate, as Imperial Russia found
it, occupied roughly the same space as modern-
day Kazakhstan.
For us however, Turkestan was primarily of
interest not as the site of major battles, but as
the home of Hodja Ahmed Yasawi’s mausoleum.
This great Sufi scholar, arguably the first of Turkic
descent to earn recognition from the broader Is-
lamic ummah, was born in 1103 in Sayram, not
far from Shimkent. The sage lived most of his
life in Lasi (now Turkestan), however, where he
preached, taught, and, at the age of 63, retreated
into subterranean meditation for the remainder
of his life. His modest tomb had already attracted
visitors from lands west of the Caspian before a
certain Timur the Lame (or Tamerlane, in Western
parlance) decided to supersize the monument al-
most a century-and-a-half later. Unfortunately, he
didn’t live long enough to ensure that the mauso-
leum received the sort of decoration that
March 2011 The Spektator
 10 Out & About
A Moment in History
In 1218, two great overlords eyeballed each
other across the vast steppe, each with a brew-
ing sense of the inevitable. Temujin, or Genghis
Khan, had united the Mongol tribes and was busy
ravaging northern China. Sultan Muhammad, the
Khwarazm Shah, had carved out an empire that
encompassed modern-day Iran, Afghanistan and
the bulk of Central Asia. Repeated news of the
emergent Mongol threat displeased him greatly.
Diplomatic correspondence between the
two rulers, though at first cordial, bristled with
tension. In a dispatch proposing the establish-
ment of trade between their respective territo-
ries, Temujin wrote: ‘I am master of the lands of
the rising sun while you rule those of the setting
sun. Let us conclude a firm treaty of friendship
and peace.’ But the presumptive sign-off to the
message, ‘You are the favourite of all my sons’,
reportedly enraged the Sultan for its cheeky sug-
gestion of suzerainty.
Later in the following year, a Mongol trade
delegation arrived in the Khwarazmian city of
Otrar. The town’s governor, Inal-Khan, possibly
acting under orders from Sultan Muhammad
himself, massacred the delegation as “spies”. The
consequences of his action were catastrophic.
Back in Mongolia Temujin ascended a hill
and prostrated himself under the heavens for
several days, seeking strength to enact venge-
ance. A year later, after a five month siege, Otrar
was placed well and truly under the Mongol heel.
From the top of a minaret Temujin told the faith-
ful Muslim townsfolk that he was “God’s punish-
ment for their sins.” Inal-Khan was captured, and
had molten silver poured into his ears and eyes.
After years of haunting the desert Genghis Khan
had turned west. He would not be turned back.
March 2011 The Spektator
dazzles visitors to cities on Uzbekistan’s half of
the Silk Road. In fact, the mausoleum remains
austere and terracotta-coloured in it ‘s grandeur,
lacking any sort of facade at all.
Other than his resting place, Hodja Ahmed Ya-
sawi was survived by the Yasawi Sufi order, an an-
thology of poetry and the essay ‘Hikmat’, or ‘on wis-
dom’, still debated by Islamic scholars today.
Yasawi was unusual in that his spiritual men-
tor and tutor was female, an old woman mystic
called Arystan-Baba. Her mausoleum, probably
more similar to the sage’s own original resting
place, lies further back on the road to Otrar and is
well worth a quick visit if you have time. A legend
goes that Arystan-Baba was the recipient of the
amanat prayer beads of the Prophet Muhammad,
a parting souvenir when the founder of the Is-
lamic religion was close to death’s door, aged 63.
This rendering would have meant that Baba was
really getting on by the time she began tutoring
Yasawi (Muhammad died in 632 A.D), yet these
are the details that such legends thrive on – or
simply ignore.
Into the desert, on towards Sauran
Sauran lies 40 km north-west of Turkestan and its
cotton rich hinterland. Walking in the midst of its
medieval walls you have a lesser sense of steppe
and a greater sense of desert. It is no exaggera-
tion to say that these are the most spectacular
and best preserved medieval ruins in Kazakhstan.
Sauran is not just a settlement, but an entire ar-
chaeological complex incorporating specifically
localized archaeological monuments of different
eras, which allow for the re-emergence of a medi-
eval town right before your eyes.
Not long ago, according to the testimony For more pictures, visit the Turkestan Album at
of photographs taken by Russian scientists and www.tuk.kg. To check out Trekking Union dates for
surveyors, the complex featured two partially March and April turn to ‘Whats On’ (p26).
broken minarets. But with poverty here as ex-
treme as anywhere else in Kazakhstan, preserv-
ing the monuments of past cultures was always
going to be a struggle. Now these fragments can
most probably be found in local homes; building
materials drafted in for the construction of new
dwellings not far from the site. Needless to say,
the country’s government has done its utmost to
play down the bad news!
At one time, Sauran was the largest city in
the region, a hub of economic and political life
lodged in the upper half of the Syr Darya valley.
It avoided the fate of its neighbour, Otrar (see
text box), by opening its giant gates to Ghengis
Khan’s Mongol army in 1217. Great chunks of
these gates have been preserved. But the city fell
into disuse during the 18th century, and life here
is minimal now. Aside from a dedicated team of
archaeologists, digging and chipping away, try-
ing to restore Sauran to its former glory, the only
inhabitants of this place are the wild Bactrian
camels, who roam the fortress perimeter and lick
reconstructed walls.
To see these ancient sites is to drift in the
hazy zone between myth and historical fact – in
short, a privilege. Our only regret at the end of
our journey was that it was not feasible to reach
the shores of the famous Syr Darya River, whose
waters irrigated a land that fed nearly half of Asia,
and sustained generation after generation along
the Old Silk Road. Such a visit would have been a
perfect way to complete our travels in the land
that time forgot. Alas, the demands of everyday
life refused us this luxury.
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 12 Out & About
Odeto
Manas
The Manas Village may not be listed in
your Lonely Planet guide of places to
see in Bishkek, but it is a wonderfully
abstract place to have a picnic, or even
a wedding. Following the end of Manas-
mania in the mid-90s, the village fell into
sharp decline, and is now regarded as
something of an oddity on the capital’s
outskirts. Stuck for other things to do,
Dennis Keen jumped on a southbound
marshrutka to see the madness with his
own eyes.
March 2011 The Spektator
DENNIS KEEN
N
INETEEN NINETY-FIVE was a magi-
cal year in Kyrgyzstan. UNESCO offi-
cially declared it “The Year of Manas,”
the national epic (longer than the
Iliad and the Odyssey combined!)
that tells of its eponymous hero and
his efforts to unite the forty Kyrgyz
tribes. The ability to tell this tale is a gift said to be
bestowed upon the teller from above. The men
who recite it, the Manaschi, are able to ‘rap’ thou-
sands of lines from memory, or divine inspiration.
The epic is a bedrock of Kyrgyz culture. It is an an-
cient document, an encyclopedia, they say, of the
Kyrgyz way of life, the center of the Kyrgyz soul.
So when a world body took the center of their
soul and granted it international recognition, the
Kyrgyz went nuts. Manas classes became required
in school, statues of the horseback hero went up
everywhere, and in Talas, the warrior’s apparent
birthplace, a grand complex was built near his
mausoleum and the party of the millennium was
planned. The world’s first three-story yurt was
thrown up in haste, and leaders from all over the
world were invited. Bill Clinton was rumored to
have RSVP’d, but never showed up. In the end,
hundreds of dancers reenacted the epic in front
of thousands of people, and for one day, Talas felt
like the center of Kyrgyzstan; Kyrgyzstan, like the
center of the world.
The capital city didn’t miss out on all the
fun, though. Fifteen minutes south of Bishkek,
squeezed between the foothills of the Ala-Too
mountains and the suburbs of the nouveau
riche, something called Manas Village was built,
financed by a government happy to spend their
soms in devotion to a glorious past. In the densely
formal style of the Soviet era, it was officially la-
beled a “Historical-Ethnographic Complex.” What
it really was remained a mystery. Some perceived
it as a shrine to Manas; others, a crumbling tourist
trap. The most attention it ever got was in that one
beautiful year, when schoolchildren came to dance
in its courtyards and Manaschi were brought in by
the busload to tell their tales to the press and first
President Askar Akaev, who had invested a signifi-
cant amount of political capital in the Manas leg-
end. When the flurry of fun was over, the place was
left to rot, almost forgotten.
I wanted to see what remained. I wanted to
know if Manas would approve of His Village. I want-
ed to know what a Historical-Ethnographic Com-
plex was, at any rate. So I traveled there one windy
afternoon, on a marshrutka headed for the moun-
tains. Before the road climbed up into the foothills,
strange structures emerged out of the windows. A
concrete tower had risen up out of nowhere; and
colorful sculptures hid behind trees. This must be it,
we thought, and asked the driver to stop.
A row of colorful flags fluttered in the breeze.
Stone arches stood in a line, topped with stylized
helmets, the headgear of the warriors of Manas.
A red placard declared this the “Historian-Ethno-
graphic Manastyn Aiyly.” Perhaps inscrutable signs
were put up to add to the mystery. There was a
ticket window, where they asked for a fifty-som ad-
mission fee – not much more than a dollar. We chat-
ted up the woman behind the glass. She looked
bored. There was nobody here – there rarely was.
My friend, Peri, was ashamed to be with an Ameri-
can and told her I was from Denmark. We told her
we were getting married – the only visitors these
days are wedding parties – and we exchanged our
winter coats as a vow. The cashier was called Nar-
giza. She smiled easily. “Do you want to get married
with us?” we asked her. She said she was already
engaged.
Manas Village was not a village at all, we saw
upon our entrance, but a menagerie of function-
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less concrete forms, abstract symbols ripped from
the life of Manas. “See that?” Nargiza said, pointing
to a stampede of acutely-angled sculptures across
the courtyard. “Those are Manas’ horses.” At the en-
trance was a metallic raptor atop a giant column;
“That’s Manas’ bird.” You could climb some stairs
to a top of a wall, but once up there was nothing
to do. The wall was capped by pink cones, topped
with tassels – these were hats that had belonged
to Manas’ wives. The whole park was nothing more
than Manas’ possessions, transformed into ab-
stracted monuments. There was actually nothing
to do – you could climb some stairs to the top of
the ‘horses’, or climb some more stairs to touch the
‘hats’, but then what? More inspiring, I guess, if you
thought of it as an art installation you could move
around in.
In pictures I had seen, the place was lifeless
gray, the simple sum of its concrete. In August, ap-
parently, it had received a facelift, and now it was
