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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 16h

"Then the Chief invites us to enter his yurt after making sure the women are ready for us. The whole family observes us with calm, grave faces. The man of the house has a scanty beard, narrow eyes, a white felt hat and feet in lambskin boots: the wool inside and laced at the ankles." #EllaMaillart

A nomad family in the Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountains) region, near Karakol, Kyrgyzstan relaxes on woven floor carpets next to a traditional reed screen (chiy) which lines the inner walls of their traditional felt yurt to insulate against harsh mountain weather.

The father sits alongside his two children wrapped in winter garments. In the background, stacked geometric felt textiles, woven reed mats (chiy) and personal gear line the curved wooden lattice frame of the yurt.

The photograph preserves the memory of the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Central Asian families right before the sweeping geopolitical transformations of Soviet collectivisation in the region.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"I wish they could tell something of what they saw when the Turco-Mongol nomads were masters of Asia. No doubt the nomads are doomed now that they have been turned into members of a socialised state and their cattle requisitioned for collective farms." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Yurt #Kyrgyzstan

'An Aul In The High Plateaus, 12,000 Feet Up', Ella Maillart, 1932

Horses stand prominently in the foreground of this nomadic encampment on a summer pasture (jailoo) in the high-altitude Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

In the background, you can see traditional felt tents known as yurts engineered specifically for seasonal migration and offering excellent insulation against harsh mountain winds.

Children and adults are wearing traditional, practical attire suited for high-altitude weather - women, headscarves or structural headpieces like the elechek, men and children, protective wool or felt hats.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"The nomad's life enthralls me. The Kirghiz are simple, hospitable and, above all, free. It was that quality which made its deepest appeal to me. Wherever I go, it is always the secret of such simple, straightforward races that I seek ..." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan #Nomad

A shepherd and his children in a traditional nomadic encampment surrounded by traditional yurts (yurta or ger) at a summer jailoo (high-altitude pasture) in the Juuku Gorge (Djuuku Gorge), Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan. There are horses grazing in the background.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"At last, senses dulled with fatigue, I hear barking: we are nearing our first aul. As the convention demands, we wait at a distance while our guide palavers with the headman." #EllaMaillart #Photography

A high-altitude summer pasture (jailoo) with felt tents (yurts), a yak, and travelers on horseback in the Juuku Gorge, Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan.

The foreground features two traditional felt yurts engineered by nomads to be entirely portable, weather-resistant and easily assembled or dismantled as seasons shift.

A domestic yak (or high-altitude cattle hybrid) grazes on the left side of the frame, alongside several horses mounted by travelers or local herders on the right.

The background reveals the dramatic, snow-capped peaks of the Juuku Gorge valley, illustrating the remote and rugged conditions of traditional seasonal migrations.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"From the crumpets of a pack-horse the stiffened skins of wolves, ibex and marmots hang in quantities. We sight a marmot and track it down. The bird, released from its noose is cast off after it ..." #Photography #EllaMaillart #TianShan

'Kirghiz With Musket And Support', Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

A Kyrgyz nomadic hunter wearing a traditional, heavy quilted winter coat (chapan) and a distinctive wide, dark fur hat (telpek or ushanka style). A rifle slung across his back indicates he was hunting wild fowl and larger mammals.

Draped over the saddle and the flanks of the horse is a successful haul from the hunt. This includes multiple game birds (likely partridges or snowcocks) hanging by the front, along with the legs and fur of a larger harvested animal (such as a wild mountain sheep or ibex).

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"The leather glove, in order that the reins may be held, is cut for only one finger and a thumb. A slip-knot fastens a long thong to one foot. The man's fist rests on a wooden fork socketed in the saddle ..." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan

'A Karakirghiz with Chinese Glasses', Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Ella Maillart, 1932

A nomadic Karakirghiz hunter on horseback, poses with a large golden eagle (or berkut) used for hunting small game. Berkutchi are Central Asian nomadic hunters who train wild golden eagles (berkut).

Rather than treating the bird as a pet, it is considered a sacred life partner. They almost exclusively capture and train female golden eagles because they are significantly larger, stronger, and more aggressive hunters than males.

A young eagle is typically taken from its nest and trained intensely for several years. It hunts cooperatively with its owner for about 10 to 15 years before being released back into the wild to find a mate, ensure its bloodline and live out its natural life.

