-- Autoreis Zijderoute "In de voetsporen van Marco Polo" --
Content:
Visiting Burana Tower (Minaret) in Chuy Valley.
Than…going into the beautiful mountains, visit there a man with his horses, buying dry fish…and finaly arrive in Kochkor in a local guesthouse to have some food and sleep.
Burana Tower
The Burana Tower is a large minaret in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan.
It is located about 80 km east of the country's capital Bishkek, near the town of Tokmok.
The tower, along with grave markers, some earthworks and the remnants of a castle and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, which was established by the Karakhanids at the end of the 9th century.
An external staircase and steep, winding stairway inside the tower enables visitors to climb to the top.
The tower was originally 45 m (148 ft) high. However, over the centuries a number of earthquakes caused significant damage to the structure.
The last major earthquake in the 15th century destroyed the top half of the tower, reducing it to its current height of 25m (82 ft).
In the early 1900s, Russian immigrants to the area used some of the bricks from the tower for new building projects.
A renovation project was carried out in the 1970s to restore its foundation and repair the west-facing side of the tower, which was in danger of collapse.
The winding stairway inside the Burana Tower
The entire site, including the mausoleums, castle foundations and grave markers, now functions as museum and there is a small building on the site containing historical information as well as artifacts found at the site and in the surrounding region.
Legend
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A legend connected with the tower says that a witch warned a local king that his newly-born daughter would die once she reached the age of eighteen.
To protect her, he built a tall tower where he sequestered his daughter. No one entered the tower, except the daughter's servant who brought her food. The daughter grew up alone and became a beautiful young lady. One day, however, a poisonous spider was hiding in the food brought by the servant. The spider bit the girl, and she died in the tower, at the age of eighteen.
Kochkor
Kochkor is a town in Kyrgyzstan's Issyk-Kul and the Tian Shan region.
Kochkor has recently built a new taxi stand / bus station on the main road.
There you can negotiate shared taxi rides to Bishkek, Naryn City, Balykchi, Cholpon Ata, Kara Kol, and sometimes At Bashi or Jumgal.
If you are looking for a cheap ride, try one of the minivan taxis (also known as mashrutkas) or (if you have lots of time on your hands) one of the buses that runs from Bishkek to At Bashi.
-Get around.
Kochkor is a large village, but can be easily explored on foot.
if you want to visit a nearby village, finding a taxi might be difficult. The best thing to do is walk in the direction you want to go and wave at a passing car if you want them to stop.
If they do give you a ride, it is polite to offer them money for petrol.
There are mashrutkas that run east / west on the main road from one end of the town to the other. But they keep irregular schedules.
Every Saturday, Kochkor holds it Animal Bazaar. There you can view Kyrgyz livestock and observe local farmers buying and selling their animals. The bazaar is also a good place to stock up on any essentials that you might be running low on.
Kochkor's park is a haven of greenery just south of the taxi stand. Within the park are various Soviet era structures in various stages of use. There you will find the Kochkor museum (which may or may not be open), the Wedding Palace, the cinema (now closed), the Cultural Hall (still open and working, inside you will find a billiard hall, library, performance hall, and antique Soviet video games), the Sports Hall, and the famous Men Disco.
Although Kochkor is best described as a gateway community, there is still much to do during your visit.
The best is just to explore. The people are very friendly and willing to strike up a conversation with visitors. If you are looking for more standard tourism fare, visit the CBT office and arrange for one of the local tours.
If purchasing sheep isn't what you came for, Kochkor still can offer the shopping traveler a variety of experiences.
In the center, there are two bazaars, one for food and the other for
But what Kochkor is truely known for is the women's handicraft cooperative, Altyn Kol (Kyrgyz for 'golden hand').
Founded in the mid-90's as a way to provide an alternate source of income for struggling rural families,
Altyn Kol has become world known for its handmade felt carpets (shyrdaks).