psychedelic rainbow coloured. But even with an
injection of colour, the Village felt sad. The point-
less plazas seemed even more pointless without
people to fill them, and the rusting Soviet hotel
that stood next door made the whole scene seem
like it was stuck in a bygone era - a 1990’s relic
hauled indifferently into the 21st century.
Despite our drab surroundings, we tried to
make the most of good company. Nargiza asked
me about Copenhagen, as I pointed to different
icons and asked “What’s that?”
The one sign of life was a group of trees spread
throughout the main courtyard. They were coated
in giant red buds. Nargiza told us they were vin-
egar trees. Did Manas like vinegar? I asked. No, she
said, they just look nice. At the top of some bright
red stairs, covered in slowly melting slush, were
three big yurts - sections of Manas’ palace. Nargiza
had secured the key and she let us inside. The mid-
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dle yurt was a kitchen of sorts, with a big kazan, a
kind of Central Asian wok. The yurt on the left was
the men’s yurt, so I told Peri and our guide to scram.
They went over to the women’s yurt, the one on the
right, where there was a curtain for hiding a bride-
to-be. My winter coat-wearing wife stuck her head
out from behind it and looked cute, and for a mo-
ment I wished for a real wedding.
Outside, Nargiza pointed to the big tower
that we had seen from the street. Manas’ warriors
would use this, she said, to survey the surrounding
countryside. I wanted to say that nomads probably
didn’t have concrete towers but I kept smart-ass
comments at bay. She had a key to the tower, too,
and let us climb up to see the view. On one side, the
mountains stood tall and magnanimous, and on
the other suburbia stretched to the horizon. Down
below us, the concrete playground lay barren like
a ghost town. The wind atop the tower was fierce,
and we went down to fill its void.
There wasn’t much more to see, so we thanked
our guide and went. The place left me feeling cold.
To others, though, Manas Village resonated with
meaning. Manas was a source of pride for the Kyr-
gyz, a hero from a bygone time. His kind had been
resurrected elsewhere: Genghis Khan loomed over
everything in Mongolia; Tamerlane, another Mon-
gol, was the Uzbeks’ version. In an uncertain world,
these heroes reminded people that at one point,
they were great. For some this place was a gift giv-
en to the Kyrgyz people, an assurance of their place
in history. It was a shrine to the past, and the glories
that lay ahead. In an article I read online, one bride
at Manas Village explained why she came. If we
come, she said, “the spirit of our ancestors, and the
spirit of the great Manas, will be supporting us in
our future life. May the spirits of the past protect us,”
she continued, “and may the glory of those times
leak into the future.”
Out & About 13
Far Left The view from Manas’ tower, taking
in elite suburbia, peri-urban decay and the
wonderful Tien- Shan mountains (all photos
Dennis Keen)
Above Tetris-like monuments of devotion to
the enigmatic founder of the Kyrgyz nation,
Manas
Reaching Manas
On a warm day with a bottle of cool beer and
some cured fish, we think Manas Village is
worth a punt. If you agree with us, the follow-
ing modes of public transport will help you
get off near the stairway to nowhere in par-
ticular.
Bus No.8 chugs south along Sovietskaya,
while marshrutkas 298 (stops at Kievskaya/
Manas), 265 (from Osh bazaar) and 365 (Mo-
scovskaya-Manas) also lead to the rusty gates
of the national hero’s Bishkek residency.
Had your fill of brutalist architecture for
the day? Further along the same drag, a more
conventional way of having fun can be ob-
served at Flamingo Park. Here there is a small
lake to ride motorized boats in (think dodg-
ems in water), a hall of horrors, which isn’t par-
ticularly horrific, and a ride called ‘Terroriser’,
which is. Ensure you are sufficiently fortified
for all of the above experiences.
March 2011 The Spektator
 16 Focus
It’s not
Hollywood
Ever heard of Kyrgyzfilm? Thought not.
The national film industry of Kyrgyzstan
has fallen on hard times, being reduced
to a skeleton staff of one and desperate-
ly low-rent recording techniques just to
make ends meet. This month we go and cave. At the end of the corridor was a solitary of-
bother them in their archives.
March 2011 The Spektator
DENNIS KEEN
S
OMEHOW IT WAS COLDER inside the “We project them on a screen and then film it with
building then it was outside. The hall- a digital video camera.” Incredible. The official state
ways were painted a kind of psych-ward filmmakers of the Kyrgyz Republic were ‘remaking’
blue, adding to the general chilliness. The their own works like a teenager at the back of a
whole place felt dark and empty like a cinema, capturing it on his iPhone. There was no
other way to survive, though. Working two posi-
fice, and inside, a sad-faced Russian woman wear- tions at the studio, she made less than a hundred
ing a crimson coat with faux fur around her neck, dollars a month.
sat surrounded by potted cacti and assorted suc- Downstairs, Sveta showed us around the ar-
culants. She took a few discs out of her drawer and chive itself. It was even colder than the halls above.
pushed them my way: “Three hundred som each.” This was intentional, she told us, to preserve the
Movie titles were scribbled on top in sharpie. “Will films. The reels were stacked to the ceiling, row af-
you need a receipt?” she asked. I don’t know, I said,ter row. Before me lay national treasures - dozens
I guess so. “Well in that case, it will be more…” of cinematic classics based on Chingiz Aitmatov’s
We were in the crumbling shell of the Soviet stories. Sharing the shelf space were hundreds of
film industry, and the sole archivist of Kyrgyzfilm propaganda films, touting diplomatic visits or re-
was selling me copies of her own studio’s mov- cently constructed HEP dams. Decades of filmmak-
ies. When the USSR was still standing, every re- ing had been reduced to forgotten racks of reels in
public had its own well-funded cinematic factory a locked-up corner of a crumbling building. I felt
– Uzbekfilm, Tajikfilm, Kazakhfilm. The empire col- ashamed that I could breeze in and buy these up
lapsed, but the state-funded studios remained, for my personal collection, while locals could never
limping along into a new age. The money from dream of such a shopping trip. One of the perks
Moscow dried up, and now the operation was run- of the socialist system was that art was subsidized.
ning along on whatever funds the latest govern- Now, it was simply unaffordable. Sveta closed the
ment could slip their way. That wasn’t much – the room up and sealed it with a key, as I skulked away
country was poor, and so was the state. So they into the day, weighed down by my bounty.
kept their pockets lined with “special orders” like At home, I found that the DVDs wouldn’t
mine. I was happy to help. play on my computer as I had hoped, so I went
The archivist was named Sveta, and she had to a friend’s house and made her watch them
been working at Kyrgyzfilm for more than forty with me on a Chinese DVD player. I had ordered
years. “It was a good job,” she said, in the glory a few films the week before for my research; short
days. Seven people worked the archives back then, movies about eagle hunting. Soviet synthesizers
cleaning and cataloging the films, watching them played over idyllic landscapes and shots of soar-
daily to check for damage. Now she watched them ing birds. One film was in Kyrgyz, but the plotline
alone. With independence, her co-workers got was easy enough to follow. A nomad lets his ea-
sloughed off until she was the only one left. Her gle go when he and his family are moving camp,
office was the only one remaining in this shiver- and travels on to a fresher pasture. Soon, however,
ing building – others were padlocked and empty the swift tide of development arrives and he finds
or full of old film equipment, rusting towards ob- his bird stuffed and mounted on a trailer, a trophy
livion. There were six hundred films in the archive, for the Russians. He looks like he’s going to cry. I
but only Sveta left to care for them. don’t understand his curses, but I feel his pain. The
She showed me a list of every animated film researcher and the nomad share a moment - the
ever made in Kyrgyzstan. I ordered all twenty six magic of cinema, bridging cultures.
for ten dollars. “They won’t be ready for a week,”
she warned me – they were still stuck on the reels. If you like, I can even order you some copies of
I asked her how they were converted to DVDs. I your own. The films need company, and the archive
imagined a film-scanning device, spitting out discs needs money. What do you say? Send me an email:
for a demanding public. That wasn’t quite right. denniskeen@thespektator.co.uk.
denniskeen@thespektator.co.uk
www.thespektator.co.uk
 18 Focus
years on C
Seven
the
Silk Road
The Spektator talks to Christopher Aslan
Alexander about his new book charting
the highs and lows of running a commu-
nity based development project in Khiva,
a majestic walled city in the middle of the
Uzbek desert.
Above right Detail from a 15th century Timu-
rid era illuminated manuscript depicting
Shah Rukh sitting on an ornate carpet. Such
illustrations are drawn with incredible detail
and without a receding perspective allowing
the carpet design to be copied and woven
back to life (all photos Chris Alexander)
Above left The finished article, or what Shah
Rukh’s carpet would look like without him
sitting on it
Opposite page, clockwise from top left De-
tail from a suzani; a team of weavers by their
loom; madder root, one of the many sources
of natural dyes; stitching a suzani
March 2011 The Spektator
TOM WELLINGS
HRISTOPHER ASLAN ALEXANDER
moved to Khiva in 1999 to write a
guide book. After falling in love with
the town, he ended up staying, help-
ing to establish and run a project to
revive the ancient art of silk carpet
weaving. He recently sat down with the Spekta-
tor for a chat about his life and adventures on
the Great Silk Road.
So, Chris, first of all we’ll get the plug out of
the way! Your book came out last year, it’s a
thoroughly enjoyable read, and I assume it is
available in all good book shops?
Yes, it’s called A Carpet Ride To Khiva and the pa-
perback came out last summer. It’s available on
amazon.co.uk and I advise all your readers to go
out and buy it!
Apart from offering a portrait of Khiva and
a fascinating insight into the silk trade, the
book is also a very personal tale, charting the
ups and downs of an eventful seven years.
You originally went out there to write a guide
book, but ended up running a carpet weav-
ing workshop. How did that happen?
Yes, I went to work on a guidebook that the
Mayor of Khiva hoped would increase tourism.
I loved my job, but my colleagues were all do-
ing much more helpful things, such as mobility
training for the blind and inclusive education
for children with disabilities. I started working
with kilim-makers in my spare time as more of
a hobby than a project and things grew from
there. UNESCO contacted me and asked me if I’d
work with them, setting up a school for reviving
15th century carpet designs, silk carpet weaving
and natural dye-making. I really didn’t know what
I was doing at the start, but got on with it anyway.
