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Front: Tynystanov Kasym (1901-1938), scholar and poet

Kasym's earlier education consisted of home tutoring by his father and attending a religious school. Later he went to Tashkent to study and began working on newspapers and writing for magazines. He worked on the development of the Kyrgyz alphabet, at first based on Arabic, then into Latin characters and finally in Cyrillic. He published a dictionary of linguistic terms in 1933, and Spellings of Kyrgyz Literary Language in 1934.

Kasym joined the communist party in the 1930s and began translating revolutionary songs into Kyrgyz. One particular song he wrote in 1937 caused problem with the authorities, and he was executed in 1938.

Back: The Seven Bulls rock formation in Jety-Orguz, near Karakol, in Issyk-Kul oblast.

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Front: Togolok Moldo (1860-1942), poet

Moldo, born Bayymbet Abdyrakhmanovinto, was raised by his uncle who was a well-known Komuz player. The name Togololok Moldo was given to him by his audiences. Togolok means round-faced, and Moldo means an educated person. He recorded and wrote many national folk songs and many of the texts are now kept in the Manuscript Library of the National Academy of Sciences.

Back: Manas Mousoleum in Talas

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Front: Datka Kurmanjan Mamatbai kysy (1811-1907), Kyrgyz Republic stateswoman

Kurmanjan was born into a nomad family. At the age of 18, she ran away from the marriage to a much older man. In 1832, she married the feudal lord, Alimbek who had taken the title Datka and ruled all the Kyrgyz of the Alai. Alimbek died after a palace coup in 1862, and Kurmanjan took the responsibility of governing the Alai. She was recognized by the khans of Bukhara and Kokand. She later married one of the batyrs. She is thought to be the only woman to have been granted the role of ruler in the Muslim world.

Back: Mausoleum and minaret in the Uzgen Architectural Site near Osh

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Front: Bibisara Beishenalieva (1926-1973), ballerina

Bibisara was born into a peasant family. At the age of 10, she studied ballet at the Leningrad School of Choreography. Three years later, she made her debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Over the next thirty years she became an eminent ballerina performing in such classics as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet as well as a number of Russian and Kyrgyz national ballets.

Back: National Opera Theater

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Front: Tynystanov Kasym (1901-1938), scholar and poet

Back: The Seven Bulls rock formation in Jety-Orguz, near Karakol, in Issyk-Kul oblast.