Archaeologists Document Submerged Silk Road Settlement in Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul

An expedition led by the Russian Academy of Sciences, with Kyrgyz collaborators and support from the Russian Geographical Society, surveyed four zones at shallow depths of roughly one to four meters off the lake’s northwest shore. Recorded remains include fired‑brick structures, a millstone from a grain mill, collapsed stonework, preserved wooden beams, ceramic vessels, and mudbrick constructions. A medieval Muslim necropolis was identified, with burials oriented toward the qibla in line with Islamic funerary practice. Researchers characterize Toru‑Aygyr as a city or major trading hub on a key section of the Silk Road. The team hypothesizes a powerful earthquake near the start of the 15th century damaged or submerged the settlement and that residents may have left beforehand, and samples are now undergoing AMS analysis to establish dates.