So you didn’t have any previous experience
of carpets?
Well, I grew up in Turkey and Lebanon, so I al-
ways had an appreciation for the carpets and
kilims in our house. We never had fitted carpets
anywhere until we moved back to the UK. I had
no experience or even understanding of actual
carpet weaving before I went to Khiva except for
a rug-making kit I was given for Christmas which
involves tying knots onto a readymade grid with
the help of a hook. I found the whole thing a bit
fiddly and managed once – while trying to force
the hook through a hole in the grid – to thrust
the hook up my nose. I tried to yank it out, but
it embedded itself inside my nostril. Very painful
and I don’t think I ever actually finished the rug.
So I assume you left most of the practical
tasks to your teams of weavers?
Absolutely. I did sit down at a loom once, while
we were selling carpets at a large event in
Tashkent, and learnt how to make the knots.
It’s pretty fiddly and I managed one knot for
every ten done by my patient teachers! My job
was management, and we ended up employing
around seventy weavers, dyers and embroider-
ers in the two workshops, making us the largest
private employers in Khiva.
The distinguishing feature of carpets made
in your workshop was the traditional weav-
ing methods and the use of natural dyes.
What elevates a carpet made in such a fash-
ion over a modern synthetic carpet?
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The first distinguishing feature is the price!
Hand-made carpets cost a lot more, because
of the labour and artisanship that goes into
each one. Handmade carpets look more alive
because they aren’t as clinically perfect as fac-
tory carpets. They’re a work of art rather than a
product. Natural dyes, particularly with silk car-
pets, make a huge difference to the look of the
carpet. Silk carpets all have a natural luminos-
ity but with naturally-dyed silk, there are subtle
variations in the colours of each knot, creating
an effect known as abrash. After working with
naturally-dyed carpets for a while, I’d see one
that was synthetically dyed, and it would look a
bit like a photograph with too few pixels, miss-
ing shade and depth.
What can you tell us about the history of car-
pet weaving in Khiva?
Pre-Soviet carpets produced in Khiva were
largely Turkmen in design and colouring, and
Khiva didn’t have a particularly unique design
of colour palette. During Soviet times, carpet-
making was discouraged because you need
someone poor enough to weave the carpet and
someone rich enough to buy it which didn’t sit
well with socialism. The only carpets produced
in Khiva before I started the workshop were sim-
ple, garish car seat warmers and portrait-carpets
of dead relatives.
You say in the book that only scraps of origi-
nal carpets from the hey-day of weaving
have survived to the present, how did you
go about recreating and reinterpreting tradi-
tional designs for your carpets?
Our focus was initially on reviving 15th century
www.thespektator.co.uk
carpet designs from the Timurid period found
only in illuminated manuscripts of the time. The
tramp of generations of feet, along with moths
and damp meant that intact Timurid carpets
haven’t survived. However, each miniature in
the illuminated manuscripts we studied is paint-
ed in incredible detail and with no receding per-
spective. This means that, as long as there aren’t
too many people sitting on the carpet, we have
everything we need to copy the design and
weave it into life once more.
I also wanted us to create designs that were
unique to Khiva, so we began using designs
found in tiles and carved wooden doors from
the madrassahs, mausoleums, mosques and
palaces in Khiva, and turned them into carpets.
The results were often pretty spectacular.
How long does it take to weave a typical rug?
This depends on the size, the complexity of the
design and the skill of the weavers. A two by
three meter rug would take three experienced
weavers six months to complete.
What advice would you offer a prospective
rug-buyer?
The best way to buy a Khiva rug is to go to visit
Khiva and buy one. Because they’re silk, they pack
down pretty well and most sizes can fit easily into
a suitcase. We weave the year of production into
each carpet in case unscrupulous airport officials
try to claim you’re exporting an antique!
Can we order online?
This is a common question and the answer is
‘no’. There are enough tourists visiting Khiva and
walking away with carpets to mean there’s no
Focus 19
need. Selling directly to customers is the fairest
form of fair trade as there are no middle-men or
shipping fees.
Without giving too much away about the
book, you ran into a bit of bother with the au-
thorities. What has happened to the carpet
workshop since you were deported in 2006?
From day one, I told the weavers and dyers that
my aim was to make the workshop able to run
without me. A lot of secular NGOs pay large,
Western salaries, and ‘project dump’ in the name
of empowerment, rather than gradually and in-
crementally hand over to local partners. In my
case, I would have been happy to handover the
workshop when I did, had I been given three
months’ notice that I was about to be deported.
The workshops are still going and are still the
largest private employers. They aren’t run ex-
actly as I’d like, but that’s okay. I’m really proud
of Madrim (the local manager) and his team and
was thrilled to hear recently that he’s found an
Afghan trader who will bring natural dyes to
Uzbekistan as the Uzbek government no longer
allows Uzbeks into Afghanistan.
One of the most striking elements of the
book is the strong friendships you enjoyed
with local Khivans such as Madrim, have you
been able to keep in touch with your adop-
tive family, friends and colleagues during
your exile?
Yep, my Uzbek little brother is now able to email
which is great. We’ll be Facebook friends and
tweeting before I know it. I call up my Uzbek
family on special occasions like New Year and
Navruz, and still phone Madrim regularly.
March 2011 The Spektator
 20 Focus
It was hard living in neighbouring Tajikistan in re-
cent years and knowing that Uzbekistan was so
close but that I wouldn’t be given a visa, and that
my Uzbek friends would never get Tajik visas due
to sour relations between the two countries.
I presume that leading this sort of develop-
ment project is both deeply rewarding and
intensely frustrating. What did you learn
from your experiences?
Yes, there are a few things I’m pretty opinionated
about in the area of artisan projects. One, is that
in order to start a workshop, you need experi-
ence of language and culture, because produc-
ing nice things is the easy bit; creating sustain-
able and fair wage systems, plurality of power,
checks and balances, employment procedures,
etc., is the hard part; the default of most work-
shops is nepotism, declining product standards
and exploitation of women or the young.
I get really annoyed when I see ‘pity buys’.
You know: “Buy this piece of tat because it’s
made by a poor person”. I believe in paying de-
cent salaries, but they must be linked to prod-
uct quality parameters and the products must
be high quality, competitively priced and with
an understanding of who the market is. I’ve
seen a few handicraft centres where they’re af-
fronted that tourists won’t buy their traditional
products, without asking themselves if these
traditional products are items that tourists want
or need. No one says you have to market to for-
eigners, but if you do, then produce something
they want to buy.
In the book you describe the competition
between the Bukharan and Khivan carpet
projects and the underhand tactics em-
ployed by some of the Bukharans. What hap-
pened to the rival Bukharan workshop?
I was affronted at the regionalism in Uzbekistan
and the notion that Bukharans were cheats and
March 2011 The Spektator
wily. Until I spent some time in Bukhara and
found that this stereotype happens to have a lot
of truth to it! The workshop in Bukhara closed as
the family who edged out the other masters and
ran it as a family business discovered that run-
ning hotels was easier money.
Did you feel yourself slipping into city rivalry
yourself?
Living in Khiva for seven years, I’m sure I picked
up some of the local prejudices. I also ended up
with a strong Khiva accent, and was definitely
looked down on in the big cities as sounding
too rural.
Khiva has a fascinating and rather gruesome
history, what is your favourite Khivan tale?
Wow, there are so many and they’re all amaz-
ing! There’s one story, which isn’t my favourite
but helped me understand people’s world view
better. Whilst I come from a guilt-based culture,
(I did something wrong so now I feel bad about
it) Khivans are from a shame-based culture (I got
caught doing something wrong so now I feel
shame, but if I hadn’t been caught then it would
have been okay) and this story helped me under-
stand that difference:
The Three Saints Mausoleum is tucked be-
hind the Khan’s Stone Palace in the old city of
Khiva and is a holy site where supplicants come
to pray. Here’s how the three brothers became
saints: The three brothers watched as the sun
wilted their crops. There had been no rain and
their crops would soon wither leaving them with
no choice but to sell their land to the rich beg
(baron) who refused them access to his irrigation
canal in order to buy their land cheap.
That night, in desperation, the brothers dug
a sluice in the dam and watered their fields, re-
pairing the dam to cover their tracks. The beg’s
henchman, spying the revived fields, had the
brothers hauled into jail until the following day
when the judge could survey their land. If it was
found to be irrigated, they would be executed for
stealing water. That night, they prayed to Allah
for mercy and he sent an enormous storm which
caused the dam to burst, destroying the beg’s
crops and covering all evidence of the brother’s
exploits. With no evidence against them, they
were free to go and that’s why they’re saints.
On a side note, you named your pet parrot
after Fredrick Burnaby, the British explorer
who was one of the first Westerners to enter
Khiva - I assume he is a hero of yours?!
We both went to the same school, although in
different centuries, so I used to cycle in late, along
Burnaby Road, with no idea who Burnaby was. Of
course, I read his book A Ride to Khiva in prepa-
ration for my own journey to Khiva, and enjoyed
his gung-ho approach but found myself wincing
on more than one occasion at his innate sense of
British superiority. I met one of his offspring in
Khiva, determined to follow in his grandfather’s
footsteps, albeit as part of a coach party.
Do you think you will ever be able to return
to Uzbekistan under the current regime?
I’ve heard that five years after most NGOs were
kicked out, people who were previously black-
listed are now getting tourist visas to go back,
so I might try that, but sadly, I suspect that my
book may have earned me another five years on
the black-list.
Do you see Uzbekistan changing over the
next ten years?
With all that’s happened in North Africa in recent
times, including authoritarian places like Egypt,
with a well-established secret police, there’s
always glimmers of hope that change might
come. Who knows how things will turn out? I’ve
not been in the country for five years, so I don’t
really feel qualified to make predictions.
www.thespektator.co.uk

