About Sary-Tash

Although this remote village has only some shop-cafes, a petrol station and two guest houses (July 2010), it is an important road junction. Its name is derived from Turkic roots meaning "yellow-stone".

To the north, M41 goes Over the Taldyk Pass to Gulcha and Osh in the Ferghana Valley. One travel guide describes this as spectacular and one of the most beautiful drives in Kyrgyzstan. To the south, after leaving the Alay Valley the M41deteriorates quickly and rises to the 4280m Kyzyl-Art pass into Tajikistan. This route requires considerable preparation and paper work. The route is