Kurmanjan Datka Museum Kyrgyzstan

Dedicated to Kyrgyzstan's very own 'Queen of the Alay', Gulcha's ethnography and history museum is most notable for exhibits on the local female chieftain who resisted and eventually acquiesced to the hegemony of Imperial Russia in the region. Look for the 2nd-floor display of Datka's 1906-8 meetings with Russian general Karl Gustav, who sought her out in Russian exile to create the only known photos of the legendary leader. Follow the well-signed directions from the highway to the large statue of the Queen herself. It's open every day, though on Sundays you may have to call to get museum staff to unlock the gate.