After working so hard for so long to help the
local community, do you feel any bitterness
towards the Uzbek authorities for the way
you were treated?
Any bitterness I feel is more directed towards
the way the authorities treat their own people.
I wasn’t tortured, I had somewhere else to go,
and opportunities to get on with life without
being constantly exploited.
You worked on a similar carpet project in Af-
ghanistan in the mid 2000s, what are the key
challenges in setting up such projects over
there and what successes can be achieved?
I just visited two textile projects in Afghanistan as
a consultant, and was struck by the primary chal-
lenge of security. I always felt safe walking around
Uzbekistan and knew that Uzbeks treat guests
with great respect. In Afghanistan, Westerners are
often seen as intruders, and one of the American
women who I worked with in Kandahar was ab-
ducted with her driver. No one knows if she’s dead
or a forced-wife held in captivity somewhere.
What have you been up to since leaving Uz-
bekistan?
After Khiva I spent three years living in Khorog, the
capital of the semi-autonomous Pamiri region. I
started two projects. One was writing a text-book
and script for Shugni, the oral language spoken
there. The other, was working with Kyrgyz yak
herders in the High Pamirs, teaching them how to
comb their yaks with combs we had made locally,
in order to harvest yak-down, which is currently
thrown away, but is similar to Cashmere in quality.
And I hear that you were also kicked out of
Tajikistan. Is this your usual exit strategy?
I was up in the High Pamirs distributing yak-
combs and got a call informing me that I’d been
accused of being a Swiss spy, amongst other
things, and that I had thirty days to leave. I prob-
www.thespektator.co.uk
ably could have put up a fight and got the Em-
bassy involved, but was pretty relieved to be
moved on as I’d never felt the same connection
as I’d had in Khiva.
How are you occupying yourself at the mo-
ment?
Soon after I returned to the UK from Khorog,
ethnic violence broke out in southern Kyr-
gyzstan. I ended up leading a rapid response
team of assorted Uzbek speakers. We were
given training in basic trauma counselling skills
and spent most of our time sitting with people
and letting them weep and tell their stories. At
first I was sceptical of the need for tissues and
shoulders to cry on when people really needed
their houses and lives rebuilt. However, when a
whole community is traumatised, it often takes
outsiders to really listen. It was harrowing to
hear tales of loss, torture and ethnic hatred on a
daily basis, but also a tremendous privilege.
During my time in South Kyrgyzstan I went
to Arslanbob for a break and fell in love with this
little village nestled in the mountains, beside
the world’s largest natural walnut forest. It was
what I’d hoped Khorog would be like but wasn’t.
I talked with some of the village elders and they
invited me to come back, so I hope to start a
wood-carving workshop there this spring.
Are you learning Kyrgyz?
I’ve found that Kyrgyz in north Kyrgyzstan com-
pliment me on my excellent Kyrgyz, whilst Kyr-
gyz in the south get annoyed and want to know
why I’m speaking Uzbek. The dialect in Khiva has
lots of the same words as Kyrgyz and the two
languages are so similar anyway, that it seems a
shame not to learn Kyrgyz properly, so I hope to
spend a few months living with a Kyrgyz family
to learn their language better. I think I’m more
worried about how they’ll host a vegetarian
than an Uzbek-speaker!
Focus 21
Opposite page A finished carpet displayed
by two of its weavers, and to the left, the ce-
ramic tiles that inspired the design
Above Skeins of naturally dyed silk thrown
against the brickwork of the workshop court-
yard and left to dry
Above left The weaving workshop, situated un-
Know your
der the domes and minarets of Khiva’s old town
Central Asian Textiles!
Silk carpets The best time to buy carpets from
the workshop in Khiva is March and April before
the tourist hordes descend. Artisans have had all
winter to build up stock, so you tend to get bet-
ter prices and more variety. Expect to pay in the
region of $700 for a good silk carpet.
Kilim A flat woven floor covering which, unlike a
carpet, has no knotted pile.
Suzani Literally means needlework in Tajik
and describes the embroidered tapestries of
Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan.
Shyrdak A stitched, and often colourful hand-
made felt floor- or wall-covering, most common-
ly produced by Kyrgyz and Kazakhs. For more
info see the Spektator’s shyrdak buying guide
in Issue two (www.thespektator.co.uk/issue_2.
html).
For more information about Chris’s book and
the Khiva carpet workshop visit: www.acar-
petridetokhiva.com
For more information about buying a jumper
made from yak down visit:
www.yakyakstory.com
March 2011 The Spektator
 THE GUIDE
22