This hunter wears traditional thick attire suitable for mountain terrains, protective eyewear, and a specialized gauntlet to shield his arm from the bird's massive talons.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

'Nomad With His Eagle', Soviet Kirghizstan, Ella Maillart, 1932 "The birds of prey are enormous, it is the only possible word for them, so mighty that I cannot imagine what other bird could deserve the title 'king of birds'." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan #GoldenEagle #Eagle

A trained hunting eagle on the fist of his master. The leather hood (tomaga) blindfolds the bird to keep it calm and focused, preventing it from being startled by distractions until the hunter spots prey and removes it.

The golden eagle is one of the most well-known birds of prey in the accipitridae family, the largest eagle. It is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere,where it inhabits primarily mountains and, to a lesser extent, open and semi-open flatlands.

It avoids residential areas and is sensitive to human disturbance. It is sedentary throughout most of its range, staying in pairs near the nest.At the northern edge of its range and in the highlands, some birds migrate to less snowy areas. It hunts a wide variety of game, most commonly hares, rodents, and many bird species. It sometimes attacks sheep, calves,and fawns.

It builds its nest in a tree or on an inaccessible rocky ledge. A clutch typically contains two eggs, but most often only one chick survives. In Central Asia, golden eagles are used for commercial hunting of foxes,hares, and sometimes wolves and goitered gazelles.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"From the jutting shoulder the wings hang, their dark, shining plumes like an armour of overlapping plates. The black talons are enormous, and issue from a grey, scaly sheath of skin to grasp the leather glove." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan #Falconry #GoldenEagle #Eagle

A Kyrgyz eagle hunter (berkutchi) wearing a fur hat and holding a tame golden eagle on his arm. Mature female eagles are typically trained because they grow significantly larger, heavier and more aggressive.

The hunter wears a thick, reinforced leather gauntlet (biasley) on his right hand to protect his forearm from the eagle's crushing talons, along with a traditional fur cap (tymak) to withstand extreme alpine winter temperatures.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"We meet four horsemen returning from the hunt who carry eagles on their fists. Black talons grasp a thick leather glove that rests in a wooden fork upon the saddle: the beak is on a level with the rider's forehead." #Photography #EllaMaillart #USSR #Russia #Turkestan #TianShan #Kyrgzstan #Eagle

Four Kyrgyz men engage in the traditional Central Asian practice of falconry - berkutchi (or berkuti) - where hunters form deep bonds with golden eagles for hunting foxes, hares and sometimes even wolves to provide fur and meat for the community. They are wearing traditional heavy coats and hats, mounted on horseback while carrying the birds of prey.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The mountain gently slopes towards a wide moth-eaten plain roughened with clumps of grass or edelweiss. I have always imagined that Greenland must look something like this and have a similarly pure and rarefied atmosphere." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Syrt #TianShan #Kyrgyzstan #TerskeyAlatau

'In the Dzhuuku Gorge. Terskey Ala-Too Mountains', Ella Maillart, 1932.

Ancient stone ruins at the exit of the Dzhuuku Gorge on the northern slopes of the Terskey Alatau mountain range, part of the grand Tian Shan mountain system in Kyrgyzstan.

Located south of the village of Saru, 10 km west of the village of Pokrovka, approximately 75 km from the city of Karakol, the Dzhuuku Gorge extends for 50 km. Its length is due to its unusual shape: in its lower part, it runs strictly north to south, turning sharply west at the top. This gives the Djukuchak River, which flows along the gorge, a record length of 55 km, a record for this area.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"We rise straight out of the gorge through a rock-fall only to climb down vertically into the depth again further on! Our mounts drop from rock to rock at the risk of breaking their legs. Only Jocubai remains in the saddle, his stirrups level with the eyes of his mare." #EllaMaillart #Photography

On the way to the Dzhangart pass. Terskey Ala-Too Mountains. 1932

Jocubai in a traditional coat and hat leads a horse through a rocky stream in the Terskey Alatau mountain range (part of the Tian Shan system in modern-day Kyrgyzstan), with pack animals and companions visible along the rocky bank in the background.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

