![]() Some archaeologists believe that a large portion of the residents also died from a plague that rampaged through the city in the 15th century, contributing to its demise. Its municipal buildings turned into ruin and eventually the city name was forgotten. An earthquake in the 15th century destroyed the top half of the tower that stands in the ruined city today.īalasagun is a city that lost its importance in the 15th century, as the Silk Road was on its demise around that time, so people began to leave the city. ![]() The minaret once towered above 45 meters, but today stands only at 25 meters. In fact, the name “Burana” comes from the word for minaret “Monara”, believed to have originated from wrongly pronouncing the word. ![]() The famous Burana minaret was built inside the ancient city in the 11th century, and became the first minaret in Central Asia. One of the curiosities about Balasagun was that the Karajanids were the first people in Central Asia to accept and practice Islam. The story of the minaret Photo by Zossolino The city prospered as a hub on the Silk Road, being located on the cross roads of active trade routes coming and going to different countries on the Silk Route. Balasagun was sophisticated for its time, with running water coming from the foothills up to 20km away. There were all the necessary lines of communication needed for a developed city, like roads, water supply systems and social structures. The ancient city became a capital of the Karahanid khagnate, and was sophisticated for its time. The city’s name was Balasagun, which was founded by the people known as the sogdians in the 6th-7th centuries. Photo via Creative Commons The ancient city of Balasagun Photo by Bala Biott The tower lies in an ancient city that was once Silk Road hub that died down in the 15th century, eventually crumbling into the ruins we have today. But the surrounding city rubble still echoes the past with castle ruins, mausoleums, earthworks and grave markers. In the fertile Chuy Valley in Northern Kyrgyzstan, surrounded by the Tian-Shan Mountains, lies one of the country’s most famous archaeological sites.īurana is best known for its tower, a minaret that has been damaged by an earthquake that cut it down from being a towering 45 meters to 25.
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