Religion
Kyrgyz Republic is a secular country where everyone has right any religion or belief he prefers. However, 80-85 % of population are considered Muslims. But Islam in our country is totally different from Islam in Arabic countries. The reason is that before this religion came to the region local people used to practice animism (e.g. Tengrism - sky worship), totemism, shamanism, had an impact of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism. Islam started to get spread in the area only by 10 century. That is why today Islam in Kyrgyzstan is presented in a "light" form. It means that only a small percentage of people are practicing Muslims - they pray 5 times a day, women are covered, they don't drink alcohol, don't eat pork etc. But the majority of population just celebrate religious holidays, fast during Ramadan, learn by heart Coran - that is it.
So you may wear what you want and don't need to be covered. Only when you visit a mosque or a church women have to wear light coats (so there is no uncovered part of the body) and headscarf. Men entering the church, must take their hat off.
Another thing to note is visiting cemeteries during your Kyrgyzstan tours. Foreigners like to take photos of graves because they are very different from the ones they used to see. As they are all situated in the countryside, locals do not like when the strangers walk there too long, talk to each other out loud, laugh. It is evident that might offend them because they do not want spirits of their family members to be bothered. It is okay if you just take a photo fast and quietly.
To conclude, do not hesitate to travel to Kyrgyzstan. You will be positively surprised how democratic, open and loyal the country is. You will come and learn the history and understand why so many religions are presented in such a small Central Asian oasis. So take your friends, family and pack your luggage for your tour to Kyrgyzstan! We are here to take responsibility for organizational moments.