'Descending The Gravel Slopes Of Jengart', Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, 1932 "We begin to descend ourselves. ... My own mount's bumpings has begun to shake loose its load and the saddle and all the rest begins to slip over towards its round barrel." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan

'Descending The Gravel Slopes Of Jengart', Tian Shen Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, 1932

A pack animal train with loaded cargo traverses a steep, barren scree slope with large boulders and rocky terrain in the Tian Shan mountains. One pack horse stands in the foreground facing the camera, while other loaded animals and handlers stretch up the diagonal path of the steep hillside in the background.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"Now the mountain reveals itself between two cliff-like faces of ruddy rock built of obliquely running strata. Our precipitous trail rises straight out of the ravine, tracing a zig-zag path through a rockfall. We reach a pasture ground and begin to work round its edge." #EllaMaillart #Photography

A smiling Ella Maillart in her characteristic sun helmet seated on the horse to the left alongside pack horses and local guides in traditional outerwear as they navigate a rocky gorge traversing the rugged Tian Shan mountain paths.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

"We leave our Alpine camp half-way up the range and start for the Chuguchak pass, our doorway into the Syrt. We are soon above the tree limit ... On the smooth snow of the steep glacier, my horse is started by a few black rifts, too narrow to be called crevasses." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Syrt

Ella Maillart trekking in the foreground on a snow-covered ridge alongside pack horses and companions navigating the rugged alpine pass through the Tian Shan Mountains (Celestial Mountains), Kyrgyzstan, 1932.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

"In the morning we make our toilet by a stream where ducks are paddling in the mud ... We cook our eggs at the bottom of the samovar, pay two roubles per horse for hay consumed, and start off once more full of enthusiasm, though stiff all over." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan

'Mila, With An Armful Of Kisiak, Walking Towards Auguste', Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

With rolling mountains in the background, Ella Maillart's Russian fellow-travellers Mila and Capa handle supplies near packed gear and a pitched tent.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"A group of poplars tells us we have reached Chalba, the village in which we are to sleep. We shall thus be spared the necessity of guarding our horses through the night in order to prevent them straying into the corn." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan #Turkestan #Horses

'Soviet Kirghizia: Horse Stud Farm in Cholpon-Ata', Ella Maillart, 1932

A woman in traditional local headscarf and attire interacts with a horse's flowing tail in an open-air livestock breeding area at the famous stud farm established in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan with other horses grazing and standing in the background.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

'Jocubai With Argali Skull', Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932 "Native to the mountains of Central Asia, the argali is the largest species of wild sheep in the world and their massive corkscrew-shaped horns are highly-prized as trophies." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan

'Jocubai with an Argali Skull', Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

The expedition's guide, Jocubai, holds a large wild-mountain sheep skull with massive curved horns which is highly prized as a trophy. A steppe landscape with his horse is visible in the background.

Argali are native to the high-altitude mountainous regions of Central Asia, including Mongolia, Tibet, the Altai Mountains and parts of Central Asia.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

"If only Jocubai would not outdistance us all the time. As though glued to his saddle he trots along ... Our beasts seem starved; they are always wanting to stop and browse, and we have continually to urge them on in an attempt to circumvent their efforts." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan

Ella Maillart's dark-maned horse lowers its head under an overcast sky to graze on the field grass and keep energised during a rest stop along the Tian Shen mountain trek.

It is outfitted with a specialised pack saddle which is heavily loaded with canvas bags or gear secured tightly across its back to evenly balance weight.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

'A Kyrgyz Boy and His Mother', Ella Maillart, 1932 "Since 1916, many attempts have been made to wean them from their nomadic lives and settle them in colonies founded by Russians. But they show little interest in cultivating the earth. ..." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan #Nomad

'A Kyrgyz Boy and His Mother', Ella Maillart, 1932

A woman weaves a 'terme' - patterned tapestry - using camel wool in the Tian Shan region of Kyrgyzstan. Her young son in a heavy winter coat and plush fur hat stands nearby watching the traditional craft process.

