Kyrgyzstan Walking Explorer tour review: trekking through the Switzerland of Central Asia

When we approached the city Karakolbrutalist architecture replaced lush fields, disused railway carriages stood on the roadsides, and old shipping containers converted into shops came into view. Among all this architectural uniqueness, the Dungan Mosque is hidden behind the trees. The blue wooden pagoda-shaped building instead of a minaret was built as a place of worship for Chinese Muslims who fled persecution in the 1880s. The structure is made entirely without nails, and the images, including the fire wheel, reflect the Buddhist past of the Dungans.