🏹 In Loving Memory of Dear Sadyr uulu Jumagazy: Together with the school of Kyzyl-Tuu village in Issyk-Kul region — the place where he was born and laid to rest — we are launching an essay competition for students from grades 5 to 11. As part of this contest, the students will explore the life journey, activities, and contributions of Jumagazy aba to the understanding of the Kyrgyz worldview. The results of the competition will be announced at the end of May.

🌀 Completion of Field Research on Traditional Crafts in Talas and Jalal-Abad Regions: This week marked the completion of data collection on artisans and their crafts in the Talas and Jalal-Abad regions. Field researchers Burul Ismantaeva and Doolot Rysbaev documented the artisans, their products, production techniques, and local characteristics of craftsmanship. With this, an important stage of fieldwork across Kyrgyzstan is coming to an end. This work is being carried out within the framework of the national project on the development of a digital database on traditional crafts of Kyrgyzstan, supported by the UNESCO Category 2 Centre ICHCAP. The next steps include a comprehensive analysis of the collected data, translation into Kyrgyz, Russian, and English, and integration into the digital archival system.

🏔️ Expedition to Ak Ünkür Cave: This week, a field expedition took place to Ak Ünkür cave in the Sary-Jaz area — a significant and remarkable site featuring ancient rock paintings. As part of the research, acoustic recordings of the cave space were made, and impressions and stories were collected from traditional practitioners who shared their experiences and feelings during their time in the cave. Archaeoacoustics specialist Matthew Tucker has already begun analyzing the collected data, which will provide a foundation for deeper understanding of the site and help explore the role of sound in the lives of ancient communities.