Ground looms like this were portable and well-suited for nomadic lifestyles. They were most frequently used to weave long, incredibly durable yurt bands. These decorative and functional structural straps wrapped tightly around the wooden lattice frames of yurts to protect them against fierce high-altitude winds.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

"As we pass through the small Kirghiz villages, I notice a small semicircular brown yurt standing by every house. By no means all the natives have taken to a sedentary life. They stifle between four walls ..." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan

A nomadic Kyrgyz family with their traditional dwellings - portable circular tents made of felt and lattice wood known as yurts or gers - at a high-altitude mountain pasture (known locally as a jailoo), Sary-Chat camp, Er-Tash valley, Tian-Shan mountains.

The woman is wearing a traditional Central Asian head covering known as a kimeshek, a white fabric wimple historically worn by married Kazakh and Kyrgyz women.

This image is permanently displayed at the historical museum in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

"Jocubai trots in front of us, his pointed hat on his head, his musket over his shoulder, and leading the pack-horse whose load is framed in the tent poles. We follow as best we may, trying to keep out of the way of the dust raised by the other horses ..." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan

Descent from the Ak-Bel Pass and further to the Borkoldoi Too ridge in the east, Tian Shan Mountains, Ella Maillart, 1932.

Riders and pack animals traverse a rocky valley in the Tian Shan mountains (often historically referred to as the Celestial Mountains or Tenir-Too) in Kyrgyzstan, likely near the Jangart Pass.

Today, copies of this specific historic print and other photographs from her 1932 expedition are permanently preserved as part of the regional archives and showcased at the Karakol Historical Museum in Kyrgyzstan.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"Auguste! I must confess I never really believed we should get off till this moment?" "But why so pessimistic? Is it because of the way you were brought up? If we hadn't been determined to succeed, do you think we should ever have achieved anything in this country?" #Photography #EllaMaillart

Two men adjust pack saddles and baggage on a pack animal outside a barbershop in Karakol, a city in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan near Lake Issyk-Kul. The Russian sign in the background reads "Парикмахерская" (Barbershop) alongside text indicating a workers' cooperative for disabled labour.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932 "Our horses, for which we had paid on average the low price of four hundred roubles each, turn out to be all mares and in foal by asses. ... Auguste and Volodya have to put up with a great deal of teasing." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol

'In Front of the Barbershop', Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

A group gather on horseback near a local barbershop on a dirt road with low, single-story buildings and tall poplar trees.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

"In Karakol ... a few animals appear all of a sudden at the horse market and at last we can think of starting ... It will take some time to get used to them and the joy of riding is well paid for by the agony of our thighs." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol #Tierskei #TianShan

Ella Maillart's group on horseback passing by traditional mazars (holy Muslim graves) along the northern shore of Issyk-Kul lake in 1932. They travel down a wide dirt road hugging the lakeshore, with the Tian Shan mountain range visible rising to the right.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Kyrgyzstan, Ells Maillart, 1932 Dispossessed rural families at a railway station, victims of a Soviet campaign of mass repression, dispossession and execution aimed at the elimination moderately wealthy or independent peasants ('kulaks') as a social class. #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan

While Soviet-era archival documents frequently labelled these groups as 'condemned Basmachi' (participants in the anti-Soviet Basmachi revolt), modern historians and researchers note that many individuals swept up in these roundups were actually de-kulakized or dekulakized peasants ("kulaks") being forcibly displaced, expropriated, and sent into exile.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932 "Their wives wear enormous turbans, dazzling white, the material wound in close and narrow spirals not crossing as in the south, which are made to pass below the chin, providing a most impressive bandage for the head!" #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan

The elechek is a draped white outer shawl wrapped into a high structure worn by married women in Kyrgyzstan. Underneath is a dark vest adorned with elaborate, intricate floral embroidery and brocade patterns native to the nomadic steppe culture.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Semirechye, Karakol, Ella Maillart, 1932 "Now each of us has a horse, with a pack-horse in addition. We take them to be shod with crampons to help negotiate the glaciers and rocks. It seems I have everything to learn from these beasts." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol #Horse

Karakol, Ella Maillart, 1932.

A blacksmith wearing a traditional hat bends over to shoe a horse using a wooden suspension frame.

This setup stabilises and lifts the animal slightly, preventing it from kicking, thrashing or collapsing while its hooves are being worked on.

Viral posts online incorrectly claim this black-and-white image depicts a cruel culinary practice called "pouring soup over live donkey meat".

