Exploring Lake Issyk-Kul: Underwater Traces of the Middle Ages

Archaeologists have discovered ancient remains under Lake Issyk-Kul, revealing what was once a bustling trading hub on the Silk Road.

Located west of the Tian Shan Mountains, Lake Issyk-Kul in eastern Kyrgyzstan is an inland salt lake and the eighth deepest lake in the world. Photo: @Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences .

During the Middle Ages, the lake served as a stopover on the Silk Road for travelers and merchants traveling from the Far East to Europe. Photo: @Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

Previously, at the Toru-Aygyr complex in the northwest of the lake, archaeologists discovered a medieval cemetery, brick structures and many ceramics. Photo: @Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences.

Recently, researchers from the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences surveyed two underwater areas at depths of 1 to 4 meters. Photo: @Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences.

In the first area, they discovered several brick structures, including one containing a stone mill – evidence of a medieval mill that was used to grind grain into flour. Photo: @Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

The team also documented collapsed stone structures and wooden beams underwater, along with traces of a public building that may have been a mosque, bathhouse or madrassa. Photo: @Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

"The site we are studying is a city or a major trading center on an important section of the Silk Road," explains Valery Kolchenko, a researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic and the leader of the expedition. Photo: @Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

According to researchers, the area was devastated by a major earthquake in the 15th century AD, causing the settlement to sink underwater and eventually leading to its abandonment. Photo: @Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences.

Dear Readers, please watch the video : "Important discovery during the archaeological excavation at Nguom Rock Shelter Site". Video source: @Thai Nguyen Newspaper and Radio and Television.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/kham-pha-ho-issyk-kul-dau-tich-thoi-trung-co-duoi-long-nuoc-post2149070260.html