Jalalabad is a Province in Southern Kyrgyztan, about 100Kms away from Osh ( second largest economic hub in Khyrgystan). One of Kyrgyzstan's main branches of the Silk Road passed through Jalalabad and the region has played host to travelers for thousands of years, although little archaeological remains are visible today. The city comprises of Kyrgyz and Uzebek nationals, the latter being a conservative minority. The two communities lived at peace with each other until the ethnic riots in 2010 that started between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks on 19 May 2010 in Jalal-Abad escalated on 10 June 2010 at  Osh. The spreading of the violence required the Russian-endorsed interim government to declare a state of emergency, in an attempt to take control of the situation. Uzbekistan launched a limited troop incursion early on, but withdrew and opened its borders to Uzbek refugees. The clashes killed nearly 420 people, mostly Uzbeks, and displaced another 80,000 people.

Despite its dark history, the Jalalabad province is slowly recovering economically after becoming independent from Russia.

What many don’t know is that the jalalbad province is a fairly undiscovered gem in central asia. Having traveled in Spring, the Province exposed me to a diverse landscape flourishing with life. The Sary –Chelek biosphere reserve [ located between 1200-4250 m above sea level] was where I spent almost a week foraying into the new realms of Landscape photography. This photo series is in color as an exception for I would not have been able to picturize the beautiful landscapes convincingly in Black and white