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Kyrgyz gather for a traditional folk festival at Son-Kul lake, 3016 metres above the sea level, some 350 kms from Bishkek. The festival marks the 220th anniversary of the national hero Tailak Baatyr.

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Kyrgyz ride horses and sit in the steppe during a traditional folk festival at Son-Kul lake.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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Kyrgyz women dressed in traditional costumes ride horses.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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A Kyrgyz man rides with a child on a horse.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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Kyrgyz artists dressed in traditional costumes ride horses.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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A Kyrgyz boy looks on as he rides a camel.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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Kyrgyz women wearing traditional costumes perform.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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Kyrgyz people cook near a yurt, the traditional portable dwelling on nomads.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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A woman wearing a traditional Kyrgyz dress sits on a felt carpet.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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A Kyrgyz woman shows a child fox skin during the festival.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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Kyrgyz men fight on horses as they take part in the "Oodarysh" horse fights.Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP / Getty Images

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