The Livestock Market
Every Sunday, several drab-looking blocks on Karakol's northern outskirts are transformed into a spectacle alive with energy and colour. The livestock market (mal bazaar in Kyrgyz) attracts an array of thousands of smallholders and nomads from all over the Issyk-Kul region. Jammed tightly together amongst the animals, this huge, jostling swarm of people barter over sheep, pigs and cattle, scatter the crowds by 'test driving' powerful stallions and stock up on feed for their new purchases.

The build up begins on Saturday evenings, when a steady stream of horse-drawn carts laden with lambs and often with a calf or two trotting in tow, pulls into town. In summer, nomads come down from their pastures to trade spring-born lambs and buy in new stock for winter. By dawn the market is already underway with groups of white bearded men in fur-trimmed caps bargaining animatedly, hawkers pushing through the crowds proclaiming their wares and women in bright headscarves patting and prodding ewes to assess their rump fat. Outside, bundled up in swathes of blankets and lying sleepily on piles of straw in the wooden carts, nomad children wait patiently for their parents. By 10am the action is all over and everybody starts for home, often with a journey of several days ahead.

The market reflects a growing reliance on traditional methods of farming and transport in a country where people are increasingly turning to horsepower and self-sufficient food production for survival. This is an unmissable Kyrgyz cultural experience and one of the best introductions to modern day Central Asia.

The market also operates on Thursdays, on a smaller scale.

The Sunday Bazaar
Despite its name, this bazaar operates daily, but is busiest on Sundays. Another atmospheric taste of Central Asia, this is the place to stock up on food before a trek, or simply to eat your way through the array of different cultural traditions that call Karakol home. Vats of Korean salads and Dungan dishes tempt the palate, alongside carefully arranged pyramids of dried fruit, sunflower seeds, nuts and technicolour spices. In spring 50kg sacks of sugar lie piled in huge stacks, in preparation for the summer's first berries and jam making. In summer and autumn the market explodes with colour, as fruit from all over the Issyk-Kul region is displayed temptingly.

By and large, food is freshly prepared and locally produced, sold by smallholders and enterprising housewives. Some goods, however, still reflect the megalith structure of the ex-Soviet Union, with sweets imported from Ekaterinburg, sausage from Moscow and cheese from Voronezh. Other parts of the bazaar betray Karakol's close proximity to China, with traditional medicines, cheap clothes and every kind of plastic household good imaginable.

Karakol Regional Museum
This small museum, housed in a pretty chocolate-box cottage in central Karakol, was the pre-revolutionary summer home of the Ilina merchant family. During the turbulent years of 1918-20 the building earned its socialist stripes as headquarters of the Regional Revolutionary Committee, and was subsequently transformed into a museum by order of the Soviet Council of Ministers in 1948.

Despite its modest size, the museum has several interesting displays (labelled in English, Russian and Kyrgyz), which are worth seeing. Scythian artefacts include enormous bronze pots retrieved from Lake Issyk-Kul, displayed alongside exhibits on petroglyphs in the area. Besides a comprehensive display of traditional Kyrgyz punched leatherwork, felt wall hangings and woven yurt decorations, the museum has a colourful collection of national costumes, examples of finely worked silver jewellery and a good exhibition of Kyrgyz applied art. One hall covers the region's flora and fauna - much of which is endangered and listed in the 'Red Book' (a Soviet inventory of protected species). The museum is also worth visiting to gain a Soviet perspective of history in the region. A couple of walls relating to Kyrgyz union with Russia and the subsequent revolution are now historical artefacts in themselves. These halls are soon to be removed for re-interpretation and during recent work to label museum exhibits in English (sponsored by Turkestan) we were asked not to translate them.

The museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Entrance costs 100 som for foreign visitors (approx 2$). Exhibits labelled in Russian, Kyrgyz and English (apart from the revolution hall, in Russian and Kyrgyz only).

Museum of Przhevalsky
The museum and grave of Nikolay Mihalovich Przhevalsky (1839-1888) are located in Quay Przhevalsk settlement, on the coast of the same gulf. He was outstanding traveler and the member of Russian Geographical society. As Nikolay II, emperor of Russia ordered that Karakol has been renamed into Przhevalsky honour after his death.

