The Museum of Geology

The Museum of the State Agency on Geology and Mineral Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the centres of visual information promoting geological knowledge; every year it is visited by up to 500 people:  school and university students, teachers and others.

The museum comprises four theme halls. The general hall allows to learn about the history of Geological Survey in Kyrgyzstan since 1938 – the time of formation of the Geological Department.

The history of the Geological Survey of Kyrgyzstan can be divided into five main periods:

1 1938-1940 – Pre- World War II;
2 1941-1945 – World War II;
3 1946-1955 – The post-War;
4 1956-1985 – The period of market relations.
5 1986-1998 – The period of market relations.

The museom of geology

Each period is characterized by the successes and achievements of geologists. One can learn here about the Heroes of Labour; award-laureates of the State Prize of the USSR and the Kyrgyz SSR, Honorary prospectors of deposits.

The first hall has exhibits (about 1000 samples) of ore, non-metallic minerals, fossil fuels such as:  iron ores of Jetim, copper ore from Kuru-Tegerek, lead-zinc ore from Sumsar, Kan, Aktyuz, Boordu etc.; tin-tungsten ores from Saryjaz, antimony ores of Kadamjay, Tereksay, mercury ore from Khaidarkan, Chauvay, Symap, precious metals ores from Kumtor, Jerooy, Taldybulak-Leveberezhny, Makmal etc.

The second hall demonstrates 1650 samples of rocks. Mostly these are the samples from the entire territory of the Republic and neighbouring countries. The samples are arranged into groups of the existing mineralogical classification.

The displays contain a collection of decorative and ornamental stones:  multicolored jasper, landscape hornfels, striped calcareous sinter and marbles, ophicalcite; samples of souvenirs made from local ornamental stones are exhibited such as marble, varieties of onyxes, serpentinites and granites. A special exhibition is made by a collection of magnetic and volcanic rocks (granite, diorite, gabbro, lava, calcareous sinter, volcanic ash, pumice, obsidian).

The third hall presents a variety of non-metallic minerals – various building materials from Kyrgyzstan.
The fourth hall is reserved for palaeontological collections. About 4,000 fossil samples of the principal fauna and flora illustrate almost all historic periods of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan.