Kara Buura: Nature Park, Shrines and Cultural Sites

Kara Buura can be understood through two clearly distinct themes: the extensive Kara-Buura Nature Park and cultural sites with religious, historical and literary connections. The park was established as a protected natural area in 2005 and covers approximately 61,544 hectares on the northern slopes of the Talas Ala-Too.

Nature and protected area

The park contains juniper and spruce forests as well as subalpine and alpine meadows. It protects rare plant species in Kyrgyzstan; historical monuments are also located within the park. Visitors looking to understand Kara Buura’s natural side will find a variety of landscapes and a clear focus on conservation in one place.

Literature and culture in Sheker

The house museum of writer Chyngyz Aitmatov is located in Sheker. Stone sculptures of characters from his works stand on the museum grounds. A field in Sheker served as a filming location for “Early Cranes.” Ismail Cave lies in the center of a cemetery in Sheker and is associated with Ismail, a character in Aitmatov’s story “Face to Face.” The historical and cultural complex “Chyngyz Aalamy” is also being built in Sheker; the construction status may change.

Shrines and religious sites

The Azhydaar-Tash stone shrine is located 1–1.6 kilometers south of the center of Kok-Sai in Kara-Buura District. Maymak-Ata is a spring shrine 2–3 kilometers north of the village of Sulumaymak in Kara-Buura District. The Chargin-Ata spring shrine lies in a gorge in Sheker, 150 meters southwest of the Ak Uy shrine. At the Oljobay Kergen Tash shrine in Kok-Sai, Bubu-Baksy and the general public pray.

Road access in the surrounding area

A road runs near the destination along the Kara-Buura River valley from Talas, over the Kara-Buura Pass, toward the Chatkal Valley. Check the pass status and local road conditions before travelling. Historically, the Kara Buura Pass in the surrounding area was part of routes connecting the Talas Ala-Too with northeastern areas.

A separate look at the Talas Region

A separate regional perspective takes you to the Talas Region. There, the cultural landscape of Manas Ordo lies in the upper Talas Valley, on the right bank of the Kenkol, a tributary of the Talas, at the entrance to the Kenkol Gorge. A 14th-century mausoleum is traditionally associated by the Kyrgyz people with the epic hero Manas. The cultural landscape includes rituals and ceremonies related to the initiation of Manaschi, the storytellers of the national epic Manas. The Kenkol burial ground includes kurgans dating from the end of the 1st millennium BCE to the first half of the 1st millennium CE, which are associated with the Huns. Petroglyphs near the burial ground reflect the economic and ceremonial life of nomadic populations.

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