The avenue of magnificent fur-trees leads from the building of museum to a monument of Nikolay Mihajlovich. It is a granite block with bas-relief of Nikolay Mihalovich and on the top of the monument is established the bronze figure of an eagle. In the beak of the eagle is a symbol of peace scientific researches - an olive branch and the map of Asia with routes of expeditions. Przhevalsky made an expedition in Ussurijsky rayon and traveled four times in Central Asia having described the nature, ethnos of peoples who lived in this region, for the first time and has collected a magnificent collection of animals and herbariums. He died because of the poisoning having drunk some water from a reservoir and caught typhoid fever. He didn't want to be treated and conduct a doctor. His fifth expedition hadn't been done. Przhevalsky bequeathed to bury him on the coast of Issyk Kull lake. There is a grave behind the monument of Nikolay Mihajlovich. The museum is in good condition and has some exhibits that were brought by the traveller from expeditions. There are also some pictures, documents and awards of Przhevalsky.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral
The Holy Trinity Cathedral is situated in Karakol city. In Karakol’s biography God's temple occupies one of the interesting pages. After organization self-dependent Turkestan eparchy in 1871, from Teplokluchenskoe village was moved in new district town a felt marching church. And in this church had been passing divine services until 1876.

Here, for patronal festival of Saint Trinity came all Orthodox believers from Karakol district. In honor of big patronal festival the temple was named The Holy Trinity Cathedral. The superior body of church power The Holy Synod in 1870 offered to Russian Orthodox missionary society to consider an occupation about Turkestan Orthodox missionary. But Turkestan eparchy was opened only in 1872 in Verniy city.

The confessor of Russian missionary Anevrosiy only after 10 years later in 1881 received a detailed note from Alexander bishop about foundation at the Issyk-Kul Lake the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the Tup village.

In 1876 by the order of military administration of Semirechenskaya province instead of felt church was built the brick building. And the previous church was interred below the today’s church. But exact burial place of felt church wasn’t found in archival documents.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral was the biggest church in Prjevalskiy district with territory 93700 square kilometers. In 1887 here was very hard earthquake, and the church was totally destroyed. And out of czar's treasury were picked the money out. It was built by the project of architects and engineer from Verniy city (Almaty) in 1895. According to the first plan of the church, entrance was situated from south-western side. After a while the building if church became rectangular with sizes 35,5x18 meters. Walls were made of dullards. Fronts were decorated with fretwork. The main porch was made of granite blocks. The plinth was made of bricks with plaster, and foundation was made of cobblestones. The floor was made of boards, and also building has belfry.

The church wasn’t working all time, and it wasn’t look so wonderful. After the revolution, in the middle of 30th years of 20 century, cathedral was closed, and building belonged to the children sport school.

During the Great Patriotic war the cathedral was returned to believers, and they made maintenance by themselves. But in the beginning of 60th years the cathedral was returned to children sport school till 1982.

In 1993 cathedral was returned to believers again, but reclamation work hadn’t been finished.

Now the building consists of wooden walls on a stone foundation, and it’s highly decorative. The five onion domes, which used to adorn it, were destroyed in the Soviet period. Inside are a number of icons – including some saved from Svetly Mys, and a copy of one of Saint Trinity by Andrei Rublev. It has been returned to active service as a church and some reconstruction was begun in 1961. It is now being renovated anew.

Dungan mosque
Dungan mosque is situated in Karakol city. This mosque is a historical and artistic monument. It is the masterpiece of Dungan architecture, featuring a carved frieze of fine workmanship. It is the wonderful fashion of Chinese architecture from Zin epoch (1644-1911). Chinese architecture had been developing during more than 5 thousand years. During this time it acquired a number of building and composition methods. This mosque was built by Chinese architect; he was expressly invited from Pekin. His name was Chjou-Sy, he was about 40. He worked with 20 artisans from China. Local masters were making foundations and mason's work, and wooden work were making by Chineses.

Chjou-Sy was painting ornamental patterns on the wood, and his assistants cut out them. In accordance with the project every detail was thinking over. Part of mosque were preparing about 3 years. And during 3 months all detail had been collected and the mosque was built. The construction completed at 10th of May in 1910. The mosque has length 27 meters, the width is 15 meters. Pediments of three roofs look at the south. 30 golden- yellow columns bear roofing. There are created a lot of fantastic dragons on the fronts of mosque, which personify wishes. The cornices adorned with pictures of plants (grape, pomegranate, pears, and peaches). Traditional colors are red, green, and yellow. The mosque was built without a single nail. The Bolsheviks closed the mosque from 1933 until 1943, but it was then reopened and has functionated as a place of worship then.