Przhevalsk Museum

The Przhevalsk Museum, park and memorial complex is situated 9km from Karakol on a ridge overlooking Lake Issyk-Kul. Dedicated to the 19th Russian explorer N.M. Przhevalsk, it displays exhibits in Russian and English relating to his Central Asian, Tibetan and Chinese expeditions. Also on display are an enormous globe, a wall-sized relief map of Central Asia, stuffed examples of fauna that Przhevalsk is credited with discovering (including Przhevalsky's horse) and a good collection of his documents and personal belongings. The museum is surrounded by a park of pretty poplar, oak and apple trees (some of which the director has unfortunately begun to chop down and sell). Part of the park has been cleared to make room for the graves of important local Kyrgyz people, an example of how the Kyrgyz are attempting to reconcile their colonial history with the political climate of today. The museum, opened in 1957, was itself was built on a village graveyard, so this could also be seen as an example of history coming full circle. The Przhevalsk memorial, a large granite structure topped by a huge eagle, overlooks the lake and is just a stones throw from the explorer's simple grave. Nearby, lies a tiny Orthodox funerary chapel, where Przhevalsk's body lay after his death.
   The museum is open daily from 9am-5pm. Entrance costs 1$ for foreign visitors. Exhibits labelled in Russian and English. Turkestan city tours of Karakol include a visit to the Przhevalsk Museum.