Sary Mogul - Harsh Times (27 images)

Sary Mogul, Kyrgyzstan

Situated at nearly 2.300 metres with temperatures reaching -40 degrees celsius during the winter, the villagers of Sary Mogul lead a lifestyle of extremes. Surrounded by mountains (the Alai in the West and the Pamirs in the East), it is no exaggeration that its inhabitants truly live on the 'roof of the world'. The lonely strip of valley is somewhat cut off from the rest of Kyrgyzstan, its North Eastern end guiding the traveler into China, while its...
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Sary Mogul, Kyrgyzstan

Situated at nearly 2.300 metres with temperatures reaching -40 degrees celsius during the winter, the villagers of Sary Mogul lead a lifestyle of extremes. Surrounded by mountains (the Alai in the West and the Pamirs in the East), it is no exaggeration that its inhabitants truly live on the 'roof of the world'. The lonely strip of valley is somewhat cut off from the rest of Kyrgyzstan, its North Eastern end guiding the traveler into China, while its Southern side bordering with Tajikistan.

The villagers are historically semi nomadic, moving their livestock up into the mountainsides during the summer for better grazing grounds. During Soviet collectivisation this traditional and timeless way of life was prohibited. More disastrous however was the forced displacement of thousands of villagers in the 1940s; Sary Mogul itself was 'founded' in 1942 by people moved nearly 500km from another village in the mountains, an environment to which they were much better adapted.
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