Once home to 5,000 people, the mining town of Engilchek, in the southern Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, emptied after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving behind abandoned buildings, shattered lives, and a handful of residents facing an uncertain future.
Today, the ruins are home to a small but thriving community.
Ashuu – given that name since he was born on the eponymous mountain pass 1.5 hours away, which is the only route into town – remembers when Engilchek was just a jailoo; the summer pasture of nomads. His parents came here on horses with their cattle, living in yurts, as the Kyrgyz had done for centuries.
Ashuu, 65, was named after the pass 1.5 hours away from Engilchek and the only route into town. Photo by Thijs Broekkamp.
Then, in the 1960s, Soviet geologists arrived. They discovered an abundance of natural resources: tin, tungsten, and molybdenum in the mountains, and alluvial gold in the rivers.
