TOURISM IN KYRGYZSTAN - Tourism in Central Asia: Cultural Potential and Challenges - page 265

It is the oldest urban settlement in Kyrgyzstan, dating back to the third
century B.C. The local people claim the city to be older than Rome. His-
torically, Osh was one of the most important commercial centers on the
Silk Road (Özcan, 2010). Osh is also famous as one of the most impor-
tant centers of Sufism in Central Asia and is known for centuries as the
“Second Mecca,” attracting many Muslim pilgrims who wanted to see the
city's holy places such as Solomon's Throne (Capisani 2000). One other
such attractive place in Osh is the Arslanbob site. Believed to be a servant
of Prophet Muhammad, Arslanbob came to Osh upon the request of the
Prophet himself to find the most beautiful place on earth. Upon his arrival,
Arslanbob saw that there were beautiful waterfalls but no trees in the val-
leys of Osh. Upon hearing this, the Prophet sent a bag of seeds and nuts,
which Arslanbob scattered throughout the vast valleys, beautifying them
as they are today (Özcan, 2010).
The Talas region is rich in terms of rivers that account for more than
250 in number. However, what makes Talas more interesting in cultural
and historical terms is the Manas Museum and Manas Dome. Talas is the
region in which most of the events described in the Manas story took place
(Seval et al., 2003). Being the “legendary home of the epic hero
Manas” this region enjoys a growing reputation (Anderson, 1999). In
1995, UNESCO sponsored a three-day festival that celebrated the 1,000th
anniversary of the Manas epic poem, the origins of which go back to the
ninth century (Kort, 2004). Describing the strength, bravery, virtue as well
as military skills of Manas, the epic is considered to be a folk story of the
national history of Kyrgyzstan. As put forward by a Kyrgyz diplomat in
Bishkek, “This legend will continue to be recited until the last Kyrgyz on
earth perishes” (Balbay, 1999).
The Naryn region is renowned for its valleys, caves, the Naryn River
and Lake Song-Kul that are suitable for a variety of sportive activities such
as horse riding, trekking, outdoor activities and rafting. This region is also
known by its beautiful alpine lake, the Chatyr-Kul (Seval et al., 2003).
Finally, Batken is famous for the Aygul, a kind of rose that can only
be found in Afghanistan and Batken in the world (Seval et al., 2003). The
Aksu Valley, which is known as the “Patagonia of Central Asia,” also of-
fers great opportunities for rock climbers (Dlugy, 1999). A huge Manas
sculpture located here is another tourist attraction.
Such advantages that these regions offered acquired a new meaning
in the post-Soviet era. Soon after independence, the Kyrgyz government,