Kyrgyzstan

Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Respublikasy, Kirghizia

Last modified: 2005-01-08 by victor lomantsov
Keywords: kyrgyzstan | karakirghiz | asia | commonwealth of independent states | yurt | tent | sun | forty | tunduk |
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• Presentation of Kyrgyzstan
• State flag of Kyrgyzstan
• Law on Flag
• Construction sheet
• Flag of the Tax Service
• Erroneous reported flag
• Bishkek
• Region of Talas

• Kirgizian SSR (Soviet Union)
• Central Asian Khanates

Full name: Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Location: Central Asia
Status: Internationally recognized independent state since 31 August 1991. A member of the UN and the CIS.

Notes: In 1924 a Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Region was set up as part of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. (A year later the name 'Kara' [which means 'black'] was dropped.) In 1926 the Region became an ASSR and became a full SSR in 1936. The present name was adopted in 1990, some ten months before independence from the collapsing USSR.
Stuart Notholt 26 September 1995

(26.5.2000) I saw "News" on 1st channel of russian national TV. They said:

Kyrghyzian Parliament today decide to made russian language second STATE LANGUAGE. President A.Akaev confirmed the decision. Parliament adopted new name of the state - Republic of Kirghizia instead of Republic of Kyrghyzstan.

I guess the change applies to both Russian and Kirghiz forms of the name. I reckon in the changes (dropping of "istan" ending and swaping from "y" top "i") the same russifying tendence. Kirghizia, in spite of not having any common border with Russia, was the second most russified central asian republic, second only to Kazakhstan (resp. 21% and 38%, as of 1989 -- Russians in the other three central asian republics didn't reach 10%).
Antonio Martins, 27 May 2000

The official name of the country is/was "Kyrgyz Respublikasy", neither "-stan", nor "-zia". Probably this means the new name in the new state language, or an imposed translation from Kyrgyz (Russian?) to foreign languages.
Jan Zrzavy, 27 May 2000

I agree with you. This means the new name in the new state language. The state short name ALWAYS was "Kyrghyzstan" in kirghiz language. In Russian it was "Kirghizia" but several last years - "Kyrghyzstan" (recomendation of Kirgh. Government).
Victor Lomantsov, 28 May 2000

by Željko Heimer

A new, post-Communist, flag was not adopted until 1992. It is red, with a circular stylized representation of the roof of a Kyrgyz yurt (tent) in the centre, surrounded by the 40 rays of a golden sun. (Tradition has it that 40 tribes were united by the national hero Manas - who used the colour red on his banner - into the Kyrgyz nation.)
Stuart Notholt, 26 September 1995

State flag adopted by Decision of Supreme Soviet (parliament) of the republic on 3, March, 1992. Red colour symbolizes the boldness, gold sun - peace and riches. Central element ("tunduk") symbolizes the father`s home. 40 rays of the sun symbolize 40 soldiers of Manas, the legendary hero of Kyrgyz literature. Authors of the flag: E.Aydarbekov, B.Zhaychibekov, S.Iptarov, Zh.Mataev, M.Sadykov.
Victor Lomantsov, 12 December 2003

The cross in the center of the sun is the view from "yurt" - national transportable house of Kyrghyz. What I wanted to add is that if to count the rays of the sun, they will total 40. This number is the number of Kyrghyz tribes unified into one state.
Sergey Petrov, 1 February 2003

These tribes were unified, according to Znamierowski, by the national hero Manas. "Kyrgiz" means red, which is logically the national colour. 'Manas' is a popular Kirgyz epic, made of more than 500,000 verses arranged in a trilogy. Some archaic parts of the poem seem to date back to the IX-Xth centuries. They relate the marvelous elements of Manas' life, such as his fabulous birth, his invulnerability, his marriage with Kanykei, his meetings with the wise men Bakai and Kochoi and his blood fraternity with Almamber. However, the central elements of the poem relates the patriotic fight of Manas and his relatives Semetie and Seitek against the invaders of the XVI-XVIIth centuries, portrayed as monsters, giants and wizards in the epic. The poem was orally transmitted from generation to generation by the 'manastchi', and was studied for the first time by the Kazakh folklorist Valikhanov in 1856.
Source: Dictionnaire des Litteratures (Larousse)
Ivan Sache, 3 February - 14 December 2003

Law on Ammendments to the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Republic of Kyrgystan

The Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of the Republic of Kyrgystan determines:
1. Following ammendments shall be introduced into the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Republic of Kyrgystan: replace the article 168 with the new text as follows: "Article 168. The state flag of the Republic of Kyrgystan is a horizontal rectangle of red colour, in center of which is set a circular solar disk with fourty regularly distributed rays of yellow colour. Inside the solar disk is with red colour pictured tyundyuk of a Kyrgyz yurt. The width of the flag is three fifths of its length. The diameter of the ray disk if three fifths of the flag width. Ratio of the diameters of the solar and ray disk - three to five. Diameter of tyundyuk is half the diameter of the ray disk."
2. The resulting Law introduce into validity with the time of signing [by president].

