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Published: September 13th 2009
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Entrance to Park
A park dedicated in honor of Chingiz Aitmatov and to the idea of religious tolerance Day 11, July 5, 2009, Sunday, Jekshembi: Well, yesterday's poor weather resulted in some new information and a fun day after all. I am always reminded of the quotation in
Pooh's Birthday Book for July 2nd birthdays which is “Suddenly, Piglet realized that it was a much better day than he had thought it was.” My friend Joe Weaver had one and he maintained it religiously, always sending some homemade art project to you for your birthday. At any rate it was that kind of day.
The weather was cold and windy and the beach was out of the question. So, we loaded up in two cars with Gulnara and her friends and headed for Cholpon-Ata. There we went to a park that I had seen from the lake the day before. Several small structures appeared to be dedicated to various religious experiences and there appeared to be conference facilities. Cholpon and Uluuk were not really aware of what it was.
The park is dedicated to Chingz Aitmatov, a famous writer of the Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan area, whose most famous work is probably
Jamilla, and whose works I have read in English translation including a collection of his
A Conversation with Aitmatov
I would like to have met him, he passed away last year short novellas, and a long work entitled
The Day Lasts a Thousand Years which is an incredible modern novel about people living in the steppes of Kyrgyzstan during the Soveit period.
At any rate, the individual who created this park, dedicated it to Aitmatov and to the idea that in one place it was possible to have all religions represented and to promote the concept of one idea of the holy. So, it is dedicated to the idea of religious tolerance. There are representations of Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist religions in one structure including a statue of Lao Tse, a Chinese Female Buddha, Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Bells, and other items. In the Orthodox Christianity structure there are incredible icons from Russia. At the Islamic structure there was a painting of the Qu'aba, a Qu'ran, and other parephenalia, and the same for the Jewish, and the Catholic Christian structure.
The most interesting thing for me was that the prayer book in the “Catholic” Christianity structure was a Methodist Prayer Book from Edinburg. But the paintings on the walls of each interior were striking and very beautiful. The space for Judaism had a striking painting of a group in prayer.
Ringing a Buddha Bell
I could not resist the invitation to ring the bell in front of the Chinese religions structure There was a Torah from Poland, phylacteries, yamakahs, and a podium with the Ten Commandments on it. The Star of David was featured on the door and in other places.
The park has sculptures from around the world that represent various concepts of religious ideas and there is a set of marble statues representing a number of female deities from the Greek and Roman pantheon. Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter and a number of angel statues of various sizes including little {i}put[/}i. An amazing place. The conference center included a large plate glass window facing Lake Issy-Kul and when the curtain is drawn the immense lake provides a spectacular natural background..
There is a structure specifically dedicated to Aitmatov that includes a gallery of art work associated with his writings by a very talented artist. There is also a library area that has copies of his work in numerous languages. It is interesting that
Jamilla is the work that was displayed. It is held in very high regard within Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan communities.
I also heard from the guide a legend about how Lake Issy-Kul came into being. There was a beautiful young girl named Cholpon who was sought
One of the structures
This is one of the other structures on the park grounds
by two extremely handsome young men. It was impossible to decide among the two. So the two young men fought to see who would become her husband. But both of them were mortally wounded in the fight and died. Cholpon was so sad that she began to weep inconsolably. Her tears fell like rain and filled the canyon and finally the crater that holds the waters of Lake Issy-Kul. That explains the salt content of the lake and the fact that it does not freeze during the coldest winters. I also learned that there are twenty species of fish in the lake.
The visit to this park was a wonderful experience with Timka, Gulnara, and her friends.
In addition to the religious structures there were also yurts, bozoi in Kyrgyz, and it is really the first time I had seen one completely setup with the rugs and felt interior. I think it would be interesting to design a round house like the yurt to live in in Bishkek. “Crazy American” they would say about me. But it could be the living room and dinning area, and then you would create a kitchen, bedroom, and toilet and bathroom with
Aitmatov Library
Copies of his work in numerous languages a step-in tub and a separate shower area. It could be very interesting.
Today has dawned as an incredibly beautiful day, bright sunshine, light cumulus clouds, and warm compared to yesterday's cold and raining day. So, it looks like we may stay another night and return to Bishkek tomorrow. It's off to the beach when every one gets moving. It is about 9:30 am. I have been up since 7 am. I read the Said Nursi before writing my diary today. So, I am ready in a minute to head down to the
pliage.
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