ABSTRACT
The Kyrgyz Republic is located in the north eastern section of Central Asia bordering Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country and the Tien Shan (Heavenly Mountains) range occupies the greater part of the area. Tourism has played a central role in Kyrgyzstan since ancient times and the country’s vast regions have been hosts to travellers for thousands of years. Kyrgyzstan was a central node on the Silk Road functioning as a kind of ‘mountain gatekeeper’ of the route. The ancient caravan route took three directions crossing the country’s territory in the north, south and through the Fergana valley. These routes connected the East and the West for 15 centuries. The directions of the Silk Road were constantly changing, but the routes through Kyrgyzstan have always remained the same.