Bishkek life
Bars
Chuchuara Hoga (117, Chui) International
With this Chinese restaurant, a little out of the way
and and rarely visited by tourists, you really feel you 12 Chimneys (TeplIkluchy village)

restaurants are getting the real deal. Request a хого (your own
personal Chinese boiling-pot) and randomly select
Wooden cabin located by a rushing stream thirty min-
utes out of town. The overpriced food is more than
compensated for by the chilled atmosphere and wild
There’s a fine line between ‘bar’ and ‘restaurant’ in a variety of unusual Chinese delicacies to throw in.
surroundings. Hotel accommodation also available.
Bishkek. Places more suitable for drinking sessions Beware, the ‘spicy’ sauce, although delicious, may
leave delicate stomachs in some distress several Head south on Almatinskaya and keep going. $$$$
are marked with a star *
hours later - consider the ‘not-spicy’ sauce as a suit-
Price Guide (main course and a garnish) able alternative $$ Bacardi* (Togolok Moldo 17/1)
$ - Expect change from 150 som Elite lounge bar affair with separate rooms for din-
$$ - A little over 250 should do the trick Frunze ing, dancing and whiling the night away smoking
$$$ - Expect to pay in the region of 350 (Chui/Pravda) hukkah pipes. Urban grooves played at a reason-
$$$$ - A crisp 500 (or more) needed in this joint Free semechki is one of many reasons to check out able volume and a full menu that includes a range
this lively hangout, rammed with Chinese at lunch of tasty platters. $$$$
and dinner time. The menu is encyclopediac in
American/Mexican terms of scope, but if you’re feeling bewildered, Barcode* (Toktogul/Sovietskaya, inside ‘Moto’)
Hollywood*(Druzhba/Sovietskaya) just point to something tasty-looking on a neigh- A hip, clean interior, fast wi-fi and an affordable
As you would probably guess, decorated with bouring table like we did. $$ business lunch have made Barcode something of
movie posters, photos of cinema icons and a a hotspot since it opened in early 2010. The place
bunch of American kitsch. Hollywood is popu- Peking Duck I & II comes to life at night when 3 DJs compete for your
lar with a younger crowd and is usually packed (Soviet/Druzhba & Chui/Tog. Mol.) affections with an array of banging tunes. $$
from mid-evening onwards. A fun place for a few Huge portions to feed even the biggest of glut-
drinks before heading off to the clubs. $$ tons and an English language menu that provides Blonder Pub* (Pravda/Kulatova)
plenty of amusing translations. $$ Blonder Pub is the new brewery-restaurant to try
Metro* (133, Chui) out. Cavernous yet cosy inside, there’s decent blues
In the impressive location of a former theatre, Metro Shaolin (Zhibek Zholu/Prospect Mir) every night, live Premiership Football, Eurogrub
remains the première drinking hole for ex-pats. A This tidy looking restaurant sticks out for its sheer and a good selection of ales. In regard to the latter
high ceiling, a long bar and friendly staff compli- range of oriental dishes and its large, round tables we recommend ‘Irish Red’. $$$$
ment a good Tex-Mex menu and a wide selection that make it ideal for extended gatherings. $$
of drinks. Metro is one of the best bets for catch- Buddha Bar (Sovietskaya/Akhunbayeva)
ing sporting events on TV, although thanks to the Dungan Buddha bar offers a taste of the East inside a tastefully
hideously late kickoff times for Champions League constructed zen log cabin. The sushi is excellent, and
Hui Min (Relocated to the Hotel Dostuk) for those on a budget, the stir-fry noodle dishes make
football matches, don’t count on the staff waiting up
A former favourite, we have been told that Hui Min an excellent lunch. Recommended! $$$$
unless it’s a big one. $$$
has now relocated to the Hotel Dostuk. Apparently
Mexican Canteena (Chui 158, near Beta Stores) the menu has been revamped and the prices in- Captain Nemo’s (14, Togolok Moldo)
At its best in the summer as sombrero classics ser- creased. The Spektator will be checking it out soon. Small nautically themed restaurant with a selection
enade pedestrians down Chui and a mixed crowd We hope they still serve the special Dungan tea, as of evocatively named dishes including ‘Fish from the
sits on the porch washing down tacos with strong it’s rather good. ship’s boy’ and ‘Tongue from the boatswain’s wife’.
marguirita. Burritos and fajitas are mouth-watering Cosy wooden interior and porthole style windows
here, and long-haired gringo types will be glad to create an underwater log cabin experience. Spirits,
have their beer served with a lemon, not a straw. Georgian cocktails and a good business lunch. $$$
$$$ Mimino (27, Kievskaya)
Mimino is nice, cosy and serves up bowl-fulls of steam- Ceska* (115, Alamatinskaya)
New York Pizza (177, Kievskaya) Cousin to Blonder Pub, this Bros Co. ‘theme bar’ is
ing, hearty Georgian fare with pomegranate seeds
Decorated with pictures of the Big Apple and worth checking out for its fantastic tiramisu cake
a-plenty. We recommend the kjadjapuri, khinkali and
serving a fine selection of steaks and other alone. Every third beer is free but don’t get too ex-
anything that’s served in a pot. Watch out for Uncle Joe
American-themed dishes, NYP is sure to get cited - they come in 0.4l glasses. $$$
at the door. $$$$
New Yorkers thinking of home. For home deliv-
Coffee House (9, Manas & Togolok Moldo/Ryskulova)
ery ring (0312) 909909. $$$ German Treat yourself to some of the finest coffee and cakes
Armenian Steinbrau* (5, Gerzena) Bishkek has to offer at one of three ‘Coffee Houses’;
Don your beer drinking trousers and head down cosy boutique cafés with a European flavour. Curl
Landau (Manas/Gorky) to Bishkek’s take on a Bavarian-style beer hall. They up and read a book, or just drop in for a caffeine hit
Fancy something a little different? If you can tol- brew their own stuff - such a relief from the insipid and a chocolate fix. $$$
erate the arthritic service, Landau isn’t a bad spot bilge that’s normally sold as lager. Compliment your
for a pork steak or some other Armenian culinary Cosmo Bar* (Sovietska/Moskovskaya)
pint with a plate of German sausage with sauerkraut.
goodies. Also, treat yourself to some decent Arme- Board the sweet smelling elevator, ascend to the
$$$
nian conjac whilst your here, you’ll never go near top-floor Cosmo Bar and splash the cash with your
Bishkek conjac again. Ever. $$$ fellow free-spending cosmonauts. Elegant interior,
Vienna (Moscow/Soviet)
plush sofas, fancy drinks and pretty waitresses.
Actually an Austrian, but subsumed into our German
Chinese section in the name of Anschluss. Vena is a cracking lit-
Huzzah! $$$$
Ak-Bata (108, Ibraimova) tle place to people-watch over some great European Crostini (191, Abdrahmanova)
This place must serve up pretty authentic dishes dishes and a glass of fine Austrian wine. If you didn’t Situated inside the Hyatt, this is a joint to be re-
as it’s always full of Chinese playing mah-jong and know Austria had fine wines, you can check into the served for a business lunch or marriage proposal
waving their chopsticks about. Smoky and stuffy, adjoining shop to begin your viticultural education. only. Chef Taner Erdemir serves up mouth-water-
but in a nice way. $ Vienna is spelled ВЕНА in Russian. Free Wi-Fi. $$$ ing international cusine, but at a price. $$$$$

