ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project started out as the text of our Webpage. As such, it was quite short. Then, people started asking us questions … and we put the answers onto the Webpage — and slowly it grew. It is not meant to be a waork of reference — but it is a work in progress … as we get more questions, maybe we will add more to the text.

The information is drawn from a wide range of sources some available in the West, others not. The aim has been to provide information about Kyrgyzstan to introduce the country to potential travelers, as one of the problems facing travelers to the region is the lack of information and we are trying to address that issue. We have tried to check the information wherever possible for accuracy and authenticity — but, as with all travel information, situations change and you should try to get the most up-to-date information available.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the sources of information which we have used in compiling these pages

Lonely Planet — Central Asia; Cadogan Guides — Central Asia, China, The Silk Routes; The Odyssey Guide to Kyrgyzstan; The Bishkek Guide — The Times of Central Asia; The Basic Bishkek Book; The Bishkek Handbook; Kyrgyzstan — a series of 6 glossy booklet published in Bishkek by Raritet (Bishkek); Encyclopedia Kyrgyzstana; The Kyrgyz SSR; Soviet Kyrgyzstan — phtoto albums; Atlas of the Kyrgyz SSR; Road Atlas of the CIS; Kyrgyzstan — Undiscovered Land — CD; the Multimedia Encyclodedia — Mountains of Kyrgyzstan; Kyrgyzstan — a Land of Treasure, Wonder and Mystic Awe; The Modernization of Inner Asia; Between Marx and Muhammed; The Resurgence of Central Asia; Central Asia — A Traveller? s Companion; Russia and Central Asia by Road; Trekking in Russia and Central Asia; Asia Overland; A History of Russia; Groliers Encyclopedia; Microsoft Encarta; Monumental Art of Bishkek; Pertroglyphs in Central Asia; The Kyrgyz Pattern; Various articles from: — The Times of Central Asia, The Washington Times, Kyrgyz Airlines in flight magazines (now no longer available), The British Broadcasting Corporation, The Economist; The books of Peter Hopkirk — especially : Setting the East Ablaze, The Great Game and Foreign Devils on the Silk Road; Tacis — international project on the preservation of biodiversity in the western tian-shan; Helvetas; Pamphlets produced by various bodies such as Burana Tower and Tash Rabat; the Manas epos translated by Walter May; the works of Chinghiz Aitmatov; Goodnight Mr. Lenin; Tsarina Of The Mountains — Kurmanjan And Her Times; Kurmanjan Datka — The Tsarina Of Alai; Birds In The Kyrgyz Republic; Monumental Art Of Bishkek; Petroglyphs Of Central Asia; The Atlas Of Central Asian Crafts And Trades — Vol.3 — Kyrgyzstan; Daughters Of Britannia; The History Of Kyrgyzstan; Reader in the History of Kyrgyzstan; The Nature Of Kyrgyzstan; Plants Of Kyrgyzstan; Modern Kyrgyz Cooking; Gold Of The Tien Shan Mountains; The Kyrgyz And Their Ancestors; Fairy Tales of the Kyrgyz People; 1000 Kyrgyz proverbs and sayings;

Our partners in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turmeniustan and China.

The Web pages of : — The US State Department, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Foreign Ministries of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand; The web pages of various organizations : The Kyrgyz Government, The CIA factbook, The World Bank; the official site of Askar Akaev, president of the Kyrgyz Republic; Gateway to Kyrgyzstan;

Victor Polynsky and Alexander Rusin for the use of some of their photographs.

Our internet providers: Powersoft Solutions.

Our web designer and site manager: Elena Moiseeva.

We would also like to thank many individuals for their help, support and supplementary information, including: Peter Neville-Hadley; Bruno De Cordier; Max Haberstroh; Joanne Wood; Ursula Daniel; Ben Curtis; and, of course, The staff of the Celestial Mountains Tour Company, The Silk Road Lodge and The Celestial Mountains Guest House (Naryn);

For those seeking further up-to-date information from recent travellers we can recommend the following (ask for details): The Oxiana and Oriental travel lists and the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree.