Tokmok is located in northern Kyrgyzstan, between the capital Bishkek and Lake Issyk Kul. Although it was only founded in the late 19th century, it was established on the Chuy plains, once home to the regional capitals of empires and some of the most important commercial crossroads on the Silk Road.

During her trip to Central Asia in 1932, the Swiss explorer Ella Maillart described Tokmok as a commercial city made up of a multitude of thatched terraced houses, in front of which the occupants were busy with their respective craft: sales, shoemaking, cooking or weaving. Today, there is still an animal market, the largest in Kyrgyzstan. Every Sunday, as I could see in June 2022, dozens of people come from all over the country and neighboring Kazakhstan to buy horses, goats and sheep.