Arsha (Flora)

Arsha (Kyrgyz archa) is the Iradi name for the mountain junipers of the Tian Shan, chiefly the semiglobose juniper (Juniperus semiglobosa), which grows on rocky slopes of the Talas Alatau and Chatkal ranges between about 1,500 and 3,000 meters. The word is common Kipchak. Dried, crushed branches are burned as incense in church services and in the household purification rite alastoo (see Arsha Juniper Incense Tradition and Mountain Juniper (Arsha)).