The Underwater City of Lake Issyk-Kul
Secret places of the planet.
The Kyrgyz are one of the oldest peoples of Central Asia. They created the first union of nomadic tribes in Siberia — the Kyrgyz Khaganate.
This name is first mentioned in chronicles in 201 BC as one of the tribes conquered by the Huns, referred to as the kingdom of Gégun, or Jiāng-gūn. The Gyan-gun apparently lived south of the Sayan Mountains, in the territory of present-day Northwest Mongolia near a lake that still bears the name Kyrgyz-nur.
Pottery among the Kyrgyz reached a high level. Clay vessels were produced on a potter's wheel. In addition to coarse kitchenware, tall, extraordinarily durable vessels made of gray clay, with an oval body and a narrow bottom and widely flared top, were crafted. These vessels are known as "Kyrgyz vases." They were decorated with stamped fir tree patterns on the shoulders. Such vessels were apparently highly valued, as some of them bore a tamga, a mark of ownership. "Kyrgyz vases" are an essential attribute of wealthy Kyrgyz burials. They find analogies in contemporary archaeological monuments of Northern China, Mongolia, and Buryatia.
Among the craftsmen were stonemasons and carvers, whose craft was evidently passed down through generations, as one of the ancient Turkic inscriptions mentions the "sons of skilled" people who engaged in this craft.
They carved inscriptions on gravestones. They also created petroglyphs on rocks, reflecting everyday and military scenes from the life of the Kyrgyz.
The trade relations of the Kyrgyz with other peoples are evidenced by both written sources, including Muslim ones, and imported goods found in archaeological discoveries. The Kyrgyz traded with Arabs, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Chinese, and Karluks. From the land of the Arabs, caravans of camels (20-24 camels) loaded with patterned and gold-embroidered silk fabrics came to the Kyrgyz every three years. Among the foreign goods were cast iron plowshares, metal mirrors, luxuriously inlaid stirrups (one of which was found in the Uibat Chaatas), and other horse harness accessories, as well as lacquered products.
From the land of the Kyrgyz, iron products were exported, particularly arrowheads, gold, furs, musk, birch wood, and "hudu" horn, which was used for making knife handles.
