Villagers in Kyrgyzstan Gift Umrah Trip to Local Imam
Key Takeaways
- Residents collectively funded Imam Kumarbek Keramaev’s Umrah ticket.
- The gift follows a tradition of community-supported salary for the imam.
- Keramaev’s grandfather undertook a historic Hajj journey on foot in 1903.
Residents of Kara-Küngöy village in Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn region have gifted their local imam a pilgrimage to Makkah.
The community collectively raised funds, contributing 1000 soms from each household, to present Imam Kumarbek Keramaev with a ticket for a 14-day Umrah journey.
Since 2024, villagers have pooled resources to provide the imam with an annual salary. They collected 249,000 soms last year for his 2025 salary, preceding this year’s gift of the pilgrimage.
Imam Keramaev, who has served the village since 2016. He shared a personal historical connection to the holy city, shared that his grandfather, Zhalga Bekbolot uulu, undertook the Hajj on foot in 1903.
Zhalga, a respected judge and prominent figure of his time, passed away in Makkah and is buried there. Local landmarks in Kara-Küngöy still bear his name.
The gift bridges generations, allowing the current imam to perform the minor pilgrimage where his ancestor completed the major Hajj over a century ago.
