Image Credit: Elizaveta Romashkina

Sunken Silk Road City Found in Kyrgyzstan

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a lost medieval city beneath Lake Issyk-Kul in northeastern Kyrgyzstan, revealing a once-thriving Silk Road hub that was likely destroyed by a powerful earthquake in the 15th century. The discovery was made during a survey of submerged settlements along the lake’s northwest shore, an area historically occupied by the Muslim town of Toru-Aygyr.
Lake Issyk-Kul, one of the deepest lakes in the world with depths reaching 2,300 feet (700 meters), contains no outlet and is mildly saline. The expedition team explored four underwater sites between 1 and 4 meters deep, where they identified kiln-fired brick structures, collapsed stone walls, wooden beams, and a building with exterior decorations that may have served as a mosque or madrassa.
According to the Russian Geographical Society, the site represents a major commercial center on an important Silk Road route linking China with the West. Archaeologist Valerii Kolchenko noted that the city’s sudden destruction during a devastating 15th-century earthquake was comparable to the fate of Pompeii.
The researchers also uncovered a large medieval Muslim cemetery spanning roughly 14 acres (6 hectares). Two excavated burials showed that the deceased had been buried facing Mecca, consistent with Islamic tradition. The cemetery likely dates to the 13th century, when Islam spread into the region under the Golden Horde, replacing earlier rule by the Karakhanid dynasty.
Toru-Aygyr was originally a multicultural settlement where residents practiced Tengrianism, Buddhism, and Nestorian Christianity. Expedition leader Maksim Menshikov explained that the arrival of Islam reshaped the city’s social and economic orientation, encouraging trade networks centered around Muslim communities.
Additional finds include medieval pottery, such as a large intact khum (water jar) that the researchers intend to recover in future dives. Several earlier, non-Islamic burials were also discovered nearby. Underwater drilling has begun to extract sediment cores that will help reconstruct the city’s development before it was lost beneath the waters of Issyk-Kul.

Published on: 18-11-2025

Source: Live Science