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

'The Kirghiz Woman Who Made Our Bread', Ella Maillart, 1932 "To the flour the younger of the women adds salt, water, yeast, three ladles of melted butter and then begins to knead it with closed fists and all the power of her muscular arms in their silver bracelets." #Photography #EllaMaillart

'Young Girl From The Komsomol (the Soviet Communist Youth League)', Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

Portrait of a young woman wearing a fitted, patterned headscarf pulled closely around her hair and face, and a simple work-style shirt. Her expression is focused and turned slightly toward the camera under natural, directional lighting. The low-key background remains dark and out of focus, drawing attention to her features.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

"Standing before a backcloth depicting a colonnade, a photographer with an engaging gesture strives to bring a smile to a whole family with Mongolian eyes, frozen stiff where it stands by the immensity of the occasion." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol #Travel #Adventure #CentralAsia

Karakol (historically known as Przhevalsk), Ella Maillart, 1932.

An itinerant street photographer manages a large, tripod-mounted box camera in the foreground while his subjects line up against an illustrative backdrop. Behind the setup stands a display board filled with sample portrait prints to entice passersby.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"There were Kirghiz of noble birth - all honour where it is due - with straggly pointed beards, piercing eyes and velvet bonnets on their heads ... These are the 'Manaps' or patriarchs, chiefs of their tribes, on whom often hundreds of yurts depend." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol

Elder Kyrgyz men, known as aksakals, wearing traditional white felt hats (kalpaks) and quilted coats. The different shapes, folds and rims of the kalpak traditionally signified the wearer's age, societal status or specific tribal lineage.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932 "Barbers abound who, according to Mussulman custom, shave the heads of their numerous clients. In Russian, their signs read 'Parikmakherskaya' and in Turki-jagatai 'Sastarass'." #Photography #Monochrome #BlackAndWhite #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol

A local man receives a haircut outdoors from a traditional street barber who expertly leaves a specific stylised lock of hair.

Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, 1932 Ella Maillart on an elevated wooden balcony alongside a public address loudspeaker horn mounted overhead. Behind her is a vast open-air bazaar filled with numerous canvas tents, crowds of people and horse-drawn carriages. #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol

Ella Maillart, Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, 1932

Ella on an elevated wooden balcony alongside an early model of a public address loudspeaker horn mounted overhead. Behind her was a vast open-air bazaar filled with numerous canvas tents, crowds of people and horse-drawn carriages.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"Wherever we were going ... our way led always through the bazaar, the heart of the city. It was a fascinating spectacle to watch ... while the variety of types of human beings would have ravished lovers of the picturesque with delight." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol 1/2

The market at Karakol (then Przhevalsk) in Soviet Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

In the lower-left foreground, a young man wearing a brimmed hat operates a portable, hand-cranked mechanical sewing machine setup. Another individual appears to be holding a tailoring tool, such as a large blade or shears.

The background details a dense gathering of local buyers and sellers wearing a mix of traditional Central Asian garments, winter coats, and various headwear including headscarves, peaked caps and bowler hats typical of the early Soviet era.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

"A wooded inlet of the lake does service at the port of Kara Kol ... There was a courtyard with a shelter for the horses, and in front of the house two large tents. Inside, there was a dormitory containing some fifteen bunks ..." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol

A traditional Dungan (Chinese Muslim) architectural style home in the village of Mariinskoye, Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. It was established around 1877–1878 by the Dungan people who migrated to the region fleeing persecution following the Dungan Revolt in Northwest China.

The house was built using Chinese methods without a single nail and features clear traditional Chinese architectural design elements, including heavy wooden columns supporting an overhanging tiled roof with exposed structural rafters, blended into the local Central Asian village setting.

The building clearly features traditional Chinese architectural elements blended with local construction, notable by its distinct wooden columns supporting a heavy overhanging tiled eave system and carved decorative bracket details beneath the roof.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"Oh, that boat! When she comes at last it looks as if it will be impossible to set foot on board, so overloaded is she with people and goods. I spend the night under a companion-ladder so as to be sheltered from passing legs." #Photography #EllaMaillart #USSR #Russia #Kyrgyzstan #LakeIssykKul

The schooner 'Soviet Kyrgyzstan' (Советская Киргизия), the first Soviet metal-hulled motor vessel, at the port of Przhevalsk (now Karakol) on Lake Issyk-Kul in 1932.

