BURANA TOWER AND ISSYK kUL LAKE 1 DAY

" Burana Tower and Issyk Kul Lake"

The Burana Tower (Kyrgyz: Бурана мунарасы) is a large minaret in the Chüy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan. It is located about 80 km east of the country's capital Bishkek, near the town of Tokmok. The tower, along with grave markers, some earthworks and the remnants of a castle and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, which was established by the Karakhanids at the end of the 9th century.

The tower was built in the 11th century and was used as a template for other minarets. An external staircase and steep, winding stairway inside the tower enables visitors to climb to the top. It is one of the oldest architectural constructions in Central Asia.

The nature park is named after the river Ala-Archa which flows through it. In Kyrgyz, the archa, which gives the river and the park its name, is a bright or many-colored juniper which the Kyrgyz people have traditionally held in special esteem, using smoke from its burning wood to chase away evil spirits. However, the archa is not supposed to be planted near the home, because it is believed gradually to sap the energy from human beings living close-by.

The park covers about 165 square kilometers, and its altitude ranges from about 1,500 meters at the entrance to a maximum of 4,895 meters at Semenov-Tian-Shansky Peak, the highest peak in the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range of the Tian Shan.[2] There are more than 20 small and large glaciers and some 50 mountain peaks within the park. The total area of the glaciers in the park is 53.6 km2 (20.7 sq mi)