Burana tower

Kyrgyzstan

A tower with its legend as one of the few remnants of a past city, which was once the "center of the world".

Amidst the green meadows of the Chuy Valley, not far from Tokmok, a very special structure rises from the ground. It is the Burana Tower (derived from the Arabic word for minaret), which was once part of the ancient city of Balasagun. The minaret was built in the 11th century and served as a model for many other minarets. Originally, the tower had a height of over 40 meters, but after a strong earthquake in the 15th century, the upper half collapsed and the height was reduced to 25 meters. The entrance is located a few meters above the ground and is accessible by stairs. Today the remains are one of the oldest architectural constructions in Central Asia.

The city of Balasagun was developed by the Karakhanids in the 10th century and made their headquarters in Central Asia. During its heyday, the city is said to have been located on the Silk Road countless public buildings existed, including a huge fortress, over 200 religious institutions and numerous social institutions. At the beginning of the 13th century, Balasagun was finally captured by Mongol troops and fell into disrepair over the years. Numerous earthquakes in this seismically active region resulted in the destruction of the once vibrant city, and today only the Burana Tower and remains of mausoleums and tombstones remain. A small museum also displays small archaeological finds of the past city and its surroundings.

The legend behind the Burana Tower probably reminds Western tourists a lot of a fairy tale known in this country; Sleeping Beauty. According to this, the tower was built by a local khan (king) when the princess was born. To celebrate his daughter's birth, he arranged a huge feast to which fortune tellers from all over the region were invited. Most of the wise people prophesied a long and happy life for the princess, but one of them had a different opinion. According to him, the princess would succumb to a spider bite on her 16th birthday. Infinitely worried about his daughter, the Khan built a huge tower in which his daughter could live protected from any dangers. For years, servants provided her with meals that were scrupulously inspected for spiders or other dangers. On her 16th birthday, the Khan was so happy that the prophecy had not come true and wanted to celebrate extensively with his daughter. Full of excitement, he rushed to his daughter with a basket full of fruit, not discovering the poisonous spider that was in the basket. When the princess tried to reach for a fruit, she was bitten by the spider and succumbed to her injuries. The Khan, shocked and depressed by the death of his daughter, screamed so loudly and forcefully that the tower began to shake and the upper half collapsed.

Burana Tower is located fifteen minutes from the village of Tokmok, in the Chuy Valley. There are occasional mashrutkas (minibuses) from Tokmok that make the round trip. Other options to get to the tower are cabs or car stops.

Are you interested in traveling to Kyrgyzstan, the land of untouched nature and see the beautiful sights with your own eyes? Then you are at the right place! For more information check out our Kyrgyzstan trip on.

Fun Fact

Mahmud al-Kashgari, a Turkish scholar and lexicographer, published a work called "Diwan lughat at-turk" (The Collection of the Languages of the Turks) in the 11th century, which can now be found in the National Library in Istanbul. In addition to valuable translations and insights into historical details, the work also contains a map. Untypical of the period, it shows a round world surrounded by the sea and filled with various countries, cities and peoples known to him. In the center of his world map is Balasagun, the Carachanid royal city of the time, making it the "center of the world" in his context.

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