March 2011 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk

 Bars, Restaurants & Clubs 23
Dillinger* (Gorky/Tynystanova) Stary Edgar’s* (15, Panfilova) Bella Italia (Kievskaya/K.Akiev)
Glamorous VIP complex including a restaurant, bar The concrete monstrosity of the Russian Theatre con- Adriatico’s former Italian chef, Walter, has moved
and casino. A decedantly decorated and perculiar- ceals one of Bishkek’s finest attempts at a cosy base- homes and is now serving a practically identical
ly endearing homage to the notorious bank robber ment bar. Friendly staff, a decent menu and a collection range of dishes at this spot just behind October cin-
- we’re sure he would appreciate it. $$$$ of old bits and bobs decorating the walls make Edgar’s ema. Enjoy the best pizza in town, gnocci and other
an attractive alternative to the city’s mainstream cafés. typical Italian numbers, tasty business lunches from
Fatboy’s* (Chui/Tynystanova) 200 soms. $$$$
Civilized, friendly cafe bang in the middle of town A blues band plays most nights and a pianist adds a ro-
and a popular ex-pat meeting point. Sensible spot mantic ambience on some Sunday evenings. $$$ Cyclone (136, Chui)
for conversation, but if you’re alone there’s a mini- Smart Italian restaurant with plush interior, efficient,
library to peruse (although literary classics are thin Pinta Pub* (133, Chui) polite serving staff and a warm atmosphere to al-
on the ground). Check out the American pancakes Brought to you by the same folks that own the best leviate Bishkek’s winter chills. Pasta dishes stand out
for breakfast, top marks. $$$ draught beer shops in the city, Pinta Pub is a bright among a menu of traditional Italian favourites. $$$
green signed lighthouse for the Spektator on a hot
Four Seasons (116a, Tynystanova) day. A good range of well-kept ales on tap, in terms Dolce Vita (116a, Akhunbaeva)
One of the poshest places to eat out in Bishkek. El- of food, complement a nice ‘Greek’ salad with any of Cosy Italian restaurant with smiling waitresses serv-
egant, yet modern interior and polite service. Great the dishes from the pork page on the menu, all of ing excellent pizza. Also serves salads and European
place to splash out on a special occasion or just for which are excellent. Recommended! $$$ cuisine. Small terrace outside for summertime din-
the hell of it. $$$$ ing. $$
U Mazaya (Behind ‘Zaks’ on Sovietskaya)
Foyer (27, Erkindik ) Possibly Central Asia’s only rabbit themed restaurant. Japanese
Foyer is an excellent place to enjoy an evening Descend into this underground warren and tuck in. Aoyama (93, Toktogula)
cocktail or check your inbox with a cup of coffee. Also check out the fairy-light adorned flagship sister- Elegant sushi joint frequented by serious looking
Free Wi-Fi, good deserts and blues on Tuesdays. $$$ rabbit-restaurant in Asenbai micro region. $$$ suited-types concluding their latest dodgy deals.
The food’s excellent though - if you can scrape to-
Griffon (Microregion 7) Vavilon (Microregion 7) gether enough soms. $$$$
A cosy log-cabin affair with a large meat-roasting Finely presented dishes, reasonably priced beer (60
central fireplace. On one disturbing occasion the som) genuinely friendly and attentive service and live Fusion (Vefa Centre, Sovietskaya/Gorkova)
waiting staff were about as plesant as a bunch
music from 8-ish on most evenings. Definitely worth Takeout is free on orders over 450 soms (0312 510
of chavs, but hopefully that was a passing phase.
the trek out to the suburbs ( tell your taxi driver to turn 707). Teriaki chicken, Miso soup, sushi rolls and pork
Minibuses 195 and 110 take you right past it as you
left at the yuzhniy vorota and head towards Asenbai in ginger sauce are all well worth a phone call. $$$
head out to the mountains. $$$
for about 1.5km) $$$
Korean
Jam* (179, Toktogula)
Vis-a-Vis (26, Logvinenko)
An underground oasis of cool. Jam is a cafe with a Santa Maria (217, Chui)
Soon to be renamed “The Queen’s Head”, This place is
full menu, kalians (shisha pipes) and a lounge bar Plush Korean restaurant offering Eastern favourites,
atmosphere, open till 3am . $$$$ a new honey pot for ex pats. Steak is always advisable including exciting Korean barbecues where you get
when eating at an appendix to a butcher’s, and the sir- to cook your own dinner, plus an extensive Euro-
Jumanji (Behind the circus) loin here is exceptional. Also, enjoy English breakfasts, pean menu. $$$
It’s strange. This place is decorated with fake jungle chips that aren’t cold and local dark ale Chuiski on tap.
foliage and is based on a crap kids’ film yet still sort Recommended! $$$
of works. You also get to roll a pair of Jumanji dice
Lebanese
before you order for the chance to win a special se- Beirut (Shevchenko/Frunze)
cret prize - we like this. $$$ Indian Now in a new location, Beirut continues to serve en-
The Host (Sovietskaya, opposite the Hyatt) ticing Lebanese goodies including falaffle, humus,
Live Bar* (Kulatova/Pravda) A varied and interesting menu including fine Indian and tasty little meat pie things. $$$
Twenty-four hour sports bar with live music at food make this place a real treat. On midweek days
weekends. Plenty of leather couches provide the there are also several excellent business lunch deals
ideal place to sip cocktails whilst watching the offering a soup, salad, main course and dessert for Moldovan
Champions league at three in the morning. $$$$ 250-350 som. A real stand out and a Spektator fa-
vourite! $$$$ Moldova Restaurant (Kievskaya/Turusbekova)
Lounge Bar* (338a, Frunze) If it’s been a while since you last went out for a
One of our favourite places to drink in the Summer- Moldovan, this wooden paneled, sturdy-tabled ea-
Indian Village (Vefa Centre, Sovietskaya/Gorkova)
time, when we can afford it. Outdoor balcony-cum- tery may be the answer to your prayers. Also, the
It’s on the third floor (if you count ground floor as
terrace high above the street with slouch-couches Moldovan Embassy is next door should you care
the first). A cheaper version of The Host, if you can
and fine views of the circus - which you can some- to learn more about the world’s favourite budget-
bear the fake-fontaine, soul sucking environs of this
times smell in hot weather. Nice. $$$ Turkish-built mall. The vegetable biryani is good for wine exporting country. $$$
days when you are feeling off meat, while the milky
Navigator (103, Moskovskaya)
chai tea is authentic, if a little sweet. $$ Regional/Central Asian
A pricy, but pleasant place to while away an after-
noon. Sit in the bar area over a beer or lounge in the Italian Arabica* (Mederova/Tynastanova)
This formerly sophisticated laid back shisha pipe)
airy non-smoking conservatory. Attentive service
and a refreshing selection of salads, a good place Adriatico (219, Chui) bar has moved to a new location and, by the looks
for a light, healthy lunch when fat and grease are Reportedly suffering following the departure of of the bath in the toilets, may still be under devel-
its Italian chef, Walter, although we have been told opment. Three floors, VIP rooms, kaliyans aplenty.
getting you down. $$$$
that the soup is still excellent. $$$$ $$$

