The big sofas of Central Asia: Kyrgyz !

Kirghizistan, Ala-Too, Kashkha-Suu, © L. Gigout, 2012

Paysage de montagne (Ala-Too) en direction de Kashkha-Suu au sud de Bichkek.

Journey by marshrutka to Kasska-Suu at the foot of Ala-Too. It is a ski resort when season permits it. In the upper part of the village, after crossed a canal with clean line appearance, in a plentiful vegetation lie uninhabited dachas. The small houses are closed and the gardens uncultivated. Pinching some apples should not cause a very grave damage to the owner of this one. By walking the grassy pathes, I bump into men busy with earthmoving works. One of them leads me to another house where is a big covered terrace. For him, there is no doubt about that, it is a tapshan. He is a retired policeman and, while walking, he quotes in bulk the name of French eminent persons. Such as Voltaire, gendarme of Saint-Tropez, general de Gaulle, Paul Eluard, Mireille Matthieu, Gauguin, etc. He insists on giving me his phone number because my safety is at stake, he says. I set off towards Ala Archa National Park. Here too, the guardian at the entrance is rushing into an endless enumeration. It must be currently a fashionable quiz show. But his references are not thoses of the policeman, the streak is with him firmly nationalist. He claims that Murat was Kyrgyz, just like terrible Attila. (Remained sceptical later with evocation of a general in the Napoleonic army and king of Naples, I will consider that the patronymic Murat should refer to Mourad, common name in the region and which was also the one of an Ottoman dynasty. It is undoubtedly to this one the guard thought and not to the brother-in-law of Napoleon 1st.)
- Genghis Khan, Timour Lenk, Babour ? Kyrgyz ! Karakalpaks ? Kyrgyz ! Conrad ? Kyrgyz !
Halt ! I point out to him that Conrad was English of Polish origin. Nié karacho, tovaritch !
- Conrad niet ! Koungrad ! Koungrads : Kyrgyz ! Kipchaks, Naïmans, Tartars, Kazakhs, Kalmuckes ? Kyrgyz !

It is known that Kyrgyz people are descended from a mixture of European and Asian peoples. René Cagnat is caught dreaming of seeing in them Celt's ancestors. The proof ? Their music, which would totally fit on a fest-noz, and they would share the interest in embroidery designs, megaliths and... obstinacy ! They were described by the Chinese of the 7th century as the people with the red hair, a clear complexion, and with green or blue eyes. But not enough to claim having such an posterity ! So as not to annoy my interlocutor, I tell him that, roughly speaking, I agree with him and it could be that I am a little bit Kyrgyz myself. But of that, he does not seem to be convinced.
- Caesar bil koutchli tchem Attila ! He exclaims.
All right. I ask him how to continue my road.
- Paputi! He answers in pointing his thumbs up. Paputi v'Bourok.
- Beurok ?
- Beuuuurok niet ! Bouuuurok ! He says irritated. Niet gavarit euuuu po rousky!
A car stops and he intercedes so that the driver drives me to the Bourok chaïkhana a few kilometres away. There are tapshans at the water's edge but it is closed. I continue the road following the valley on foot. Trees have a beautiful saffron color. Later, I return to Bishkek with a driver came to fill cans with mountain pure natural spring water.