All Places in Kyrgyzstan

Extremely isolated Silk Road caravanserai in the middle of nowhere.

An outstanding piece of retro Sci-Fi architecture built into a sacred mountain.

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

On the shores of Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul Lake, a family cooks a feast that tells the sad tale of a people's exile.

A boulder carved into the shape of the cosmonaut's head.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

Glacial lake that mysteriously empties itself every year.

A stunning blue-green lake located in the Terskey Alatau mountain range.

Built entirely of interlocking pieces, construction of this Chinese Muslim house of worship required zero nails.

This mysterious complex of abandoned yurts and fading murals was meant to be a center of science and spirituality in Kyrgyzstan.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

This village was once a thriving Soviet uranium mining center, but is now semi-abandoned and desolate.

These oldest of these "embroidered stones" were carved 4,000 years ago in a high mountain valley.

According to myth, there's a bloody explanation for the beautiful bright red color of this rock formation set amidst alpine vegetation.

An unusual monument to a gentle giant who became a Kyrgyz hero.

Dedicated to a Bolshevik revolutionary, this museum is a true time capsule of the Soviet era.