Danil Usmanov will present a photographic reportage at the L’Aléatoire gallery (Paris), taken in the Batken region of southern Kyrgyzstan, exploring the theme of migration. 

Danil Usmanov, a Kyrgyz photojournalist, currently works with major media outlets (Le Monde, The Guardian, Eurasianet, etc.), but here at Novastan we are proud to have featured his debut work back in 2014. The photograph shown on this page is from a report produced south of Lake Issyk-Kul in 2014. In 2020, we featured his work as part of our series “Central Asia through the lens of …”.

Danil Usmanov’s exhibition “The Valley of the Winds” at the L’Aléatoire gallery, from Saturday 6 June 2026 until Saturday 13 June 2026.

Credits : Danil Usmanov (Kyrgyzstan, http://danilusmanov.com/)

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In Tajikistan, hidden among the mountains, Lake Iskanderkul reveals its characteristic turquoise colour.

Credits: Pierre-Armand Dussex (Switzerland)

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A herd of cows has taken over the sandbanks that emerge around the piers of the Qonayev Bridge.

This bridge is the only one crossing the Ili along the more than 300 kilometers separating the Qapshigai Dam from its mouth in Lake Balkhash.

For years, the river’s flow has been decreasing, notably due to the growing irrigation needs of China, which lies upstream.

Credit : Gereon Wintz (Germany)

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A break for horses by the Yellow Lake, Saryköl, in the Naryn Region, Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz people rely heavily on horses in their daily lives: they ferment mare’s milk to make kumis and use their herds to travel across mountain slopes. Horses are also used in tourism to carry hikers’ belongings.

Credit : Natacha Bardy (France, @max_tassan)

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Sunrise at Son-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan.

In summer, inhabited by nomads who build yurts to accommodate tourists but especially to tend the summer pastures there. Horses are used as livestock but also for tourism.

Credit: Lucas Fita (@lucasfita_notes, Portugal)

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For a long time, the ferry across the Irtysh River near the village of Kaznakovka was the only connection between the towns on the western and eastern shores of Lake Bukhtarma. The crossing was pleasant, but not always guaranteed, and took at least two hours with the waiting and loading and unloading of vehicles. In winter, it was a 180 km diversions. Some people chose to cross on the ice ….

This crossing will probably soon be history: a road bridge over the river will be inaugurated at the end of 2024, just south of the ferry line.

Credit: Balzhan & Axel Monse (Germany, @infoshymkent)

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After her work is done, the villager returns to Saritag. The village is located in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan.

The mountains (also called Fanns) are full of lakes and snow-capped peaks.

Credit: Joachim Bohndorf (Germany)

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A hippie camp hidden inbetween the trees right next to a Russian military base on Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

Credits: Lisa Moeckel (Germany)

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At the end of summer it is not uncommon for snow to fall on the high plateau around Lake Son Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

By the end of August, the cattle start to move down to lower altitudes, but the yurt camps are not completely dismantled until the end of September.

Credits: Pierre-Armand Dussex (France)

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A breathtaking view of the picturesque village of Karakul, located at an altitude of 4000 meters, on the shores of the lake of the same name in Tajikistan.

The simple white houses with flat roofs and colorful windows blend seamlessly into this stunning landscape. The vibrant blue waters of Lake Karakul reflect the clear sky, while the imposing snow-capped mountains rise in the background, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding rocky desert.

A tranquil atmosphere and exceptional natural beauty, where nature and human life coexist harmoniously.

Credits: (@janritter10, Austria)

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View of turquoise-blue Lake Iskanderkul in western Tajikistan. Legend has it that Alexander the Great’s horse drowned here. However, it could not have been Bucephalus, Alexander’s famous horse, which died in 326 BC and to which Alexander dedicated a city. Alexander the Great’s campaigns to subdue Sogdia took place slightly earlier (between 329 and 327 BC) and were marked by the founding of Alexandria Eschatè, now Khujand.

Credits : Jan Ritter (@janritter10, Austria)

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Dzhizev is a village far from the road that follows the Bartang. It is reached by an eight-kilometre trail that can only be travelled on foot or with pack donkeys. The “green lake”, or Sabzi Kul, lies three kilometres after the last house in Dzhizev.

Credits: The Editorial

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A Yurt Camp at Lake Song-Köl in Kyrgyzstan.

Photo: Lisa Moeckel (Germany)

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An old broken down Audi is being repaired at the Song Kul lake (Kyrgyzstan).Credit: Antoine Béguier (France)Find more photos from the series here.Find all of our photos of the dayhere.

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A night near the Son Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan.Credit: Ryad Hitouche (France) Find all of our photos of the day here.

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In southern Kyrgyzstan, where the Pamir mountain range begins, there is a magical landscape around the Tulpar-Kul lakes.

Credit: Josephine Kjaer (Denmark)

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