PARIS, Kyrgyzstan (V7N) — Deep in the snow-covered mountains of Kyrgyzstan, a small roadside village named Paris has become a crucial stopover for truckers navigating one of the world's most treacherous highways.

Despite its name, this Paris bears little resemblance to the French capital—except for a 15-meter replica of the Eiffel Tower, which lights up at night.

For the 100 or so "Parisians" who call this rugged hamlet home, the battle is not just against the brutal cold and deadly avalanche-prone roads, but also for official recognition from the Kyrgyz government.

A Village Born from the Road

Paris sits at Kilometre 152 of the Bishkek-Osh highway, the only major route linking northern and southern Kyrgyzstan. The road winds through the Suusamyr Valley, where temperatures once plunged to -47°C (-53°F).

Originally just a few shipping containers serving as makeshift rest stops for truckers, Paris has grown into a thriving roadside community. Today, it boasts:

Roadside cafés offering steaming plates of traditional meat dishes

A small infirmary for emergency aid

A mosque instead of a cathedral, and stables instead of metro stations

Yet, to the Kyrgyz government, Paris does not officially exist.

“Before, there was nothing here. Then, containers appeared, and a village formed,” said Tamara Kachkynbayeva, a café owner.

Eiffel Tower in the Snow

Last summer, local entrepreneur Nurzhan Kubatbekov decided that if the village was called Paris, it needed its own Eiffel Tower.

He personally spent $14,000 to build a scaled-down replica, 20 times smaller than the real one.

“Our village is called Paris, and in Paris, there’s an Eiffel Tower,” Kubatbekov said proudly.

An Uncertain Future

Despite its growing importance to truckers navigating one of Central Asia's deadliest roads, Paris faces an uncertain fate.

Locals are demanding that the government either:

Make the name Paris official and legalize the village, or

 Raze it entirely

> “No one has documents for this land,” said Urmat Nusubaliyev, a longtime resident. “Either they legalize us, or they destroy us.”

To complicate matters, the Kyrgyz government plans to open a new highway this year, bypassing Paris entirely.

The alternative route will be faster, but just as risky, with high-altitude passes where vehicles often get buried under snow.

"I Have No Signal and Fuel is Leaking"

The Bishkek-Osh road remains one of the most dangerous in Kyrgyzstan, with frequent landslides, snowstorms, and deadly crashes.

Truckers must navigate several 3,000m-high passes, including the infamous "Camel's Pass," where jagged rocks are covered with emergency breakdown service numbers.

On a stormy January day, 26-year-old driver Eldiyar Dulatov found himself stranded.

 “I have no signal and seven people in the car,” he told AFP. “A pipe has burst, and the fuel is leaking.”

For now, Paris remains a beacon in the snow, a lifeline for truckers braving one of the world's most brutal winter routes. But as the government weighs its options, the future of this remote Paris remains in question.

END/WD/RH/