Spektator
THE

.co.uk
Find the best bars in town with the Spektator and thespektator.co.uk

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2011 The Spektator

 24 Bars, Restaurants & Clubs
Arzu-II (Sovietskaya/Lev Tolstoy bridge) Zaporyzhia (9, Prospect Mira) Apple (28, Manas)
Twenty-four hour joint that’s a godsend for those Recently opened, Zaporyzhia is a cossack fla- Fat, old, lecherous foreigners not welcome, this
who get cravings for lagman or manti at four in voured restauraunt in a varnish-scented log cab- place is for a younger cooler crowd. Multiple bars,
the morning. Sometimes smoking isn’t allowed, in. Hearty rustic dishes and a homely atmosphere. large dance floor, friendly atmosphere. Thursday
sometimes it is, however the food and prices are The medovukha is recommended! $$$ usually a big night. (Entrance charge 100-300 som)
constantly pretty good. Comfy booth style seats to
dig yourself into after a heavy night. $$ Turkish Arbat (9, Karl Marks)
Carlson (166, Sovietskaya) Tel. 512094; 512087
Arzu-I (Togolok Moldo, next to the stadium) Smart ‘elite’ club popular with a slightly older
Offers a hearty selection of Kyrgyz and European A good outdoor terrace and some hearty food, but
crowd. Strip bar and restaurant in same building.
dishes and a homely atmosphere. There’s also a the Karaoke style crooners who provide evening (Entrance charge 200/350 som midweek, 350/450
great outdoor terrace and national favorouit Arpa entertainment are an acquired taste. $$ som Fri/Sat. Strip bar 700 som)
on draught. $$ Huzur (Kievskaya/Togoluk Moldo,)
Convivial proprietor Ali claims to have Steven Ger- City Club (85/1, Zhukeyeva-Pudovkina)
Derevyashka* (Ryskulova, behind Dvorets Sporta) Tel. 511513; 510581
Atmospheric drinking cabin that serves a range of rard’s 2005 Champion’s League winning Liverpool So exclusive it makes the Spektator crowd feel like
Central Asian and Russian cuisine, as well as an im- shirt. If you don’t believe that, belive in free lepyosh- cheap scum bags, City Club is one of the posh-
pressive array of pivo. Well worth it on football nights, ka and good, affordable Turkish cuisine. $$ est clubs in town. Get past the ‘face control’ (ugly
when the locals are rather rowdy. $ Konak (Sovietskaya/Gorkova) people beware) and spend your evening with gang-
Faiza I (Jibek Jolu/Prospect Mira) This Turkish joint used to be ‘Restaurant Camelot’ ster types, lecherous diplomats, Kazakh business-
Possibly the best place to munch traditional grub in hence the incongruous suits of armour in the back men and a posse of young rich kids who all seem to
town. Their fried pelmeni and manti are so good that room, and the rather crappy castle facade. However, have studied in London. (Entrance charge: girls 200/
they have often run out by supper-time. Save an the food is often great, the salads are large and fresh, boys 300, Fri/Sat girls 300/boys 500
appetite and go early. $ and the staff are always pleasant. Recommended!
(And now open 24 hours a day) $$ Golden Bull (Chui/Togolok Moldo)
Faiza II (Mederova/Tynystanova) Tel. 620131
Slightly more upmarket than the original - attractive Ojak (On Erkindik between Moskovskaya, Toktogula) A Bishkek institution. Full of ex-pats and tourists liter-
Central Asian ceramic works adorn the walls - but the Technically an ‘Azerbaijanian’, but don’t let this fact ally every night of the week. Long bar, friendly staff,
menu is identical. Better positioned for those that live ruin the best value kebabs in town. The menu is cheapish beer, everyone’s happy. (Entrance charge
south of the Lev Tolstoy bridge. $ limited and if your Russian is too, just say ‘kebab’ and [girls/boys] free/400 midweek, 150/400 Fri/Sat. ‘For-
something cheap and tasty will arrive. $ eigners’ free.)
Forel (Vorentsovka village)
Twenty minutes outside of Bishkek, Forel is a fish- Retro Metro (24, Mira)
based ‘relaxation centre’ set amongst babbling Night www.retrometro.kg

streams and offering fine veiws of the mountains. Fish
your own trout out of a pool and have it deep fat fried
for your pleasure. Only salads, bread, tea and juice are
sold on site but you are welcome to bring any booze
or garnish you desire, it’s also possible to rent a BBQ.
To get there take a taxi to Vorentsovka village and, if
your taxi driver doesn’t know the exact location, ask a
friendly villager. Trout is 800som/kilo $$$
Karavan (Almatinkskoya/Chui)
Excellent little stolyva (canteen) full of the timeless
regional favourites. Being an Uighur restaurant its gero
lagman or lagman pa Uighurski particularly stand out.
No smoking, sit, eat and leave. $
Jalalabad (Togolok Moldo/Kievskaya)
Basically the cheapest food (that won’t give you gut
rot) in the centre of town. While it should stand out for
its fresh lagman, Jalalabad is sometimes overlooked.
Probably at its best in summer, when the shashlyk
masters flanking the entrance offer their creations
straight to guests sitting at Eastern-style tables – cross
your legs and see how long before cramp sets in. $
Russian/Ukrainian
Pirogoff-Vodkin (Kievskaya/Togolok Moldo)
Classy restaurant with a turn of the 20th century
atmosphere serving Russian specialities. Have your
tea in a giant samovar. $$$
Khutoryanka (Bokonbaeva/Isanova)
Unassuming, to put it mildly, on the outside, this
place is a revelation on the inside. Delicious food,
reasonable service, Ukrainian brass band music
on the cd player. We love it! $$$
Platinum (East side of the Philharmonia)
Taras Bulba (Near the Yuzhniy Vorota on Sovietskaya)
Like all the Ukrainian restaurants we’ve tried in Take a seat at the snazzy 360 degree bar and do (Entrance charge 100-150 som)
Bishkek, Taras Bulba serves great food. We liked the battle with some of Kyrgyzstan’s most convivial
potato pancakes with caviar, the delicious soups ‘elite’ for gold-digging temptresses. (Entrance Live music also common at Stary Edgar’s, Beatles
and fresh salads. $$$ charge 400-500 som)
Clubs
Bright, happy, 80’s kitsch bar, the DJ spins his rec-
ords from inside the front of a VW camper van. One
of the most popular places for post-2am partying.
(Entrance charge: 200/300 som midweek, 350/450
There are some Bishkek old-hands who say that som Fri/Sat. Reserve for 200 som)
things aren’t what they used to be when it comes to
nightlife in Bishkek. They talk of legendary nights of Live Music
carnage, vomit, and debauchery - delights that con-
temporary Bishkek struggles to offer. Promzona (16, Cholpon-Atinskaya)
Not so, we say. Take your pick from the list below and www.promzona.kg
we’re sure there’s still enough carnage, vomit and Promzona’s far-flung location sadly means a taxi
debauchery in town to keep everyone happy. ride or a long walk home are in order at the end
of a night. Nevertheless, this trendy live music
Diskoklubs venue has a lot going for it: good bands, an exten-
sive menu, and a hip industrial interior featuring,
Heaven (Frunze/Pravda - in the Hotel Dostuk) strangely, a wind tunnel fan, make this one of the
As Heaven is found inside a hotel it is surprisingly best nights out in Bishkek. Tuesday is Jazz night.
unseedy. In fact it stands out for being a bastion of Rock or blues bands normally play at the week-
the well-dressed (if one is generous). Turn up in tatty ends. (Music charge 200-350 som)
jeans and a t-shirt and you may feel a little out of
place; then again, you may not give a shit. Tables by Esco-bar (Gorkova, 200 m East of Tash Rabat)
the dancefloor cost 1000 som but include drinks up Named after the infamous Colombian cocaine
to this value. (Entrance charge 200-400 som) baron, staff are unlikely to bash a line out for you
on arrival. What you will get is decent tunes most
Fire & Ice (Tynystanova/Erkindik) nights in a ‘pre-party’ spot brought to you by the
A slightly grittier version of Golden Bull. Again, for- creators of the Vefa centre’s Veranda. $$$
eigners can often get in for free. Popular throughout
Sweet Sixties (Molodaya Gvardia/Kievskaya)
the week. (Entrance ‘foreigners’ free)
Live cover bands most nights. Full menu, popular
with a younger crowd. $$
Gvozd (Western side of the Philharmonia)
Foreigners for free, urban grooves and acceptable
Zeppelin (43, Chui)
prices at the bar. ‘Gvozd’ means ‘nail’ in Russian, but
Zeppelin is in the same vein as the old Tequila
you’ve probably got a better chance at the Golden
Blues but not quite so spit and sawdust. On the
Bull. Its almost like the crowd from Pharaoh have mi-
nights we’ve visited, there’s been a line up of young
grated. (Entrance ‘foreigners’ free)
rock or punk bands strutting their stuff, heavier
beats seem to go down best with the young Rus-
sian crowd. Full restaurant menu.
Bar, Foyer and Blonder Pub (see ‘restaurants’)

