Burana Tower is the remains of the ancient civilization of Kyrgyzstan. Overnight on the territory of the Buranovsky settlement
The Burana Tower is part of the Buranin settlement, located 12 km from the city of Tokmok. The results of archaeological studies of the settlement suggest that these are the remains of the city of Balasagyn, which from the 7th to the 13th centuries was the capital of the developed and powerful Karakhanid Khaganate. This state was created by the nomadic peoples who inhabited the Tien Shan. Already in the 10th century eastern borders Kaganate was Semirechye, and the western ones were the Amu Darya delta. At this time, nomadic tribes became sedentary, crafts and trade relations developed.
The capital of the Kaganate, Balasagyn, was located at the intersection of trade routes and was a city with a fairly developed infrastructure. With the advent of the Islamic religion in these lands, places of worship- mosques. Minarets were built near them, Arab. “manara”, which is where the name Buran comes from.
The main purpose of the minaret was to call believers to prayer; this building was built of baked brick, similar to Arab lighthouses. The square foundation of the tower is deepened by 5 meters, the height of the octagonal base is 4 m, and the round trunk, tapering towards the top, rises to 18 meters. The upper part of the tower, supposedly about 20 meters high, destroyed by earthquakes, was a dome-lantern. You could enter the minaret from the roof of the mosque or, in our time, from a ladder, since the entrance is located 6 meters from the ground. The top of the tower is reached via a spiral internal staircase.
Archaeologists believe that the Jami Mosque (late 10th – early 11th centuries) was located on the western side of the Burana minaret. To the east of the tower are the ruins of three mausoleums. According to legend, the Burana Tower was erected by the ruler of the city for his daughter, wanting to protect her from the predicted death. However, the girl’s death from the bite of a black scorpion could not be avoided; the tower served as her tomb, and soon her father was buried nearby.
The city of Balasagyn survived the invasion of the Mongol horde without losses, thanks to the significant amount of ransom presented to Genghis Khan. The Mongols noted the friendliness of the townspeople, naming the city Gobalyk, i.e. "kind, good." However, this did not bring the desired prosperity, according to evidence archaeological finds, Balasagyn died out from the plague in the 14th century.
Now the ruins of the once prosperous capital of the Karakhanid Kaganate are an archaeological and architectural open-air museum.
Video: Burana Tower
The Burani minaret is rightfully considered the cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan. Burana Tower is among the ruins ancient settlement, ten minutes drive from the city of Tokmak on the left bank of the Chu River.
This architectural monument is famous interesting story. Scientists believe that in this place there once stood the medieval capital city of Balasagun, which belonged to the large and powerful Turkic feudal Karakhanid Empire (X-XII centuries). Being on the Silk Road, the city flourished and was considered one of the most glorious Central Asian cities. In the 13th century, the city was captured by the Mongols, and two centuries later it completely disappeared from the face of the earth. All that remains of its former grandeur is the Burana Tower, the ruins of the fortress and defensive structures. During the excavations, the remains of water pipes, luxury items and other silent witnesses to the former greatness of the capital city of the Karakhanids were discovered.
The Buraninsky minaret was built of baked brick, and on this moment is a part cultural heritage Kyrgyzstan. Initially, the tower rose above the ground to a height of 40 meters, but subsequently earthquakes destroyed the upper part, literally “cutting off” about 18 meters. But this does not prevent witnesses from “finishing” the former minaret in their minds and touching antiquity through the centuries. The Burana Tower consists of a base, a base and a trunk. The foundation is made of clay and stone mortar and looks like a quadrangular podium. Two faces are decorated with marble cladding, others, apparently, adjoined already destroyed buildings.
In the middle of the podium there is an octagonal plinth five meters high. The edges of the base have arched niches with drawings and are flaunted in frames. The plinth serves as a support for the gradually tapering trunk, decorated with stunningly beautiful brickwork. From the south there is an entrance to the minaret less than a meter wide. You can climb to the top of the tower via a spiral staircase with burnt brick steps and plank floors. Previously, during the ascent, one could see the street through the windows in the tower trunk.
There were also legends and tales. The Burana Tower is shrouded in an aura of sadness and mystery. One of the legends tells about a khan who had a daughter worthy of all praise. Her beauty and intelligence won the love of the people, and it would seem that happiness and a peaceful existence awaited the khan’s daughter. But the fortuneteller predicted her terrible death from the bite of a black spider, which at that time were found in abundance in these parts. Fearing for his daughter’s life, the khan decided to build a tower that would save her from the predicted danger. The Khan's beauty lived at the very top, and every visitor was carefully checked. But you can’t escape fate. On her daughter’s birthday, when she turned 16, the khan himself brought a black spider in grape leaves. And the promised poisonous bite destroyed the young daughter. Mad with grief, the khan hit the tower wall with his fist and instantly demolished two dozen
Burana is a unique historical monument that has survived many centuries and seen many events in its lifetime. The mosque and other buildings that stood next to the minaret had long since collapsed, and people began to perceive it differently: how watch tower, then as part of a once huge and beautiful castle. It is not surprising that over time the tower began to acquire various legends and myths (the beginning of the story about the Burana Tower).
