The territory of Kyrgyzstan is one of the ancient centres of human civilisation. Archaeological research shows that primeval man familiarised himself here since the Stone Age. The Kyrgyz were known in Central Asia since the first millennium BC and have carried their name throughout the centuries.

The first state formations on the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan appeared in the second century BC. In the 4-3 centuries BC the ancient Kyrgyz were part of strong nomadic tribal unions, which proved to be a serious distress to China. It was at that time when construction of the Great Chinese Wall began. In 2-1 centuries BC a part of the Kyrgyz tribes moved to Enisey ("Ene sai" translates as "Mother river" from the Kyrgyz language) and Baikal ("Bai kol" in Kyrgyz means "Abundant Lake"). It was there that the Kyrgyz tribes organised their first state and the Kyrgyz Khanate, which became the centre for consolidation of the Kyrgyz and formation of its culture. The Kyrgyz written language emerged here, but was lost after the state was dismantled by conquerors. However, the human memory was alive: an unprecedented epos "Manas" is a genuine encyclopaedia of the Kyrgyz history, society, habits and lifestyle of that time.

In the 5 century the nomads inhabiting northern Kyrgyzstan began to transform to a settled way of life. The first evidences of written sources about the Kyrgyz tribes inhabiting Tyan-Shan date back to the 10 century. The petroglyphs of Saymaly-Tash are widely known monuments of antiquity. These unique inscriptions illustrate a high level of civilisation of the Kyrgyz. The Burana Tower and Uzgen architectural complex strike one's imagination and testify to the artistic skill of architects and builders.

From the beginning to mid 10 century, the Great Kyrgyz Khanate encompassed Southern Siberia, Mongolia, Baikal, upper Irtysh, part of Kashgar, Issyk-Kul and Talas. This period was not only an age of war and conquest, but also active trade with the peoples of China, Tibet, South Siberia, and Central Asia. It was in this period that the Kyrgyz, after the conquest of the Uygur Khanate, entered the territory of the Tyan-Shan. However, in the 10 century, the Kyrgyz control covered only Southern Siberia, Altay and South-West Mongolia. In centuries 11-12, their territory decreased to Altay and Sayan only.

The Kyrgyz tribes, spread over a vast territory, actively participated in the historic events of Central Asia. They managed to preserve their ethnic autonomy and became a core of attraction of other ethnic groups. The last phase of ethnogenesis is linked with the Mongolian, Kalmyk, Nayman and other Central Asian peoples. In the 16 century, the ethnogenesis of the Kyrgyz people was mainly complete.

In 1863 the northern part, and in 1876 the southern parts of Kyrgyzstan were joined to the Russian Empire. After the socialist revolution in 1917, the Kyrgyz together with all the peoples of the former Tsarist Russia formed the soviet republics.

In 1918 Kyrgyzstan became part of Turkestan ASSR. After state demarcation of Soviet republics in Central Asia on October 14, 1924 Kara-Kyrgyz (since May 25, 1925 - Kyrgyz) autonomous region was formed as part of the Russian Federation. On February 1, 1926 it was transformed into Kyrgyz ASSR and on December 5, 1936-into Kyrgyz SSR.

The Kyrgyz people received national independence and sovereignty in a peaceful way after the breakup of the USSR. December 15, 1990 is the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic, and August 31, 1991 - is the Declaration of Independence.

The first Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic as an independent state was adopted on May 5 1993. On May 10 1993, National currency, the Kyrgyz som, was introduced.

Current History

Elections were held in traditional Soviet rubber-stamp style to the Kyrgyz Supreme Soviet in February 1990, with the Kyrgyz Communist Party (KCP) walking away with nearly all the seats. After multiple ballots, Askar Akaev, a physicist, was installed as a compromise president. In August 1991, the Kyrgyz Supreme Soviet reluctantly voted to declare Kyrgyzstan's independence. Six weeks later, Akaev was re-elected president, running unopposed. By the end of the year, Kyrgyzstan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. In May 1993 a brand-new constitution dispensed with the last structural vestiges of the Soviet era.

Akaev has gone on to establish himself as a stubborn reformer, restructuring the executive apparatus to suit his liberal political and economic attitudes, and instituting reforms considered to be the most radical in the Central Asian republics. Akaev and his economic program got a solid popular vote of confidence in a referendum in 1994 and again in early 1995 elections. The following year, Kyrgyzstan signed a non-aggression agreement with Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Akaev subsequently went on to spoil the good reputation he'd built himself. He fiddled with the consitution, staged elections and referenda condemned as unfair by international observers, intimidated political opponents, consolidated power in the role of president, won himself lifelong immunity from prosecution and - perhaps most importantly - lost his reforming zeal. By the turn of the millennium, the country had slipped from early pacesetter of transformation to stagnant backwater.

Akaev has proven to be an agile diplomat, however, settling border disputes with neighbours China and Kazakhstan (critics say he gave too much away) and overseeing rapprochement with China. He has at the same time rented out Kyrgyz territroy to the US and Russia for the establishment of military bases. It seemed that, by 2004, with immunity from prosecution assured, Akaev was preparing for life after politics - just as well, as in 2004 the opposition had formed a coalition designed to end his rule.

Sources:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_asia/kyrgyzstan/history.htm

http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/kgtoc.html