Kristina Guseynova, a laboratory assistant at the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with a part of an ancient jug. Photo: Elizaveta Romashkina
In the fall of 2025, an international underwater archaeological expedition of the RGS, the Institute of Archeology of the RAS, and the Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic took place in the northwestern waters of Lake Issyk-Kul. The goal of the expedition was to study the flooded Toru-Aygyr complex, which was an important point on the Great Silk Road. Scientists have discovered the remains of a medieval burial ground, large ceramic vessels, and parts of a building made of baked bricks — all this confirms that an ancient city really once stood here. The project was implemented as part of a grant from the Russian Geographical Society.
The archaeologists have explored four sections of the lake at a depth of 1–4 m. At the first location, they found buildings made of baked bricks — the remains of destroyed structures with a stone millstone. This is a part of a pair of millstones, designed for grinding grain into flour or grits. Among the finds is an architectural element, which indicates that in the past there was a social building with exterior decoration: a mosque, a bathhouse or a madrasa. In addition, the scientists have recorded the ruins of structures made of stone and wooden beams underwater. The samples have already been sent for dendrochronological analysis and AMS dating. This is a highly accurate method that experts use to determine the age of organic materials.
«The monument under study is a city or a large commercial agglomeration on one of the important sections of the Silk Road,» said Valery Kolchenko, a researcher at the Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, head of the expedition from the host country. «At the beginning of the 15th century, as a result of a terrible earthquake, the city went under the waters of the lake. According to our assessment, at the time of the disaster, the residents had already left the settlement. The tragedy can be compared to the Pompeii history, which is not so well known in the public space. After the earthquake disaster, the region’s population changed drastically, and the rich medieval settlement civilization ceased to exist. Nomads took its place.»
The scientists have discovered a second site, which is a 13th–14th–century Muslim necropolis. It is actively being eroded by the waters of the lake. Burials have been found on an area of 300 by 200 m, which have preserved signs of traditional Islamic rituals: the skeletons face north with their faces turned towards the Qibla. This is the direction to the holy Kaaba in Mecca. The remains of two people, a man and a woman, were recovered. There will be a comprehensive anthropological study of the skeletons.
Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the RAS Irina Reshetova. Video: Ekaterina Lameykina
«In parallel with the fieldwork, we asked our colleagues to work with archival materials: to study medieval sources on the region in Chinese,» said Maksim Menshikov, head of the expedition, an employee at the Institute of Archaeology of the RAS. «Here it is worth telling in more detail about the times of the Silk Road, which began in the 1st century BC and flourished until the era of Great Geographical Discoveries (14th–15th centuries). In the 10th century, the Kara-Khanid State was formed on this land. It was a Turkic dynasty. People here practiced various religions: pagan Tengrianism, Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity. The ruling elite often turned to Islam throughout their rule, but this religion became widespread in Central Asia only in the 13th century. Prior to that, Islam was primarily the religion of the nobility and the population involved in active economic activity. This is due to the fact that it was necessary to take oaths: there was usually more trust in trading with co-religionists. The nomadic population continued to follow pagan traditions or practiced complex syncretic forms of religion, where paganism was intertwined with Islam.»
The third site, located to the south of the main complex, revealed to the researchers the finds of medieval ceramics and a large whole khum (vessel). The archaeologists plan to raise it next season. This year it was not possible to do this — the artifact is deeply «embedded» in the ground. Three burials were found nearby. The scientists suggest that they belong to an earlier burial ground, which indicates a complex history of development of the territory.
Archaeologists Ekaterina Lameykina (in a pink T-shirt) and Kristina Guseynova (in the middle), diver Elizaveta Romashkina. Photo: Denis Davydov
«The section of the Silk Road in the Issyk-Kul Lake area was under the control of the Karakhanids,» Maksim Menshikov added. «The Chinese considered this territory a zone of their interests, but they could not control it. Nevertheless, we see that this location is reflected in Chinese sources. This gives us hope to correlate historical materials with the results of our archaeological excavations. In the 13th century, under the influence of the Golden Horde, Islam became widespread in the region. Probably, the necropolis that we discovered at the bottom of the lake is connected with this period.»
At the fourth site, in the western part of the complex, the experts examined the remains of rounded and rectangular structures and conducted underwater drilling. The goal was to take samples of mud walls and buried soils. In the future, this will make it possible to reconstruct the stages of the settlement development.
Thanks to Trionix Lab underwater drones and technology developed by the Underwater Communications and Navigation Laboratory, archaeologists have accurately recorded the objects and created a basis for monitoring the condition of the monument. The expedition is conducted jointly with the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan. The results of the season will form the basis for scientific publications and further research aimed at preserving the underwater heritage of Issyk-Kul.
Maria Buldakova