The Walnut Grove of Arslanbob

In the Djalalabad region of Southern Kyrgyzstan, at the foot of the Babash Ata Mountain, lies the village of Arslanbob surrounded by an enormous walnut grove—the world’s largest. For centuries, this grove has been providing for the residents of this ancient village, now numbering some 13,000. Every autumn, nearly three thousand families that make up Arslanbob leave their homes and head into the mountains’ south-facing slopes where walnut trees grow. For the next two months, this forest becomes their home. Living in makeshift shelters each and every able member of the family, young and old, engage themselves to the task of collecting walnuts, only returning every few days to deposit their harvest and restock provisions. The whole event has a carnival-like feel, with people sharing food and gathering around campfires to sing and share stories. The walnut grove in Arslanbob. Photo: Teow Cek Chuan/Shutterstock.com Arslanbob’ grove produces between 1,000 to 1,500 tons of walnuts each year, making it the largest single natural source of walnuts on earth. Renowned for their dark kernels and rich flavor, Arlanbob’s walnuts are regarded as some of the world’s best, and are very popular among buyers in Europe and across Asia. The walnut tree has a life span of about 1,000 years and yields large amount of fruits. Walnut trees also make fine wood for furniture. Legend has it that the seeds that gave rise to this wonderful resource was planted by a disciple of Prophet Mohamed, to whom the Prophet had entrusted the responsibility of finding a suitable place to plant a forest. After travelling far and wide, the trusted disciple reached Arslanbob, where he decided to scatter the seeds. A different legend associate the grove to Alexander the Great. According to this story, Alexander was on his way to East Asia when he decided to take shelter in the valley.