Karakol; 1st August - From Aqtau - CycleBlaze

From From Aqtau

By Ken ..

Karakol; 1st August

1st August -- rest day in Karakol

A monument to WW2
Heart 0 Comment 0

Almost all towns and many villages have monuments in WW2 in Kazhakstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgystan. When studying the period as part of the national curriuculm in the UK as a 16 year old, the impression I got was that the war was very much a European one. Traveling through Central Asia you realise this was very much not the case. The Soviet Union lost about 27 million soldiers fighting the Nazis, many from Central Asia; an utterly incomprehensible figure, involving human tragedy on an unimaginable scale.

Dungan Mosque designed in Buddhist Chinese style -- several hundred KMs east of Karakol is the Uyghur region of China
Heart 0 Comment 0
Beautifuly intricate detailing of the mosque
Heart 0 Comment 0
This is the main Orthodox Church of Karakol. When we visited a service was occuring -- it looked very traditional, with the priest dressed in opulent clothing. Karakol was a garrison town during the Russian Empire's expansion, hence the mix of Muslim and Christian cultures
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Heart 0 Comment 0
Rate this entry's writing Heart 0
Comment on this entry Comment 0