The Legend of Barskoon

"Barskoon"

Barskoon is the name of a village located on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The elders say that a long time ago, a Russian man named Boris settled on the shore of the lake. He built a house, planted a garden, and started growing various fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, melons, and watermelons. This was an unprecedented, new phenomenon in this area. After some time, a Kyrgyz family settled nearby. The head of this family had never seen the fruits that grew in Boris's garden. His curiosity and temptation to see and taste these fruits were great. One autumn day, when Boris was away, the man went and took a watermelon. The watermelon was ripe and juicy. The man began to break it open, and the watermelon cracked with a sound: “bars.” Over time, other families moved to this area and settled there. Thus, the village they named Barskoon was born. Kaun or Koon means melon in the Kyrgyz language.