Cholpon-Ata ( ky, Чолпон-Ата, ''Çolpon-Ata'', چولپون-اتا, pronounced , literally "Venus-father", the name of a mythological protecting spirit) is a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

with a population of 14,237 (2021). It is the administrative center of the

Issyk-Kul District Issyk-Kul District ( ky, Ысык-Көл району, ''Isıq-Köl rayonu'', ىسىق-كۅل رايونۇ; russian: Иссык-кульский район, ''Issyk-kuljskij rajon'') is a district of Issyk-Kul Region in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan. ...

Issyk-Kul Region Issyk-Kul Region ( ky, Ысык-Көл облусу, Ysyk-Köl oblusu; russian: Иссык-Кульская область, Issyk-Kulskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Karakol. It is surrounded by Almaty Region, Kaz ...

; this district occupies most of the lake's north shore. To the west along highway A363 is

Tamchy Tamchy ( ky, Тамчы, ''Tamçı'', تامچى; russian: Тамчы, ''Tamčy'', previously Тамчи, ''Tamči'') is a village in the Issyk-Kul District of the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 2,412 in 2021. The name used t ...

and to the east,

Bosteri Bosteri is a village in the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Issyk-Kul District. Its population was 8,908 in 2021. The town is entirely devoted to mass tourism. There are soviet-era hotels and sanitoria. To the west along highwa ...

. The town contains numerous large and small

sanatoria A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

, hotels and guesthouses to accommodate the many visitors who descend upon the lake in summer. During the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

it was much frequented by vacationers brought here in organized mass tours from other parts of the USSR. Holidaymakers now usually visit on their own or in small groups and originate mainly from Kyrgyzstan,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

and

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

. Attracting more demanding foreign tourists will require substantial upgrading of the existing facilities, but the location is certainly attractive. The view of the imposing alpine ranges of the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

across the lake is impressive. There is a local museum and an open-air site with about 2000

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

dating from 800 BC to 1200AD. The first three

World Nomad Games World Nomad Games ( ky, Дүйнөлүк көчмөндөр оюндары) are an international sport competition dedicated to ethnic sports practiced in Central Asia. The first three World Nomad Games were held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. The fo ...

were held in Cholpon-Ata, in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Population

Transportation

The city is served by

Cholpon-Ata Airport Cholpon-Ata Airport (Kyrgyz: Чолпон-Ата аэропорту, Russian: Чолпон-Атинский аэропорт) is an airport serving a resort town of Cholpon-Ata in the Issyk Kul Province (''oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. The Russian IA ...

, with flights on one commercial airline.

References

External links

Image gallery of Cholpon-Ata

Image gallery of the Ruh Ordo Cultural Center
Populated places in Issyk-Kul Region Rock art in Asia {{IssykKul-geo-stub