March 2011 The Spektator www.thespektator.co.uk

 Map 25
vardia a Gvardia
Mol o d aya G Moloday
1

Jibek
Jolu
Kievskaya
THE MOUNTAINS

Chui
Engelsa
Lva Tolstogo

Toktogula
2
23 ve.
Manas a
15
ve.
Manas a

Ryskulova

Jumabe
ve. 4 5
Manas a
3

Kievskaya
Moskovskaya

Isanova

k
T. Abdymom
Isanova 11 8 Koenkozo
va
Isanova
7
12 Dvorets
Sporta
9 10

unov stadium
13
oldo
Togolok M

Jibe
Michael Frunze
Spartak
14

k Jo
Chui

6
Toktogula

k o
Logvinen
Moskovskaya

va
Orozbeko
16

Juma

Baeto
Lva Tolstog

va
Orozbeko a
18 Razzakov
Bokonbaeva

bek

va
kova
17Razza Erkind
Abdym

Erkindik
Tugolbay

Michae
omuno

21
o

19
l Frunze

a ova
Fatianov Tynystan
va

ova 20
Tynystan
AYA
SOVETSK
22
27 AYA
Circus

SOVETSK
Chui

AYA
Kievskaya

SOVETSK
24
va
aeva Shopoko
A. Usenb
Toktogula

25
Lva

va
Shopoko
Pravda
a
Elebaev 26
Tol

Pravda
s

lya
Gogo
tog

Ogonbae
Moskov
o

North
Bokonb

lya
Gogo
va

www.thespektator.co.uk March 2011 The Spektator

 26 What’s On
Until March 31
An exhibition of the works of Georg Kolotov
Museum of Fine Arts (G.Aitieva)
A Bishkek-based photography exhibition
entitled “My Americans”. Kolotov has won both
Kyrgyz and international photographic awards.
The exhibition was created with support from
the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan. In it the author
shows America the way he saw it himself.
“Discreet, modest and neat, the daily life,” writes
painter and art critic Gamal Bokonbaev, in his
review of “My Americans”.
Entertainment Auditions
GoodZone, 31, Turusbekova
if you sing, dance, play a musical instrument,
or you’re an artist of an original genre! Head on
down to GoodZone. This is the hip new enter-
tainment centre stirring in the grave of the old
Tequila Blues venue.
Tel: 31 75 75
Into April
April 1
April Fool’s Day, Cafe Kazankok, Tolstoy 103
All are invited to attend a merry evening in the
company of KVN live comedy team 312. Enjoy
practical jokes, gifts and prizes. Come and have
fun!
Tel: 41 61 61, www.kazanok.kg
April 1 and 2
‘The Return’ at Bacardi Bar, 31 Togolok Moldo
Of what exactly, we don’t know. Hopefully not
Bacardi’s infamous ex-owner. Parties here are
usually pretty fly. 300 soms on the door. The
party will get underway after 10pm.
Until April 3
“I Won”, Museum of Modern Art
An art exhibition dedicated to tuberculosis
sufferers at the Museum of modern art opposite
the Opera Ballet theatre. Entrance is 50 soms
and proceeds are shared between the museum
and organizations working with sufferers of the
disease.
April 5-10 Fashion Week
Russian Drama Theatre
A repeat of last year’s event, which got mixed
reviews. Nevertheless, an interesting option and
you can catch it all week.
Trekking Union of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Chui av. 4A, Office A4
Tel.: +996 (312) 90 61 15, 90 61 39
e-mail: trek@elcat.kg,
website: www.trek-kyrgyzstan.com, www.tuk.kg
.
Map: Location guide 7. Beta Stores Supermarket
1. Bella Italia 8. Derevyashka
2. Metro Bar (American Pub) 9. Cyclone
3. Mexican Canteena 10. Coffee House (II)
4. Zaporyzhian Nights 11. Adriatico
5. Coffe House (I) 12. Santa Maria
6. Vis-a-Vis 13. Faiza
March 2011 The Spektator
TUK Dates for April Entertainment Directory
April1st-4th The Puppet Theatre
Hike Alamedin Gorge – Alyn-Tor Stream Sovietskaya/Michurina
Three day trip to Alamedin gorge. Hike in the pan- Performances on Sundays at 11:00am.
orama of the Black Finger and Aman Too Peaks.
Hike to local waterfall, two days sleeping in a tent. Russian Drama Theatre
Trip for all ages and abilities. Distance about 20 Tynystanova, 122 (Situated in Oak Park)
km. Transport and organization incl. consultation Tel.: 662032, 621571
and guide for a group of 15 costs 550s om (TUK Hours: Mon-Sun, 10:00-18:00
members 450 som). Tickets 30-100 som
Local and international plays in Russian.
4th April
Sokuluk Gorge hiking expedition
The Conservatory
One day trip to the Sokuluk gorge (Belagoka). Vis-
Jantosheva, 115
it local waterfall. Return to Bishkek same day. Trip
Tel: 479542
for all ages and abilities.Transport and organiza-
Concerts by students and professors.
tion incl. consultation and guide for a group of 15
costs 350 som (TUK members 250 som).
Kyrgyz State Philharmonic
9th April Chui Prospect, 253
Paintballing Tel: 212262, 212235
Adrenaline-pumping game of paintball just out- Hours: 17:00-19:00 in summer
side the city near airport Manas. Cost: 480 som Tickets: 70-100 som (sometimes much more for
(TUK members 250 som). Transport for a group of special performances)
16 people is 200 som (TUK members 250 som). There are two concert halls featuring classical,
traditional Kyrgyz, and pop concerts and a variety
10th April of shows.
Trek from Chongerchuk gorge to Birbulak
One day trip from Chongerchuk gorge to Birbulak Opera Ballet Theatre
gorge over a 2400m pass. Transport and organi- Sovietskaya/Abdymununova
zation incl. consultation and a guide for a group Tel: 66 15 48
of 15 costs 250 som (TUK members 220 som). Hours: 17:00-19:00
Tickets: 150-600 som
15th-17th April Tickets for performances sell out very quickly and
Issyk-Ata gorge trip it is necessary to book a seat in advance.
Three days trek to Issyk-Ata gorge. Distance
about 20 km. Transport and organization incl.
consultation and a guide for a group of 15 costs
550 som (TUK members 480 som). Live updates
For all the Bishkek opera, ballet and concert listings,
17th April
check our frequently updated What’s On listings at:
Rock climbing at the Chongerchuk Gorge
Day trip to the Alamedin gorge. Walk in the pan- www.thespektator.co.uk
orama of the Black Finger and Aman-Too Peaks.
Hike to local waterfall and open air picnic. Visit
local spring.Trip for walkers of all ages and abili- Spektral Travel
ties.Distance 12 km. Transport and organization
incl. consultation and guide for a group of 15 Weather-wise, you never know what you’re going to get
costs 280 som (TUK members 220 som). in a Kyrgyzstani April. For this reason, a trip to everyone’s
favourite lake is premature. Still, if you’ve got the Bishkek
blues you can boost your mood and local economies
Groups meet the Thursday before the weekend
by taking a minibus out to one of the small towns in the
of departure. Call (0312) 906 115 or email us at
trek@elcat.kg. Web site: http://www.trek-kyr- surrounding Chui region. We recommend the provincial
gyzstan.com brewery towns Byelovodskoye and Kant.
14. New York Pizza 21. Stary Edgars
15. Pinta Pub 22. TSUM Department Store
16. National Museum 23. Jam
17. Navigator 24. Mimino
18. Sky Bar 25. Arabica
19. Foyer 26. Blonder Pub
20. Fatboy’s 27. VEFA shopping Centre
www.thespektator.co.uk