Building sand castles on the beach might evoke childhood memories of summer holidays - but over in Kyrgyzstan, sand artists are showing off much more than child play. Dozens of sculptors from across Central Asia are gathering to take part in the country's first sand sculpture festival.

Sand sculptor Aziza Sarieva is hard at work crafting her latest piece. The artist from Uzbekistan is one of more than 50 participants showing off their skills at Kyrgyzstan's first ever sand sculpture festival.

Sculptors from across Central Asia have come to Cholpon-Ata on the shores of lake Issyk-Kul, 260 kilometres (161 miles) from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, to take part.

The area is known for its lakes and mountains, and is a popular tourist destination.

Sand artists have created 22 sculptures between them, working around the clock to get their creations ready for the festival's opening.

This sculptor from Kazakhstan says he was inspired by local folklore.

"After talking to the locals I discovered a legend about a girl called Zhanyl Mirza, who was a really brave girl. That's how I came up with the idea to make a figure of her from the sand, creating some kind of fancy image of the girl. I think it went pretty well," said sculptor Talgat Djumagulov.

Many of the themes of these sand sculptures are drawn from Central Asian legend and culture. Organisers hope the festival will teach visitors about the history and culture of the region.

"One of the goals of the festival is to show our history to the people. Time, people, era are changing and here you can see our men, who lived in the different eras, but the sand and the earth were always the witnesses of their lives," said festival organizer Tamerlan Ibraev.

Building with sand has long been part of the culture in this region, because houses were often built using sand in their foundations.
The sand sculptors at the festival are using the same methods.

Instead of following the modern practice of adding glue to hold the sand in sculpted shapes, the artists here are just using water.

"Sand and earth here are magical. Usually, in other places, abroad, a glue is being used. We didn't do that, because for our ancestors way back it (sand building) was a foundation for the architecture," said festival organizer Tamerlan Ibraev.

Along with the art on display, visitors are also treated to performances by singers in their national costume.

"Issyk-Kul's Magic Sand 2016" runs until the end of September.