Snow Leopard
This elusive big cat prowls the rocky peaks of the Tian Shan mountains and is so rarely seen that local herders sometimes call it the ghost of the mountains.
Flag of Kyrgyzstan
Field Report
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, tucked between China to the east and Kazakhstan to the north, filled almost entirely with soaring mountain ranges where nomadic herders have lived for thousands of years. Most of the nearly seven million people who live there are Muslim, which means very few have heard the good news about Jesus. It is a place of striking beauty and ancient traditions where God is at work calling people to Himself.
From the Field Notebook
Snow Leopard
This elusive big cat prowls the rocky peaks of the Tian Shan mountains and is so rarely seen that local herders sometimes call it the ghost of the mountains.
Marco Polo Sheep
Named after the famous explorer who wrote about them, these sheep carry the largest curved horns of any sheep in the world and live on the high plateaus where Kyrgyz herders have roamed for centuries.
Golden Eagle
Kyrgyz hunters called berkutchi have trained golden eagles to hunt alongside them for over a thousand years, a tradition still practiced today in the mountain valleys.
Beshbarmak
This dish of boiled meat and flat noodles served in broth is the centerpiece of Kyrgyz celebrations, and its name means 'five fingers' because it is traditionally eaten by hand.
Kumiss
Fermented mare's milk with a slightly tangy, fizzy taste that has been the daily drink of nomadic Kyrgyz families for generations, often served to honored guests as a sign of welcome.
Samsa
These baked pastries stuffed with seasoned meat and onions come out of clay ovens with a crisp golden shell and are a favorite snack sold at markets across the country.
More than ninety percent of Kyrgyzstan is covered by mountains, and the Tian Shan range contains peaks taller than any mountain in the contiguous United States.
Issyk-Kul, a lake in the northeast, is the second-largest alpine lake in the world and never freezes even in the deep of winter, which is how it earned its name meaning 'warm lake' in Kyrgyz.
The Kyrgyz national epic poem, called Manas, is about forty times longer than Homer's Odyssey and is still recited from memory by specially trained storytellers called manaschi.
Kyrgyzstan only became an independent country in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, meaning it is younger than many adults you know.
The traditional Kyrgyz home is a yurt, a round tent of felt and wood that can be fully assembled or taken apart in about an hour, which made it perfect for families who moved their herds with the seasons.
Daily Life
72
Years life expectancy
99%
Can read and write
90%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Kyrgyzstan is home to 28 distinct people groups — 22 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
Most Kyrgyzstan's people follow Islam (93.4%). Less than 1% of people in Kyrgyzstan are Evangelical Christians.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Kyrgyz
5,223,000 people
Uzbek, Northern
1,061,000 people
Dungan
81,000 people
Uyghur
65,000 people
Tajik
63,000 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.