In Tune with the Wind

Ever since their invention in the eighteenth century, hot-air balloons have carried an irresistible aura of romance, inspiring dreamers to weave legends and love stories around them. Today, this magical experience is no longer beyond reach in Uzbekistan. Watching the sunrise from a balloon basket has become possible without ever leaving the country.

On 28 and 29 June, the Urgut district of Samarkand region will host the next stage of the hot-air balloon festival. In early May, we were fortunate to capture the beauty of this celebration in Surkhandarya.

Photo: Ildar Sadykov, Sergey Pogosyan

The hot-air balloon show, where this year's photographs were taken, has become one of the traditions of the Baysun Bahori Festival in Surkhandarya Region. The balloons are brought here from Kazakhstan. They travel across Central Asia, gracing major international events with their shows. And each show is eagerly awaited.

Ildar Sadykov

You can learn more about the 'Baysun Spring' festival here:

When the Baysun Spring Starts

Baysun is a unique historical and cultural zone. Reaching it feels like stepping into a world where tradition holds sway not as a formality but is woven into the very fabric of life, harsh at times yet wrapped in a vivid and unmistakable character. In this photo essay, Ildar Sadykov and Sergey Pogosyan capture the most eventful days of the ethnocultural festival Baysun Bahori, which every two years becomes a major cultural event of international significance for the region.

Photo: Ildar Sadykov, Sergey Pogosyan

Traditionally, the balloons take off on the festival's second day from the Baysun Bahori Park before drifting towards the Red Canyon, three kilometres outside the town, the area's most spectacular natural landmark. It is also the most vibrant and busiest day of the festival, when Baysun welcomes not only international participants but also local residents from the surrounding districts. Over the past few years, the balloon show has become the undisputed highlight of the celebrations.

This year promised a record-breaking spectacle, with no fewer than 32 balloons scheduled to take to the skies on 2 May.

Photo: Ildar Sadykov, Sergey Pogosyan

In previous years, the balloons had been photographed from the canyon itself. For me, however, it was all completely new, and I was fascinated by the preparations before take-off. Unfortunately, a cyclone had swept across Uzbekistan that week, bringing heavy rain. The show suddenly hung in the balance. Dark clouds rolled in, strong winds gathered, and although the balloons were inflated, they never left the ground.

Ildar Sadykov

There is a saying that a hot-air balloon never argues with the wind; it simply trusts it. Yet the pilot is just as important to that relationship. As so often happens, not every balloon was cleared for take-off because some pilots had failed to present their licences. But setting a record was never really the point...

Photo: Ildar Sadykov, Sergey Pogosyan

By sunset, however, the weather had improved, and the organisers gave the signal to launch. Sergey Pogosyan fulfilled his dream of flying in a hot-air balloon, while I stayed on the ground with my camera. I also managed to capture some close-up details of the balloon itself. The flight was cut short because the wind remained too strong for it to continue safely. Even so, brief though it was, the flight did take place.

Ildar Sadykov

Unfortunately, the balloons were forced to return before reaching the Red Canyon. Yet early the following morning they took to the skies once again, as the balloon show has by now become an indispensable part of the international celebration in the Baysun Mountains.

Photo: Ildar Sadykov, Sergey Pogosyan

Progress marches on, and tourism in Uzbekistan continues to flourish. With the arrival of hot-air balloon shows, people across the country have one more dream to cherish. May it come true.