President of the Republic of Kyrgystan
A. Akaev
Bishkek, 3 March 1992.

by Željko Heimer

Attached to Law is a sheet titled "Kyrgyz Republikasynyn Mamlekettik Zheleginin Shemalyk Surotu / Shematicheskoe Izobrazhenie Gosudarstvennogo Flaga Respubliki Kyrgyzstan". The first title is in Kyrgyz presumably and showes us a glimps of the vexillologic terminology "Mamlekettik Zheleginin" meaning no doubt 'state flag'.
The sheet showes obverse and reverse of the flag attached on a flagstaff topped with a spearhead ornamented with an ornament that is almost certainly a hammer and sickle (though it may alos be a crescent and star, it is hard to tell!). The sheet showes the dimenstions of the flag overall as 150x250 (the dimensions in originals are tenfold I present here, butthere seems to be no reason for that large numbers), and most probably they are intended to be centimeters (i.e. mm in the original).
The diameter of the virtual circle circumscruibing the sunrays is set as 90, the diameter of the red disk that is touching the rays from the inside is 54, and the yellow disk containing tyundyuk is 45. All of the disks are apparently drawn as centered in the flag middle and there is no hint here of the excentricity of the central disk!

by Željko Heimer

The second sheet of the set does not show any further info, only introduces names to the dimensions: Z - flag width, Y - flag length, D1=3/5 Z - sun rays outer diameter, D2=3/5 D1 sun rays inner diameter, D3=1/2 D1 central disk diameter. (The actual sheet include some obvious errors, D3 is set to 1/2 Z, that certainly can't be as the accopanying numbers confirm, D1 fomula is not quite readable.)

by Željko Heimer

The third sheet include the complicated construction of the tyundyuk. It is captioned "A Kesindisi 1-6 Kesin Disine Proportsiyalash Bolukcholoro Bolunot" which if I am not much mistaken is explanation on the construction of the points 1 though 6.
The sheet showes the red disk circle with diameter D2 (miscaptioned actually as D1) and central disk with diameter D3, excentered upwards so that the distance between the two at the top is B and at the bottom A, with formula B=0.5A. Knowing that D2=54 and D3=45 gives clearly A=6 and B=3. The constuction of the arches is based on a line, let's call it M, that is horizontal on a distance B from the bottom of the central circle. The point D on this line is defined by a vertical tangent to the central circle. t is a central point of the circle forming the lowest arch. The arch passes though the point P that is set as the distance B above the center of the central disk O2 (center of the red disk is named O1). The (upper) interection of this arch with the central circle gives the point Y.
The points D2 though D6 that are the centers of the remaining circles are set on the line M, respectivly towards the center at distances 0.6B, 0.4B, 0.6B, 0.4B and 0.6B (i.e. 1.8, 1.2, 1.8, 1.2 and 1.8). The points Y2 though Y6 are set on a slanted line passing through the points D and Y, proportionally as those D1 though D6, but together covering the distance equal to A (=3, i.e. A is divided into 13 divisions, where the designated points are on 3, 2, 3, 2 and 3). This defines the remaining five arches.
The same construction vertically simetrical finishes the picture.
Željko Heimer, 31 January 2004 (thanks to Christopher Southworth and Victor Lomantsov who provided with the original documentation)

I came across this news report in The Times of Central Asia:

"Tax Service of Kyrgyzstan Has Its Own Flag

Kyrgyzstan, July 4, 2001 [ 17:39 ]

KABAR

BISHKEK. Prime minister of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev signed resolution of the Government of the KR "On confirming a regulation on flag and sign of symbol of tax services of the KR". The document was signed on the eve of professional holiday of workers of tax services of Kyrgyzstan. According to the press service of the state tax inspection under the finance ministry of the KR, the flag was hoisted for the first time in the solemn ceremony on the occasion of significant date."

No picture accompanied the report and there was no mention of the design either.
Jan Oskar Engene, 16 October 2001

by Antonio Martins

The 1990-1992 Kyrghyz flag, above, was quite incorrect. This is supposed to have been the Kyrghyz ASSR flag without the hammer and sickle with a ratio of 1:2.
Antonio Martins, 06 May 2000

The flag of 1990-1992 without the star, hammer and sickle is very doubtful. Maybe somebody in 1990 made same flag, but as I know official flag until 1992 was WITH star, hammer and sickle... There were many proposals of flags in 1990-1992: - blue, red, green equal horizonthal stripes divided with thin white stripes; - light-blue flag with sun in the centre; - green, white, red with the silhouette of national house ("yurta") near the hoist; etc.
Victor Lomantsov, 07 May 2000

All I can say on this is that I saw frequently in that period depictions (no photos) of the Kirghiz flag without hammer and sickle. I also saw once or twice the flag depicted with hammer and sickle, though.

So out here in the west, people thought the Kirghiz flag had dropped the sickle and hammer. I wonder where that came from?
Jorge Candeias, 09 May 2000

I saw TV spot in December 1991 (or so) in that the flag with the hammer and sickle was displayed during the official meeting ceremony in visit of some US politician, possibly President Bush. There were two poles, one with US and the other with Kyrgyzstan hammer and sickle flags.
Jan Zrzavy, 10 May 2000

by Pascal Gross

Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, apparently has a light blue flag with a logo. The logo shows a tower with the city name. On the tower is a square (standing on a corner). In the square is a circle with a snow leopard (panthera uncia).

Bishkek was Frunze from 1926 to 1991, and Pishpek before that.
Ole Andersen and Pascal Gross 23 September 2000

by Falko Schmidt

Information about flag of Region of Talas in Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) found at http://www.gov.kg/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=1681:
Flag of Region of Talas adopted on August, 8, 1998 by Decision of Talassian Regional Kenesh (Council) of People's Deputies #19/4 Author of this flag is Osmanaliev Zaynidin.
Mikhail Revnivtsev 26 November 2003