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@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 29, 2026, 7:34 AM

"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).
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 28, 2026, 4:43 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 27, 2026, 8:25 AM

'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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 26, 2026, 3:03 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 25, 2026, 6:51 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 24, 2026, 7:19 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 23, 2026, 6:26 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 22, 2026, 6:58 AM

'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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 21, 2026, 7:56 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 20, 2026, 4:04 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 19, 2026, 6:35 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 18, 2026, 10:00 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 17, 2026, 3:56 AM

'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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 16, 2026, 4:55 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 15, 2026, 5:25 AM

'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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 14, 2026, 8:56 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 13, 2026, 5:50 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 12, 2026, 7:00 AM

"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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 11, 2026, 6:43 AM

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.
@ellamaillart.bsky.socialSep 10, 2026, 7:45 AM

"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.