• Bangladesh!

    Bangladesh: Traditional houses. Go Now!

    Bangladesh
    This low-lying country has historic ties to India and Pakistan, but today maintains a wholly unique culture. Explore Bangladesh!

  • Indonesia!

    Indonesia: Lombok. Go Now!

    Indonesia
    This archipelago nation is culturally diverse from big cities to isolated islands. Begin Your Journey!

  • Jordan!

    Jordan: Petra. Go Now!

    Jordan
    Tucked away in this Middle Eastern country, the famed city of Petra (pictured) links the past to the present culture. Explore Jordan!

  • Mongolia!

    Mongolia: Desert. Go Now!

    Mongolia
    This vast country has a culture that spans past and present... a nomadic life shifting to a modern & sedentary society. Begin Your Journey!

  • Kyrgyzstan!

    Kyrgyzstan: Tian Shan Mountains. Go Now!

    Kyrgyzstan
    The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains. Go Now!

Architecture of Kyrgyzstan

For most of Kyrgyzstan's early history, architecture was limited to domestic dwellings (homes) and for most people this consisted of a round portable house called a yurt (or boz-ui) that catered to the nomadic lifestyle. Yurts still exist today in Kyrgyzstan, although the people are moving in the direction of more permanent settlements, an occurrence most magnified under Soviet rule.

Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people there are no early architectural pieces that exist today and very few were ever built to begin with. This didn't truly change until the arrival of the Russians in the 1800s and the Soviets in the 1900s.

The Soviets forced the Kyrgyzs to settle in order to help the country's production in factories and on farms. During their rule most buildings were large apartment complexes and factories as religious buildings were outlawed by the atheist Soviets. Sadly Soviet architecture had a strong focus on efficiency and use over aesthetics, not giving the country any truly impressive cityscapes.

 

This page was last updated: July, 2012