Barskon
Encyclopedia
Barskon, Barskoon or Barskaun, ancient Barsgan, Barskhan or Barsqan is a small settlement on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul
in the Issyk Kul Province
of Kyrgyzstan
. It is on the A363 highway between Bokonbaevskoe to the west and Kyzyl-Suu
to the east.
's summary from preface of the book, the tribe was "so named because in ancient times, one of the rulers of Persia had settled in Turkestan and become a ruler there. He was called Pārsi-khwān that is, one who is literate in Persian, and this became contracted to Barskhan."
and is a good centre for trekking and horse riding. Just to the west is the village of Tamga-Tash, which is named after a rock ('tash') with a Buddhist inscription dating from the 3rd to 8th centuries which the locals interpreted as a Tamga.
and India
, the ruins of a caravanserai
are quite evidences of those times. The 11th century scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari
(also known as Barskhani) was a native of this area. He is best known as the author of the first Turkic languages
comparative dictionary which he wrote whilst living in Baghdad in 1072-4. His map of the then known world has Barskon at the centre of the world. His tomb is South of Kashgar
- on the road to Pakistan
. The modern town began as a military post.
, passing over the Bedel Pass (4,284 m) into China
(the section from Kara-Say to Bedel Pass is now closed). It is now the main road leading to the Kumtor Gold Mine
- hence it is well maintained and there is a reasonable amount of traffic - including lorries making their way up to the mine and back.
In the spring of 1998, a lorry carrying cyanide used in the gold refining process was involved in an accident - leaving the road and crashing into a stream - polluting the waters and decimating the tourist industry around Lake Issyk Kul
as many tourists cancelled their planned holidays.
There are two interesting sights along the road - a Soviet lorry mounted on a plinth and a bust of Yuri Gagarin
, who holidayed on the South shore of Issyk Kul
after his historical first manned space flight.
In the mountains to the East is a region known as Sytyr - an "alpine cold desert". A364, one of the few good roads into the mountains in southern Issyk Kul Province, goes south down down the valley, over the Barskoon and Söok Passes to Kara-Say in the Naryn valley and then goes east northeast to Ak-Shyrak. The road from here to Inylchek
is currently (early 2008) not passable. Barskon is the home of Shepherd's Way Trekking.
Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul is an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name, which means "hot...
in the Issyk Kul Province
Issyk Kul Province
Issyk Kul Province is a province of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Karakol. It is surrounded by Almaty Province, Kazakhstan , Chui Province , Naryn Province and Xinjiang, China ....
of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. It is on the A363 highway between Bokonbaevskoe to the west and Kyzyl-Suu
Kyzyl-Suu
Kyzyl-Suu is a village in the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. About 10km inland from Lake Issyk Kul on the A363 highway between Jeti-Ögüz resort and Barskoon, it is the capital of Jeti-Oguz District...
to the east.
The name
According to his testament Pand nāma, Saboktagin was from the tribe (or place) of Barskhan and according to C. E. BosworthClifford Edmund Bosworth
Clifford Edmund Bosworth FBA is an English historian and orientalist, specializing in Arabic studies. He received his B.A. degree from Oxford University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Edinburgh University. He held permanent posts at St. Andrews University, Manchester University, and the Center...
's summary from preface of the book, the tribe was "so named because in ancient times, one of the rulers of Persia had settled in Turkestan and become a ruler there. He was called Pārsi-khwān that is, one who is literate in Persian, and this became contracted to Barskhan."
Geography
Barskon is a village at the mouth of the Barskon valley - which has an impressive Barskoon waterfallBarskoon waterfall
Barskoon waterfall is a geological protected area located in Jeti-Oguz District of Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan in 90 km to the south-west of Karakol on one of the tributaries of Barskaun River. It was established in 1975....
and is a good centre for trekking and horse riding. Just to the west is the village of Tamga-Tash, which is named after a rock ('tash') with a Buddhist inscription dating from the 3rd to 8th centuries which the locals interpreted as a Tamga.
History
Ancient caravan ways dispersed from here, ancient Barsqan, to the East and South, to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the ruins of a caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
are quite evidences of those times. The 11th century scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari
Mahmud Kashgari
Mahmud ibn Hussayn ibn Muhammad al-Kashgari was an 11th century Turkic scholar and lexicographer of Turkic languages from Kashgar.His father, Hussayn, was the mayor of Barsgan and related to the Qara-Khanid ruling dynasty...
(also known as Barskhani) was a native of this area. He is best known as the author of the first Turkic languages
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
comparative dictionary which he wrote whilst living in Baghdad in 1072-4. His map of the then known world has Barskon at the centre of the world. His tomb is South of Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
- on the road to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The modern town began as a military post.
Sights
The road south from Barskon which passes up the Barskon valley (A364) used to be one of the routes of the Silk RoadSilk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
, passing over the Bedel Pass (4,284 m) into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(the section from Kara-Say to Bedel Pass is now closed). It is now the main road leading to the Kumtor Gold Mine
Kumtor Gold Mine
Kumtor Gold Mine is an open-pit gold mining site in Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan located about 350 km southeast of the capital Bishkek and 80 km south of Lake Issyk-Kul near the border with China....
- hence it is well maintained and there is a reasonable amount of traffic - including lorries making their way up to the mine and back.
In the spring of 1998, a lorry carrying cyanide used in the gold refining process was involved in an accident - leaving the road and crashing into a stream - polluting the waters and decimating the tourist industry around Lake Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul is an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name, which means "hot...
as many tourists cancelled their planned holidays.
There are two interesting sights along the road - a Soviet lorry mounted on a plinth and a bust of Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, who holidayed on the South shore of Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul
Issyk Kul is an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name, which means "hot...
after his historical first manned space flight.
In the mountains to the East is a region known as Sytyr - an "alpine cold desert". A364, one of the few good roads into the mountains in southern Issyk Kul Province, goes south down down the valley, over the Barskoon and Söok Passes to Kara-Say in the Naryn valley and then goes east northeast to Ak-Shyrak. The road from here to Inylchek
Inylchek
Inylchek is a village in southeast Issyk Kul Province, Kyrgyzstan. With the closure of the tin mine, the population fell from 5,000 to less than 20 families. It at the head of one of the few good roads into the southeast of the province and is therefore a base for mountaineers and serious hikers. ...
is currently (early 2008) not passable. Barskon is the home of Shepherd's Way Trekking.