It marked a major modernisation milestone for regional shipping and heavily accelerated the growth of nearby port towns like Rybachye (now Balykchy).

The ship was constructed at the local Przhevalsk shipyard according to a design by the naval architect Kebin and completed around 1931. It had a deadweight of 420 tons and a speed of 10 knots.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

"Armed men are guarding a depot surrounded by barbed wire: loads are being weighed, then lifted on to the backs of camels. Untying themselves in two jerks, they rise and stalk off, borne by their 'X'-looking legs." 1/3 #Photography #EllaMaillart #USSR #Russia #Kyrgyzstan #LakeIssykKul

A caravan of Bactrian camels loaded with heavy bundles at the Balykchy port (formerly Rybachye) on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan and waiting to transfer their cargo onto a lakeside transport barge visible in the background.

Lake Issyk-Kul, located at an altitude of 1609 metres, is the second largest mountain lake in the world with an area of 6236 km².

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

"A Kyrgyz woman with Mongolian eyes, oddly visible in this Mediterranean landscape, leans over the schooner holding a child in her arms. These are belonging to the Mennonite colony in Aulie Ata, whose parents are once again trying to find happiness in a new land." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyz

A Kyrgyz woman and child by a schooner at Lake Issyk-Kul, near Rybachye, modern-day Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan in 1932 with rolling hills in the background.

During the early 1930s, the region was undergoing major social transformations under Soviet industrialisation, which included introducing commercial transport and fishing vessels to the lake.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

"Crossing the plain of Tokmak and climbing along the gorge of Boam, we reach the Issik Kol Lake. There to the east, well in view at last and far beyond the other shore, is the high snow ranges, our goal." #Photography #Russia #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #IssykKul #LakeIssyk #Adventure #EllaMaillart

"Schooner on Issyk-Kul. Port of Rybachye (Balykchy). Photo 1932."

The three-masted schooner, Issyk-Kul. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the schooner was a large vessel for its time (its displacement was 130 tons).

Rybachye was a staging post on the Great Silk Road in ancient times. The settlement was founded as a post between the towns of Pishpek and Karakol. In 1871, there were only two dugouts for travelers and an inspector's yurt!

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

"We need a lorry to get us to our first stop, the stud-farm near the shore of Lake Issik. ... the only one we manage to secure is in such a disreputable condition that for three days, what with constant break-downs, we shall progress like a snail." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Russia #Kyrgzstan

Standing beside their truck to Tokmak, Auguste wears a brimmed hat, wire-rimmed glasses and a thick sweater. He carries a patterned shoulder bag and has a prominent smile. Alongside him with her hand on her hip is his wife Capa in a light-colored blouse, dark trousers and a leather helmet with ear-lappets.

"Crossing the plain of Tokmak and climbing along the gorge of Boam, we reach Issik Kol Lake. ... The great lake, thirty miles wide, fifty miles long, is beautiful in the heart of this broad mountainous country, 4,500 feet up. And what a surprise to see, anchored near the shore, a cargo boat and a solid three-masted schooner! The deep Issik Kol never freezes; it has no outlet, and its water is slightly salted."

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

"I determine at all costs to visit a Trotskyist exile whose address I have taken care to memorise. My intention must be kept secret from my companions, however, for they might not like it." #Photography #EllaMaillart #SovietUnion #USSR #Russia #Kazakhstan #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #Frunze #Trotsky

Ella Maillart engaged in conversation with a young Kyrgyz man in Frunze (now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), 1932.

Her athletic figure, in canvas trousers and a fitted sailor top, with a headscarf tied around her head, commands a strong physical presence. She seems to overshadow and eclipse the foreign men surrounding her with her height and musculature.

https://books.openedition.org/pur/113415

1914

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

"Frunze, a growing garden city of 40,000 inhabitants, is the capital of Kirghizistan. ... Volodya obtains official permission for the five of us and our cameras to enter the border zone beyond Karakol, our next objective." #Photography #Russia #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #Frunze #Adventure #EllaMaillart

A Kyrgyz woman walks past the Tashkent train wearing an Elechek (or elechek), a traditional Kyrgyz turban-like head covering made of wrapped white cloth, historically worn by married women.

