Journal De Bruxelles - Paris, the village of light in Kyrgyzstan's rugged mountains

The settlement is one of the few spots of civilisation on the only road that links the north and south of the Central Asian nation, a bustling route amid surging trade with Russia and China.

Around 100 "Parisians" live in the makeshift village, which got its name from the truckers drawn to the glow of its roadside cafes, and somehow the idea of the City of Light stuck.

"I stopped in Paris because the roads are closed, there's too much snow. While they grit the roads, I'm going to eat and rest," Abrahman, 22, told AFP from the inside of his truck cab.

"There's a small repair shop here, we can change a tire," said Abrahman, who is ferrying cargo from the capital Bishkek to the southern city of Osh -- a drive of around 700 kilometres (430 miles) and at least 15 hours away.

The route winds through landlocked Kyrgyzstan's Suusamyr Valley, which posted a record-low temperature of -47 degrees Celsius (-53 Fahrenheit) in 2023.

The road also has the grim distinction of the most road fatalities of any in the country.

During the winter storm, visibility is almost zero and uncovered faces are stung by the ice crystals being whipped up by a blizzard.

- Kilometre 152 -

Paris has become a popular stopover for the growing numbers of vehicles navigating one of the world's most mountainous countries.

In honour of the name, last summer the village was gifted its own version of the famed tower.

"Our village is called Paris, and in Paris there's an Eiffel Tower,"said Nurzhan Kubatbekov, Kyrgyzstan's answer to Gustave Eiffel, who paid $14,000 for the replica.

Although 20 times smaller than the real thing, it still lights up at night, just like the original.

But that is where the comparisons with the French capital end.

Where one Paris has Notre Dame cathedral, the other boasts a new little mosque. Instead of pigeons gathered on open squares or rats scurrying through metro stations, a battered stable for mountain-hardened horses and cows.

But to government officials, this Paris does not exist -- it is just kilometre 152 of the Bishkek-Osh highway.

- 'Legalise us or raze it' -

The village popped up to meet the growing demands of long-distance drivers, but has never been formally incorporated.

"Before, there was nothing here, then containers appeared, and a village formed," said Tamara Kachkynbayeva, a 55-year-old who runs a cafe serving traditional meat dishes.

"We started feeding and warming drivers between the mountain passes. There's even an infirmary for first aid," she added.

Locals are now pushing to get recognition for the village and its French-inspired name.

"The population is asking to legalise the situation and make the name Paris official," Kachkynbayeva said.

Urmat Nusubaliyev, one of the first to settle in Paris 27 years ago,is waiting for an answer by spring.

"No one has any documents for this land. The village technically belongs to two different districts," the 47-year-old said. "Either they legalise us or they raze it."

But the future of Paris is uncertain.

To deal with growing cargo volumes, authorities are planning to open an alternative route between Bishkek and Osh, bypassing the village, later this year.

It would be faster, but likely just as risky.

After Paris, truckers have to navigate several passes at altitudes of more than 3,000 metres including a dangerous spot known as Camel's Pass, where rocks are covered in phone numbers for emergency breakdown services.

Stranded vehicles can quickly become buried under intense snowfall.

Eldiyar Dulatov, 26, was one of the unlucky drivers AFP journalists met on the road during the stormy January day.

"I've got no signal and seven people in the car," he lamented. "A pipe has burst and the fuel is leaking."

W.Baert --JdB