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Ringed by snowcapped peaks thousands of miles from the
nearest ocean, an aging, Soviet-era beach resort sits
along the sandy shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. In the summer
months, vacationers arrive from all over the region to
enjoy the blue waters of the world’s second-largest
high-altitude lake.
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An Uzbek WWII veteran, who fought for the Soviet Union,
proudly displays his medals. Most Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan
(they comprise 14 percent of the population) live in the
southern city of Osh and neighboring areas. Numerous conflicts
between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the past decade have created
a degree of ethnic tension.
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A colorful bus stop resembles the unique domed shape and
embroidered wool design of a kalpak, a traditional men’s
hat whose look defines Kyrgyzstan.
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On a major country road, vehicles share the right of way
with herding cattle. Animal husbandry has deep roots in
the country; meat and wool production still make up a
large share of the agricultural economy.
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Osh’s strategic importance along the ancient Silk
Road trading route remains evident in the array of colorful
and fragrant spices displayed in the city’s teeming
bazaar. The free-market atmosphere of today contrasts
with Soviet times, when goods were price-controlled and
sold mainly in government stores.
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A modestly dressed woman purchases goods from a newsstand
kiosk displaying risqué magazine covers. The more
conservative traditions governing sexuality in Kyrgyz
society, along with a renewed attraction to more fundamentalist
Muslim values, conflict with a climate of growing modernization.
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