June 4, 2026
Back in Kyrgyzstan – and to the Kumtor gold mine of Tien Shan!
A few days ao we wrapped up our whirlwind there-and-back business dash to Kyrgyzstan, and to the Kumtor gold-ore mine and ore-processing complex (aka – a gold-extraction factory: the first time I’d ever come across the term). Why the holdup in getting these write-ups published? Simply because, when you visit industrial sites, you usually need to get a “yep, all good!” from the hosts before posting any photos – even though I hardly shoot anything inappropriate in the first place (my internal censor sees to that).
So. Kumtor…
First, it’s one of the main pillars of the country’s mining sector. Second, it’s one of the highest-altitude mining operations in the world (the second-highest, to be precise – behind the Yanacocha gold deposit in Peru, (also gold-ore)). And third, it’s just plain beautiful! Here are the pyramids they show you as you drive into the open pit:
The main pit – the one they showed us – is impossibly gigantic in size: 3.5km long, by 3km wide, and almost a kilometer deep measured from the ~highest point. And up on the loftiest peaks there are snow and glaciers. What a beauty! ->
Welcome to the Kumtor gold-ore deposit!
There are just three pits at the deposit altogether; here’s the main one on the map:
…Surrounded by glaciers and glacial lakes:
The views of the main pit are just fantastic:
You could stand here and gawp at them forever… until you run out of oxygen, that is; we were at an altitude of a little over 4,000 meters, after all, and some folks who weren’t used to it found it pretty uncomfortable. But the views – and how meditative they are – more than make up for such micro-discomforts, many times over:
And you could pore over details forever too:
Ah, lovely!
As for the enrichment and gold-recovery process itself, it’s all pretty standard here. Ore extraction -> crusher -> even finer grinding -> various levels of “flotation” -> enrichment by assorted chemical methods -> electrolysis -> bars with an 80% gold content (plus some silver, copper, and other odds and ends). I’ve written about such processes a couple of times before (at the Nordgold mine in Kazakhstan, and at the recently-written-up Natalka deposit in Kolyma), and it’s a fascinating technological process, it has to be said! But it’s all roughly the same…
First stage: crushing and grinding into dust with metal balls like these:
Then the enrichment cycles via a variety of chemical-technological processes:
It’s all very convoluted, and besides – I’m no mining engineer :). What’s different here compared to other operations? Well, you’re constantly asked how you’re feeling! Sometimes, even out in the fresh air, someone unaccustomed to such high altitude can suddenly start feeling rough. And it’s taken real seriously: throughout our tour of the complex we were accompanied by a doctor – though, for some reason, they wouldn’t let me publish a photo of said doctor. Oh well, here’s a different photo:
The “garage”!
At last I got to see where and how they repair these huge open-pit monsters!
Impressive…
Alas, they didn’t show us actual tire-changing – there was no machinery there at the time – but I’m hoping I’ll get to see somewhere how it’s done in the world of giants. Still, all the same – colossally marvelous!
Wandering around the operation, chatting about what we were seeing, it struck me that gold is what central banks, jewelry-lovers, and microelectronics all have in common. No wait – let me pose that as a little quiz:
Question: What do central banks, jewelry-lovers, and microelectronics all have in common?
Answer: Gold. They’re the main consumers of gold and (among) the (main) ones that affect its price :)
And what about Kumtor specifically? Well, the numbers are pretty decent. Annual output is around 10 tons of gold; 470 tons have already been extracted – and there are still 50+ explored tons to go. After that they’ll find more gold somewhere deeper down, but then they’ll have to burrow into underground shafts to get at it.
The etymology of the name Kumtor is rather nice too: “Kum” = sand, and “Tör” = the spot at the table where you seat an honored guest!
But the most important thing is the maturity and preparedness of the site’s cybersecurity team. I’ll be honest – I was surprised. They understand everything perfectly here: they know how to handle cutting-edge technology, and they never stop taking in new information and confidently running their cybersecurity processes. If only it were like this everywhere!
A fun message about a serious matter:
Time for a look-around outside the mine. First up: a pretty glacial lake from where Kumtor draws its fresh water from.
The mountain roads are simply magical! Especially on the approach to the pit (some of these photos courtesy of fellow visitor, SK) ->
A black-and-white pyramid against a blue-and-white backdrop – oh, how wonderful!
And they snapped a few of me, too:
A few more of the scenic roads nearby:
Suddenly, out of nowhere – a sculpted concrete monument to Yuri Gagarin, who once vacationed somewhere around here at a sanatorium.
Though somehow he looks kinda spooked sitting here all on his lonesome…
On the way back, a stunning view of Issyk-Kul opened up. A long time ago I looked at the lake’s southern shore from the north and wondered: would I ever get to see the northern shore from the south? Well now I have! ->
We were treated almost like royalty here – complete with a police escort, no less!
And the food – delicious, and the portions?!…
Assorted amusing things along the way – now what’s that up there on top?
Turned out to be a sculpture of someone playing a local stringed instrument. But the instrument itself has mysteriously disappeared – leaving just the statue with its fingers splayed out! ->
And that was that. Kumtor: done. A wonderful trip!
The obligatory photo from the hotel we stayed at – and then home!
