Julia Vorobieva • 25.03.2026, 14:26 • Exclusive
Urmat Stalbekov spoke about his native village of Enilchek, located in the buffer zone of the Ak-Suu district of Issyk-Kul region. A Turmush correspondent interviewed him.
“I spent my childhood years here. My parents worked in this village, so we stayed here. Upon returning, I restored the house left by my parents and opened the first guesthouse for tourists. Since then, the mining village of Enilchek has begun to develop again,” he noted.
Currently, local residents in Enilchek are actively renovating their homes, opening guesthouses, and hosting tourists. Last summer, the country’s president visited the village and stayed at his guesthouse. “In the future, we plan to open several more such facilities. My wife prepares national Kyrgyz dishes for our guests,” he added.
The president also met with local residents and shared good news about road construction. “We hope that with improved road infrastructure, our tourism will develop,” Urmat emphasized.
Enilchek is located at an altitude of over 2000 meters above sea level, near the Chinese border, and is famous for its hot springs. It is said that the saint Kydyr ata once visited here. The mineral water from these springs helps with various skin diseases and other ailments, attracting tourists from all over the world—the water temperature reaches 50 degrees.
The village became known in the 1980s when the construction of a plant was planned, as the region was rich in minerals, especially tin. For nearly ten years, 20,000 workers and their families lived here.
However, the collapse of the Soviet Union was the main reason for Enilchek’s abandonment. People did not have time to relocate as production stopped. Currently, Chinese mining companies operate in this area. Local residents are confident that the development of rural tourism will help revive this region.
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