Aalam Ordo
Kyrgyzstan
The mysterious ruin of a vision in which science and spirituality were to be united in a huge complex for young and old.
The mysterious ruin of a vision in which science and spirituality were to be united in a huge complex for young and old.
On the side of the road along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul is a surreal-looking complex of buildings, yurts, murals and spiritual symbols. Although the complex was originally built for hundreds of people, today only the guardian of the estate, her husband, and their turkeys can be found here.
This mystical ruin is Aalam Ordo, a project of former Kyrgyz patron Tashkul Kereksisov that failed in 2010. His goal was to create a cultural center of science and spirituality where young and old could meet, exchange ideas and learn from each other. Symbols from all world religions, important persons from science as well as Kyrgyz tradition are represented by several murals and statues distributed on the site. In 365 yurts young people should live, who share the property during some months with older scholars. In talks, discussions and joint activities, the older generation would pass on their knowledge and views to the youth of Kyrgyzstan in order to train a generation of young talents in the hope of bringing a Nobel Prize to Kyrgyzstan. At the end of each year, the findings should be recorded in a publicly available online journal. However, Tashkul Kereksisov's vision of Aalam Ordo was never completed due to the 2010 revolution, and so only the ruins remain. The creator of Aalam Ordo, however, reportedly still has plans for a future implementation and the history of the place for spirituality and science does not seem to be fully written yet.
Aalam Ordo is located between Kaji Saj and Tosor along the road on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Want to see more exciting places in Kyrgyzstan? With our Trip it can even be done up close!
Pictures from Siarhei Daroshka, used with permission
The Kyrgyz word "ordo" has several meanings. On the one hand, it refers to the camp of a khan or leader, on the other hand, it is the name of a dice game and its board. Meanwhile, it is more contemporary translated as "palace".
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