The Route of Thirsta was a network of trade routes that emerged in the 1st century BC in response to strong demand for Chinese silk. Starting in Chang’an (now Xi’an), China, its many routes stretched across Asia, eventually connecting with Europe and East Africa.
Our group from the trip to Kyrgyzstan around Lake Issyk Kul, which departed on 26 June, has now returned, and the travellers share their impressions of the trip.
Useful information for future travellers to Kyrgyzstan: the highlights and drawbacks, as told by people who have been there.
Situated between the Uzbek deserts and the Kazakh steppes, Kyrgyzstan is popularly known as the “Switzerland of Asia”, home to two large mountain ranges such as Tien Shan and Pamir. Kyrgyzstan has always been a land of nomads, as shown by the many camps set up in the summer months, where we spend many nights during our treks.
Both end in “tan”, but what we find there is very different…
– UZBEKISTAN: A celebration of Islamic history and architecture along the ancient Silk Road. Desert and steppe landscapes
– KYRGYZSTAN: the Switzerland of Central Asia: nomads with their yurts, forests, an average altitude of 2000 m and the peaks of the Pamirs on the horizon.
The Lake Issyk-Köl (Ysyk-Köl, Issyk-Kul) is the second largest alpine lake in the world after the Lake Titicaca in South America. The name, which means “hot lake”, is something of an exaggeration. A combination of great depth, thermal activity and mild salinity ensures that the lake never freezes, even in the harsh winters of Central Asia, despite being at an altitude of more than 1600 m.
The lake's origins are unknown, but the existence of a city built in the 5th century BC, submerged by flooding caused by an earthquake in the 16th century, has been demonstrated. Underwater expeditions over the years have found coins from that period.