Approximately 520 km from Bishkek, 125 km (1.5 hours) from Naryn, 17 km from the end of the asphalt road (immediately after the reserve runway) 90 km (1.5 hours) to the Torugart border and at an altitude of about 3500 m above sea level, is located ancient caravanserai Tash-Rabat. It is perhaps the best preserved sight of the Silk Road, and "in no other place did its original atmosphere remain."
This carefully restored stone building, in which once on the Great Silk Road was an inn. The date of its occurrence is not exactly established, but archaeological evidence suggests that in the 10th century this place was already occupied. At 15 km higher at the foot of the Tien Shan there is a beautiful valley, nestled on a mountainside. There is information that this was a place of rest and worship, and it was also used to protect caravans heading to China and back from the raging weather and robbers even before the times of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan.
The legend says that the caravanserai was built by the father and son. When they had finished their work, and only the top of the dome had to be completed ... it was only necessary to lay a few stones, as a caravan appeared from behind the mountains. The son rushed to greet the travelers, but his father said: "Come on, we'll finish the work first", but the young man did not listen to him ... he went to greet the caravan. And among the travelers was a beautiful young girl and he fell in love ... and when the caravan left, he left with it ... and the father did not see his son any more, and the dome remained unfinished.
Perhaps one of the reasons that this place has preserved its originality is that it is located on the main Bishkek / Naryn-Torugart road, 15 km from the valley of the Kara-Koyun gorge. For many years, turns on it were not marked with road signs and travelers just passed it, not knowing what they had missed.
Having got off the asphalt road, the cars have to go along the crushed stone embankment along the valley of the Tash-Rabat river. The local slopes are covered with tufted hairgrass, giving them a velvety appearance, on which herds of horses and yaks, flocks of sheep and goats and even single camels are grazing.
Photo
On map