She also wears a long, loose outer robe or gown (chapan or koftor) typical of the nomadic and semi-nomadic steppe peoples of the region.

The scene unfolds along a railway station platform, with a passenger train visible in the background and onlookers in both Western-style and traditional attire.

1936

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

"It is morning when we arrive. Avenues, dust, crowds, walls, gardens, half-built warehouses! The word Frunze appears on the station façade both in Russian and the new Latin Kirghiz letters. We follow our cart, seeking a roof under which to install ourselves." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Frunze

Frunze railway station with its name written in both Latin ("Prunza") and Cyrillic script ("Фрунзе"). Today it is Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan.

The spelling "Prunza" is a historical linguistic artifact from the early Soviet era. Between 1928 and 1940, the Kyrgyz language officially utilized a Latin-based alphabet (known as the Uniform Turkic Alphabet or Yañalif) before transitioning to Cyrillic.

Because native Kyrgyz phonology lacks the "F" sound, the standard Russian name Frunze (named after Bolshevik commander Mikhail Frunze) was phonetically adapted and officially registered in the Latin script as Prunza to fit local pronunciation patterns.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

"We had crossed the Volga long ago, had passed the flat shore of the Aral Sea, and were crawling across the wide plain of Central Asia ... when Volodya said to me: "Let's hope you'll be allowed to come with us as far as the Chinese border." #Photography #Russia #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #EllaMaillart

Desolate and beautiful Central Asia. The rugged, snow-dusted peak dominating the centre background belongs to the extreme eastern edges of the Pamir Mountains, The pale, smooth slopes rising on the right side and stretching along are massive dunes of fine white sand that have accumulated against the dark, rocky mountain base over millennia.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

"Away from crowds, roofs and machines, I might soon lead a 'real' and simple life - cooking over a dung fire in the treeless plains and sleeping under a tent in solitude." #Photography #BlackAndWhite #Russia #Nomad #Turkestan #Kazakhstan #Kyrgzstan #Frunze #Karakol #Travel #Adventure #EllaMaillart

A Kyrgyz woman dressed in traditional attire, including a head covering, stands outside a traditional yurt, the dwelling typical of the nomadic lifestyle historically practiced in this region. Beneath the outer wall of the yurt, a sheep or goat rests in the shade cast by the structure.

She is using a vertical drop spindle or basic hand tool to spin raw sheep's wool into yarn. This yarn was traditionally used to weave clothing, ropes and the heavy felt panels needed to insulate the yurts.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

"Six days on board. The train jogs slowly on: it is very hot. July! The scrap of fat bacon among my provisions melts and begins to seep out of its sack. Yet on and on we must go, over 2500 miles, on board for five times twenty four hours." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Frunze #Bishkek

The Москва-Фрунзе (Moscow-Frunze) passenger carriage of the direct train line operating between Moscow and Frunze (now known as Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan). It was marked with "М.Р.Н. 1737," representing its technical designation or inventory number.

The first local rail line reached the region in August 1924, running from Lugovaya to Pishpek (which was renamed Frunze in 1926). Following the expansion and completion of the connecting sections, this direct Moscow–Frunze train line officially went into service in 1932, establishing a vital structural link across the region

1923

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Ella Maillart's 6-month route by train, horse, camel, boat and plane in 1932 via Moscow, through the Kyrgyz Steppes, across the Kyzylkum Desert and Aral Sea, and into ancient Silk Road cities including Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. #Photography #Russia #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #EllaMaillart

Setting off from the Tien Shan mountains of Mongolia, Maillart explored Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, which seemed mysterious to the world at the time, before heading to the Amu Darya. Riding a camel, she crossed alone the Kyzylkum Desert east of the Aral Sea, eluding dangerous checkpoints.

"... In darkness, how do you deal with the flea you've just caught in your sleeping bag? We all know you can only kill a flea by bisecting it, preferably between thumb nail and finger-nail - but that's not easily done in darkness. So Ella Maillart used her teeth, which tells us a lot about her: innovative, un-squeamish, well equipped to share in the daily and nightly lives of Central Asian nomads. ...

