Meet the Issyk-Kul lake and its history

[kasymov]

When talking about travelling to Kyrgyzstan, the first destination everyone thinks about is always Issyk-Kul, the famous lake in Kyrgyzstan. So let’s find more about it!

Issyk-Kul – (in Kyrgyz “hot lake”) is the second largest (after the Caspian Sea), salt lake in the world, located at an altitude of 1609 meters Lake in the length of 180 km and 70 km in width, depth at the deepest point reaches 668 meters. (average depth of 300 meters). The lake never freezes (hence its name), despite the fact that it is surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks.

Region of Issyk-Kul was unknown to the Western world until the Russian researchers, such as, for example, Semenov-Tyan-Shan, have not visited here with the expeditions.

In the east of this area it was known since ancient times. On Lake wrote Zhang Jian Chinese traveller, who visited the Issyk-Kul in 128 BC during his travels in 138-126 BC Mention of the lake in the Chinese written sources other researchers – Xuan Zhan found in the description of his 16-year expedition.

The name “Issy-Kul” was first mentioned in the anonymous work “The boundaries of the world from the East to the West”, written in the Tajik language in 982 AD. This paper also mentions the exact size of the lake.

Kungei Mountains ( “Sunny”) Ala-Too are covered with trekking routes, including those that lead to the lake in the direction of the city of Almaty, while to the south lie Teskei Ala-Too ( “Black Mountains”). These mountain ranges protect the Issyk-Kul basin of icy winds and hot winds. Moreover, the valley is a rare combination of a unique climate: sea, steppe, mountain and the eternal ice zone. The very appearance of the Issyk-Kul – is still a kind of “geological mystery.”

The Kirghiz call the lake Issyk-Kul only as “The Pearl of the Tien Shan.” And in 2004, the government even declared the lake as a national treasure.

For people with health problems, a wide range of effective spa treatment. It operates a great resort area with mud and thermo-mineral treatment. 200 m. From the lake. Issyk-Kul and 8 km. on the southern slopes of the dead salt lake – an analogue of the Israeli Dead Sea.

The number of sunny hours per year in the region of 2900. Due to the impact on the climate of the mountain ranges in the north and the south, the region suffers from extreme temperatures. In summer the temperature is usually around 25-28 ° C, but, as the lake is at an altitude of about 1606 meters, here can be quite cold during night. In winter the temperature reaches -5 ° C.

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