The history of walnut

The world-famous Kyrgyz forest for walnut production

In a valley in western Kyrgyzstan, 70km from the Uzbek border, the town of Arsalan Bob, with a population of 13,000, is surrounded on all sides by the hills of Balandobala Babashata.

The two waterfalls, which flow fast in spring and summer, become the center of attraction for tourists, but what happens here every autumn is remarkable.

Every year in September there is a huge migration from Arsalan Bob and about three thousand families head out to the slopes of the 385 square miles in the high mountains facing south.

Located an hour's walk from the village, the forest is the largest production center for walnut trees in the world.

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Most of them belong to the Uzbek community and live in traditional tents, mud houses and makeshift shelters for the next two months. These people go to their homes more or less once every two weeks to collect rations and then return. This is a tradition that has been going on here for centuries.

Local story

Each year, Arsalan Bob's orchards produce between 1,000 and 1,500 tonnes of walnuts.

Famous for their dark-colored kernels, these walnuts are grown in a pesticide-free, natural environment. The walnuts are considered to be the best in the world and are exported to Europe and Asia every year.

There are many famous stories about how this small town became so rich in walnut production.

Some locals think it dates back to the time of the Prophet of Islam when he sowed the seeds of an experienced gardener and advised him to cultivate it in a suitable place so that the forest would grow.

Mali, in the light of this advice, reached Arsalan Bob on a long journey.

Mali found a place in the foothills where the weather was perfect and where there were clean flowing rivers and fertile land.

This man became convinced that this is the best place and then he sowed the seed given by the Prophet of Islam and despite the passage of many centuries, the walnut forests are flourishing here.

Alexander the Great

According to another local proverb, more than two thousand years ago, during the reign of Alexander the Great, walnut trees were brought from Arsalan Bob and cultivated in European countries.

According to this saying, Alexander the Great's army was advancing towards East Asia when he expressed his intention to stay in this valley.

A small group of wounded soldiers could not continue their journey. Alexander's army left the soldiers in a village several kilometers from Arsalan Bob, now known as Yardar, which in Uzbek means "wounded."

A few months later, Alexander the Great was astonished to see that the same wounded soldiers were refreshed and healthy and became part of his army again.

The soldiers said that when they went to the forest in search of food, they found a large number of walnuts, apples and other fruits there. When they ate the fruit well, their condition improved and they became part of the caravan of their commander.

Alexander the Great was so pleased with this that when he returned to Europe, he took the walnut seeds with him and ordered them to be sown in Greece.

Walnut crop

Walnut picking from trees begins in October. In mid-September, many families, including their livestock, begin their journey to the walnut forests. Arriving at this place, they collect walnuts from the trees in bags up to 20 kg.

Once there, the family rents several acres of walnut orchards from the local forest department, which owns the orchards, and then stays for the next two months, working on the land.

Before removing the walnuts from the trees, the locals slaughter a hen or a small cattle to please God so that this year will also be very productive. Many of the trees in these gardens are hundreds of years old. These walnut trees have a lifespan of up to a thousand years and are up to two meters in diameter.

Tree climbing experts

Arsalan Bob's people have been peeling walnuts in a centuries-old way, which can be dangerous.

Without any rope or precautionary measures, the head of each family or someone else grabs the branches of the walnut tree and climbs to the top.

When he reaches the top, he shakes the tree so hard that the walnuts fall down and then the women and children pick them up.

There are some families who do not know how to climb a tree and hire a laborer to break walnuts.

These workers receive meager wages, but they are also risking their lives to do so. According to local forest officials, at least one person falls from a tree and dies each year.

Hide and Seek

During cultivation, it is important to know how many people are available.

During the week when the children are with their grandparents to go to school in the village, their parents often go to the village every holiday and bring the children to their camp site on horseback.

Arsalan Bob's children play a very important role in breaking walnuts as they help in finding the fallen walnuts in their short stature.

Khayatila Tariko is the coordinator of Arsalan Bob's tourism organization. He says young children collect more walnuts than their parents.

In good weather, if a family rents about eight acres, it picks about 300 kilograms of walnuts.

Experience living in the jungle

Arsalan Bob's resident Mahabat Temirwa has a special fondness for walnut picking season. They nest in the forest in autumn.

In the morning, after washing the milk in the village, she burns the wood and boils the milk, and then sits under a walnut tree and eats a breakfast of homemade bread, fruit and fresh cream.

Walnut picking season is the special season in which people go to the forest. During this temporary stay, most families plant potatoes in the forest, pick apples, and leave their animals open to graze until winter sets in.

While living in the jungle camps, each family manages its own accommodation and food, and they eat a variety of fruits, including walnuts, as well as enjoy yogurt and tea.

Before breakfast, families head to places where they pick walnuts that fell last night. After that, they spend most of their time in the potato fields. At noon, he listens to his neighbors and shakes their hands. During this time, they tell interesting stories to each other while heating or relaxing.

Two hours before sunset, these people go out again to pick fallen walnuts in the forest.

Shopping for walnuts

During the walnut picking season, Arsalan Bob buys walnuts at shops instead of paying for them. In exchange for walnuts, people buy other household items, including food and drink, while children also buy walnuts from vendors to buy their favorite chocolates, cakes and ice cream.

The nearby walnut forest produces 11 types of walnuts. The bigger the walnut, the higher its price.

Prices in the local market usually start at 500 Som (approximately ڈالر 7).

Most buyers buy walnuts from locals at wholesale prices and send them to markets in Turkey, Russia, China and Europe. As long as they are sold in stores in these countries, the price of these walnuts triples per kilogram.

Most families who pick walnuts also store walnuts for themselves, and throughout the year they make walnut milk and the traditional Kyrgyz dessert 'Zinsak', in which butter and honey are added in addition to walnuts.

Forest protection efforts

The credit for this goes to the forest department and the locals, who say that the walnut forests around Arsalan Bab have been protected for centuries and are fruitful. When these families lease a piece of land from the local government, the agreement can last up to 49 years. These families, who have lived on the land for so long, often donate their best walnut seeds to the forest department. The department sows seeds in its nursery and then plants the best plants elsewhere in the forest. This is how the forest stays in its best shape.

It is also necessary to get permission from the department to cut the branches of the dried walnut tree and if a person is found cutting the branches of a healthy tree, he will have to pay a fine.

But the future of walnut forests is still uncertain.

Arsalan Bob's walnut production has been declining for many years due to climate change, grazing of livestock and erosion due to unseasonal rains and snowfall. In addition, most young people are moving to the cities in search of employment, and there is a shortage of manpower.

Over the past few years, local authorities have enacted laws that protect these forests. In addition, with the help of the United Nations, scientists are organizing educational workshops here to tell people that if they do not choose specific varieties of walnuts, the forest will continue to produce the best quality walnuts in the future. Will

Great invitation

The ancient tradition of a big feast associated with the walnut forest is still alive and is an important part of Kyrgyz culture.

At the end of the two-month walnut picking season, each family prepares food and invites its neighbors. On this occasion, considering how good the bounty has been, the chicken or the sheep is slaughtered. The feast also includes traditional palao, mutton, bread, fresh salad, fruit, yogurt, sweets and fresh cream.

After the meal, the guests pray that God will bless their host with an even better harvest next year.