Although Ella Maillart makes a few acid remarks about the British, she consistently practises one of their virtues - understatement. Therefore the average reader of 'Turkestan Solo', who has never experienced anything comparable to riding a camel in mid-winter for 300 miles across an uninhabited desert, may not fully appreciate what's involved. Sleeping under the stars is romantic - but at -25c, with an almost empty belly, it takes what most of us haven't got.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

"The heat, the dust, the bugs crawling out of the wooden seats, the starved beggars who assailed the train at every stop were loathsome, but nothing could douse my joy: Moscow was far behind, the rude earth-born aspect of the steppe was near at hand." #Photography #Russia #Kyrgzstan #EllaMaillart

A nomad guides a pair of heavily laden pack camels across the rugged high-altitude terrain in front of the massive mountain wall. Bactrian camels, recognised by their two humps, are common in such regions.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

"In the same train with my companions ... I found them quiet, intelligent and charming. Tall Volodya and his wife Mila were biologists who spoke French; Auguste and his wife Capa were doctors of medicine." #Photography #Russia #Moscow #Turkestan #Kyrgzstan #Frunze #Travel #Adventure #EllaMaillart

The scene depicts people, including women and children, preparing for or undergoing a journey, actively packing heavy bags and tied bundles onto the back of a large utility transport truck. In the left foreground, a young child stands facing the camera with hands raised behind their head.

This photograph appears in 'Turkestan Solo: One Woman's Expedition from the Tien Shan to the Kizil Kum', Ella Maillart, 1934.

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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Dervla Murphy (1931-2022), Ireland’s most celebrated and fearless travel writer, wrote of Ella Maillart's journey through Soviet Turkestan: "Sleeping under the stars is romantic but, at –25°C with an almost empty belly, it takes what most of us haven’t got.” #Photography #EllaMaillart #SpeirGorm

Ireland’s most celebrated and fearless travel writer Dervla Murphy enjoying a glass of stout.

Recognised for her consistent honesty and reportage over her 50-year career, Dervla published more than 20 books chronicling - like Ella Maillart - raw adventures across multiple continents, traveling without luxuries and largely relying on the hospitality of local people.

Dervla wrote insightful introductions and appreciations for reissues of Ella Maillart’s travelogues, bridging the legacy of two pioneering generations of solo female explorers. Both traveled deeply into Central Asia, the Himalayas, and remote regions independently, defying conventional norms of their respective eras.

"... In darkness, how do you deal with the flea you've just caught in your sleeping bag? We all know you can only kill a flea by bisecting it, preferably between thumb nail and finger-nail - but that's not easily done in darkness. So Ella Maillart used her teeth, which tells us a lot about her: innovative, un-squeamish, well equipped to share in the daily and nightly lives of Central Asian nomads. ...

Although Ella Maillart makes a few acid remarks about the British, she consistently practises one of their virtues - understatement. Therefore the average reader of 'Turkestan Solo', who has never experienced anything comparable to riding a camel in mid-winter for 300 miles across an uninhabited desert, may not fully appreciate what's involved. Sleeping under the stars is romantic - but at -25c, with an almost empty belly, it takes what most of us haven't got.

'Forbidden Journey' describes this author's most famous achievement. But in 1982 (when just back from the mountains of Bhutan) Ella wrote to me: “Did you ever read my 'Turkestan Solo'? – which I think was more difficult to achieve than Forbidden Journey.” I can believe that.“ - Dervla Murphy, Introduction to 'Turkestan Solo'

210513

Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

"Once in Moscow, things did not work as smoothly as they had two years before. ... [But] I heard that four Russians intended to spend their holidays in the T'ien Shan ... by train I could go with them as far as Frunze in Kirghizistan." #Photography #Russia #Moscow #Kyrgyzstan #Travel #EllaMaillart

A Kyrgyz or regional Aksakal (elderly man) wears a light-coloured traditional split felt hat (kalpak) and heavily worn, layered clothing under a long, dark coat. He stands in front of a wooden rail passenger car with passengers looking out from the open windows. A small child in patterned clothing also waits on the platform.

"In one day I managed to secure a railway ticket, a mountaineering outfit (ice-axe, crampons, rope), groceries to last me two months, an official permit to stay six months in Russia, and a letter of introduction from Sovtourist in case I might find any bases open. Only those who have known the frantic life of Moscow can appreciate what miracles I performed that day!" - Cruises and Caravans

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