I always had (and still have) a desire to take a good picture of the night sky. I remember all the nights when my father carried me on his shoulders as a little boy. And we would observe the stars and constellations. All those exotic names Aldebaran, Denebola, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, the Milky Way rang in my head. Back then, the sky was not as light-polluted as it is today. And the air was cleaner.
Many years later, I observed the sky with so many stars only on the way across the Algerian Sahara, on a trek over the Torung La pass in the Nepalese Himalayas. And on the plateau under Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan.
The mighty mountain Lenin Peak rises to its 7,134 meters. It has a rather interesting history of naming. Lenin Peak was originally named Mount Kaufmann after Konstantin Kaufman, the first Governor-General of Russian Turkestan. In 1928, the mountain was renamed Lenin Peak after the Russian revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin. In Tajikistan, the peak was renamed again in July 2006, and today it is officially called in Tajik Qullai Abuali ibni Sino (Ibn Sina Peak or, alternatively, Avicenna Peak) after Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna). In Kyrgyzstan, the peak is still officially called Lenin Chokusu (Lenin Peak).
Two weeks after my father’s death, I wandered through Central Asia with a small group of travelers. It was a hot summer of 2015. Daytime temperatures in these places exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. The nights were only slightly cooler. Given my state of grief, I kept to myself. We drove old Japanese SUVs along a bad road called a highway, the Pamir Highway. In the far east of Tajikistan, not far from the Chinese border, we passed the famous Karakul Lake and crossed the pass into Kyrgyzstan.
Yurt
In a hidden valley just below the peaks, we settled in a nomadic village. We had a traditional yurt at our disposal. Lenin Peak rose majestically towards the sky. In the evening, herds of sheep were returning home from the mountains.
There were herds of horses in the surrounding area, without which no real Kyrgyz man is complete. Kyrgyz are known as excellent riders.
In the immediate vicinity, there was a herd of yaks. At the end of the village there was a large pond where the livestock was watered. Next to it, a huge male yak was tied to a tree.
On the other side was an emerald-colored lake.
The nights were dark, of course, with an incredible starry sky.
And I thought, maybe this time I could take some night photos. So a little after midnight, I got up from my bed and quietly went to the end of the village. Of course, I had already looked at the terrain in the evening. I put on my headlamp and somehow make my way past the pond and that yak that was making unfriendly noises. I settle down at the top of the hill. I put my camera on a tripod, try to remember all the instructions and start taking pictures.
After about an hour, I decide to return to my yurt. Since it is night, there is no light anywhere, not even a moon in the sky, I have of course lost my way down. I only notice when I don’t see that mighty yak anywhere.
So I carefully walk in the direction that seems most likely to me. Suddenly, a herd of yaks surrounds me, all awake and roaring. I think to myself, I hope they know that I am not green grass. I move on, but I feel that I am running out of solid ground under my feet. Swampy ground, the edge of a lake. I remember that on the opposite side of the village there is indeed a smaller glacial lake. It is still dark, around me is a swamp and a lake, in the immediate vicinity I hear the grunting of yaks.
I am slowly becoming tired and sleepless. Since I do not know where and how, I decide to sit on my camera bag and wait for the first morning light.
When the first morning light finally appears, I see that the village and my yurt are barely a hundred meters behind my back. I slowly crawl to the yurt, and I get under the blanket, dressed and try to capture a few moments of sleep.
And if you ask, what were the photos of a night sky like? None, just darkness and a few spots.
Perhaps another trip to distant Kyrgyzstan will be necessary. Or somewhere else, where the nights are still dark and the night sky is still sprinkled with stars.