뉴스레터

Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian country bordered with the Tarim Basin of China in the east, Uzbekistan in the west, Tajikistan in the south, and Kazakhstan in the north. Kyrgyzstan is also a mountainous country with an average altitude of 2,750m, with the Tian Shan and the Pamiro-Alai taking up most of the northeastern and southwestern parts of its land, respectively. The peaks of the Tian Shan, including Victory Peak (7,439m) and Khan Tengri (6,995m), and the ranges of the Pamir Mountains, including the Alai Mountains with an average altitude of up to 6,000 meters, are capped with giant glaciers in an area equal to about 4.2% of the country's total land area. The meltwater cascading down from these glaciers forms brooks and rivers that run through every corner of this country and its neighbors and feed their soils. This rich source of water created good habitats for all kinds of animals and plants, and enabled a number of peoples and countries to take turns creating unique culture and history in these mountainous regions from the early Stone Age to the present.

'Stan' Countries Recognized by China Only 2,000 Years Ago

However, it wasn't until B.C. 126, or only two thousand years ago, that the present-day 'stan' countries including Kyrgyzstan were recognized by China. It started in B.C. 139 when Emperor Wu of Han sent his envoy Zhang Qian (張騫) to the 'Western Regions (西域)' in order establish ties with the Great Yuezhi, an ancient Central Asian people. Zhang Qian was on the road for thirteen years, including the ten years of detention as a captive in the Huns region, before he returned to his country. The details of what he saw and experienced in many countries in the Western Regions during this period, including information about their livelihood and customs, became known to Chinese society. And they would form the core contents of "Dayuan liezhuan (大宛列傳) in Shiji (史記: Records of the Grand Historian) by historian Sima Qian.

In other words, until the return of Zhang Qian, the Han Dynasty of China had no reliable information about the 'stan' countries collectively referred to as the Western Regions. The Huns, by contrast, were connected by various ways of exchange to countries, large or small, in these regions. And the peoples in these regions had lifestyles and customs that were similar in many ways to those of the Huns and other nomads, as attested to by "Dayuan liezhuan" in Shiji. The Western Regions that Zhang Qian visited correspond to the regions of the present-day Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. After Zhang Qian's visit, the Han Dynasty of China initiated exchange with these countries, including regular envoy exchange. This allowed China to import the excellent steed from the Tian Shan called 'Blood-Sweating Horse (汗血馬)' and spread silk and other products along the route of envoys to the Western Regions.

Of course, Kyrgyzstan had its own unique local culture based on the cultural traditions of Central Asia from the early Stone Age. Today, there are up to twenty Old Stone Age sites confirmed within Kyrgyzstan. In some of these sites, like the Sel'ungur Cave, stone tools estimated to date back to the Acheulean Period (Early Old Stone Age) were discovered. And the vast expanse of rock art created over a long period of time from the Bronze Age represents the magnificent epic, carved on the rock, of the people who lived in these regions and shaped their culture.

'Stan' Countries Carry the Unmistakable Traces of Korean Ancestors

Furthermore, there are unmistakable traces of Koguryo and Shilla, the direct ancestors of Koreans, still left in these regions. For example, people presumed to be envoys from Koguryo are featured in one of the mural paintings in the Afrasiab Place located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, That particular painting is considered a valuable piece of art that could shed light on Koguryo's foreign relations. In addition, "Wang Ocheonchukguk Jeon (Memoir of a Pilgrimage to the Five Indian Kingdoms) (727) by the Buddist monk Hyecho (慧超) of Shilla is a masterpiece based on his 4-year journey covering vast areas that included Kushinagar in East India, Kashimir and Gandhara in North India, Nishapur in Persia, and then Pamir and Kashgari in Kyrgzstan. It was also in Kyrgyzstan that the Battle of Talas waged between Tang's army, commanded by General Gao Zianzhi (高仙芝) of Korean (Koguryo) descent, and the combined Arab forces.

Here is also where, about a thousand and several hundred years later in the early 20th century, so many ethnic Koreans were deported and had to suffer without knowing why. These people, so-called 'Kareiskis (Koreans who were deported to stan countries),' are now established members of the community, and serving as messengers of the Korean spirit and the originality of Korean culture to the world by demonstrating excellence in many fields.

Northeast Asian History Foundation Signs MOU with Kzrgzy National University

On July 2, 2013 at National Historical Museum in downtown Bishkek, the Northeast Asian History Foundation (President Kim Hak-joon) signed an MOU on academic exchange with major academic institutions in this very country, Kyrgyzstan, including Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn (Rector I. Isamidinov), Kyrgyz State University named after Arabaev (Rector T. Abdyrahmanov), and National Historical Museum (Director A. Israilova).

Concurrently, the NAHF also held an event to celebrate the publication of two books, Rock Art in Central and Eastern Kyrgyzstan (2011, Northeast Asian History Foundation) and Rock Art in Southern Kyrgyzstan (2012, Northeast Asian History Foundation), based on the surveys of pre-historic and ancient rock art sites scattered across Kyrgyzstan conducted jointly with the Department of History and Regional Studies at Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn and the Museum Research Center (Director T. Charginov) of the same university during the summers of 2010 and 2011. These books allowed the NAHF to share its experience in joint survey, research and publication with the national academic institutions of Kyrgyzstan, and led to the signing of MOU that would lay the foundation for ongoing collaborative research.

The MOU signed by the NAHF and the academic institutions of Kyrgyzstan consisted of a total of five articles: Purpose; Projects; Jurisdiction; Methods; and Term of Validity. The purpose of the MOU is collaborative research and exchange, and the projects to carry out include: joint surveys and studies on Central Asian history and culture; joint conferences and exchange of experts; exchange of material and joint exhibitions. Under the MOU, it was agreed that the results of joint work would be shared by both parties, and published and exhibited under joint name. It was also agreed that administrative affairs necessary for the performance of these projects would be carried out by the host institution, and the costs incurred would be shared by both the guest and the host. It is specified that this MOU will be in effect for five years, and renewed automatically for another three years, unless opposed by either party.

NAHF Gains Foothold for the Study of Prehistoric/Ancient Culture in Central Eurasia

The signing of this MOU gave the NAHF a new foothold for the study of pre-historic and ancient culture in Central Eurasia, including not only this region but also Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and even Turkey. The NAHF and these academic institutes in Kyrgyzstan are planning to conduct joint studies on Central Eurasian culture and history. Based on the results of these studies, this collaboration will expand to include systematic research on other issues, such as the formation and genealogy of the ethnic culture of Korea, the history of relationship between the ancient, and modern and contemporary Korean people and the Central Eurasian region, the deported Kareiskis, and the diaspora. I believe that this will broaden the horizons for the study of the history of the Korean people and culture.