Bishkek Walking Tour

New SRAS students at the London School in Bishkek are introduced to the city and some of its major landmarks on a walking tour shortly after arrival. I took this tour on the afternoon of my first day here at the end of August. It was hot, the streets were busy, and little stands along […]

Meros Silk Paper Factory in Samarkand

The Meros Silk Paper Factory was one of the last stops on this November’s trip from Bishkek to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, organized by SRAS and The London School of Bishkek as part of the Central Asian Studies study abroad program. Just outside Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the factory was built little over a decade ago, but it […]

Ata-Beyit Memorial Complex in Chong-Tash

Ata-Beyit/Ата-бейит Day Trip from Bishkek Ата-бейит (Ata-Beyit, Kyrgyz for “Grave of Our Fathers”) is a memorial complex located in Chong-Tash, a village and skiing destination in the Chui Province about 15 miles south of Bishkek. The site honors two dark episodes in Kyrgyzstan’s history: mass murders that occurred in 1938 at the hands of the […]

Accessible Art and Dialectic Potential: The Soviet Legacy in the Art community of Kyrgyzstan

”In the artistic world, Central Asian artists are still listed as “Others.” Ulan Djaparov, exhibition notes for “…and Others,” 2004. Within the last three decades, the international art system has seen the inclusion of contemporary art from regions of the world, which once seemed remote. The newest region to enter the international art system is […]

The Ala Too Cinema in Bishkek

Ала Тоо Кинотеатр/Ala Too Cinema Cinematica.kg 187 пр. Чуй hours depend on movie times, usually starting in the early afternoon and finishing in the late evening Movies for less than $5 Hello, and welcome to Bishkek. I just arrived here a few days ago for my semester abroad, and I already love this city. On […]

Marat Mashanlo: Bishkek: Yesterday and Today

In photography, superimposition is the placement of one image over another, either to conceal something or create an overall effect. The concept was widely developed by Russian photographer Sergey Larenkov, who compared the past and present of multiple cities in reference to World War II. He describes theses superimposed archival photos as “ghosts.” A new outdoor exhibition of […]

Manas Ordo: Mad for Manas in Talas

Manas Ordo Address: 10km east of Talas, at the foot of the Manastyn-Chokusu Mountain, on the bank of the Kenkol mountain river Price: Adults – 20 som; Children – 5 som, Guided Tour – 300 som Hours: 9:00am-7:00pm There are few essential things to know about Kyrgyzstan. One of these is the country’s folkloric hero, […]

Przhevalskii Museum near Karakol

Przhevalskii Museum Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Price: Students – 40 som; Foreigners – 70 som Address: On the road to Pristan Przhevalsk and Mikhailovka Ever since I arrived in Kyrgyzstan, I have been told to go to Issyk-Kul, an oblast located about five hours east of Bishkek, and location of the famed “hot lake” that never freezes. […]

Circus in Bishkek

“Moscow Oceanarium” / Московский Океариум January 26-February 17, 2013 Saturday and Sundays, 12:00pm and 4:00pm Price: 500 som – 700 som http://circus.312.kg/ On Sunday afternoon, my London School colleagues and I caught the last day showing of the circus that has been in town the past month, the “Moscow Oceanarium.” I have been looking forward […]

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