Rivers and lakes of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan bodies of water. History and pictures of Kyrgyzstan nature

"Water is the greatest treasure a man can have.
An Eastern saying says: where there is water,
there is life. Where there is no water the world ends".

Water is a defining feature of Kyrgyzstan. In winter it freezes on glaciers and buries the land deep in snow. In summer it melts into cascading streams, tumbling waterfalls and ferocious torrents which carve their way through jagged cliffs and rocky gorges. This annual snow-melt is vitally important to the landlocked Kyrgyz, supplying water for drinking, agriculture and hydroelectricity.

Each August the ice-locked Merzbacher Lake on the Northern Inylchek Glacier bursts through its ice wall, sending a dramatic plume of water into the air. The run-off from this and 6,500 other glaciers feeds the trickling streams, which meander through lush mountain pastures before converging noisily in mighty rivers such as the 720 km long Naryn and the Chui. Their furious white water attracts rafters and kayakers from around the world.

Pristine mountain lakes such as lovely Song Kul provide a summer refuge for shepherds and their herds, and pilgrims flock to holy springs in search of cures for ailments and troubles. But if the lush mountains are tuned to the constant rush of water, the parched lowlands burn hot and dry, and in the south, fields of sunflowers turn their faces to the sun.

	Lake Issyk-Kul Which means "hot lake" in the Turkic languages of Central Asia, holds the title as one of the largest alpine lakes in the world. At an altitude of 1,609 meters above sea level, it is exceeded only by Lake Titicaca in Bolivia as the highest of large mountain lakes. Two mountain chains of the Central Tien Shan range border the lake - in the north the Kungei-Alatau (in Turkic: "facing the sun"), and in the south the Terskei-Alatau...
	Chatkal River Located in the Western Tian Shan mountain range, the River Chatkal flows for 189 kilometers through a remote valley in the extreme west of the country. It is flanked by the 120km long mountain range of the same name and the Chandalash range. Walnut groves, alternating with Semyonov's maple, ash and hawthorns, are spread along the lower slopes of the Chatkal River, which flows into Uzbekistan. ...
	Enchilek Mountain River Located in the Wester Tian Shan mountain range, the River Chatkal flows for 189 kilometers through a remote valley in the extreme west of the country. It is flanked by the 120km long mountain range of the same name and the Chandalash range. Walnut groves with Semyonov's maple and less frequently ash and tree-like hawthorns are spread along the lower slopes of the Chatkal River, which flows into Uzbekistan. ...
	Son-Kul Lake Located in the Wester Tian Shan mountain range, the River Chatkal flows for 189 kilometers in a remote valley in the extreme West of the country. It is flanked by the 120 km long mountain range of the same name and the Chandalash range. Walnut groves with Semyonov's maple and less frequently ash and tree-like hawthorns are spread along the lower slopes of the Chatkal River, which flows to Uzbekistan. ...