Here I want to talk about two similar legends that still circulate among local population nearby villages. In many ways, their plots are similar and are connected with the khan’s daughter, who died from the bite of a poisonous karakurt.
The Legend of Burana Tower No. 1
According to one of them, once upon a time a powerful khan lived in these places, and he had a beautiful daughter. Khan loved her very much and wanted to see her happy. And one day the khan called all the wise men to him and demanded from them a prediction regarding his future daughter. Almost all of them said the same thing: “in the whole universe there will be no happier person than the Khan’s daughter.”
photo of Buraninskaya Tower
But at the very end, the oldest and wisest of all the soothsayers came out to the khan and said: “Oh, great lord, order me to be executed right now, if you wish, but first listen to my bitter truth about the sad fate of your daughter. Having barely reached adulthood, she will die from the bite of a black karakurt.”
View from the top of Burana Tower
The khan looked at him menacingly and furiously, but the oracle stood his ground. The khan could not stand it, he shouted, “Curse your prophecy!” - and immediately ordered his servants to build a high temple high tower, and so that its top rests on the sky. And under this tower they dug a deep basement, where they put the old oracle.
And the khan’s daughter began to live in a small, bright room at the very top of the tower. Servants brought her food up a narrow, steep staircase, but before that they double-checked three times to see if there was a poisonous karakurt lurking among the tasty dishes or in the folds of their clothes.
Photo of the Burana Tower, 1960.
So time passed, and now the khan’s daughter was already sixteen years old. She blossomed like a flower, was beautiful and fresh, like morning dew. “Finally, it means the prophecy will not come true,” the khan rejoiced and went to his beautiful daughter. He brought with him a huge tray with ripe amber-colored grapes, and placed it near his daughter’s feet.
The khan's daughter extended her hand to the grapes, took the largest bunch and at the same moment screamed loudly - she was stung by the karakurt, which was hiding in the grape cluster.
The old khan could not bear the death of his beloved daughter, and soon died himself from the grief he suffered. And since then, the tower has stood alone in that place, and only random travelers and vagabonds admire its proud appearance and the skill of the human hands that created this beautiful tower.
Buraninskaya Tower - place of worship
The Legend of Burana Tower No. 2
According to another legend, one powerful khan named Baytyk decided to capture the city of Tokmak. Not far from the city, in a mountain gorge, he left his only daughter with her retinue, and he himself with a large army headed towards the city. Having captured Tokmak, he brutally dealt with the townspeople - there was no mercy for anyone: neither the elderly, nor women, nor children, and he ordered to kill everyone. But one old woman miraculously managed to escape.
Burana drowning in flowers
This old woman came to Baytyk and said: “You didn’t spare anyone, you killed everyone, including my sons. And for this you will be punished; your beloved and only daughter will soon die from the bite of a deadly karakurt.”
The angry khan immediately ordered to kill the fortuneteller and immediately build a tall tower. At the very top of the tower he settled his beloved daughter with two faithful maids. They took food for the khan's daughter only through a door made high above the ground.
Photo of the Burana Tower, 70s. 20th century
One day, the servants handed the khan's daughter a dish of black grapes. But none of them noticed that the karakurt was hidden in the bunches. The khan's daughter stretched out her hand for the grapes, screamed from the bite of a poisonous insect and soon died. And since that time there has been an empty and abandoned tower not far from the city of Tokmak.
The majestic Burana Tower and no less majestic mountains Alatoo
One of the most famous historical monuments in Asia is the Burana Tower. It is located in Kyrgyzstan near the city of Tokmak. The name comes from a distorted word “monora”, which translates as “minaret”. That is why it is believed that this is one of the first temples built in Kyrgyzstan.
External structure of the Burana Tower
Despite the fact that there are many minarets scattered in this area, the execution of the tower is significantly different from other similar buildings. Its height is 24 meters, but the building was not always like this. According to conventional calculations, its original dimensions were from 40 to 45 meters. The upper part was destroyed hundreds of years ago due to a strong earthquake. 
The shape of the monument resembles a cylinder, which tapers slightly towards the top. The main parts of the building include:
- foundation;
- podium;
- base;
- trunk.
The foundation goes underground to a depth of five meters; it rises about a meter above the ground and forms a podium. The dimensions of the base are 12.3 x 12.3 meters. The facing of the western and southern edges is made of marble, and the main part is made of stone based on clay mortar. The plinth is located in the center of the podium and has the shape of an octagonal prism. The towering trunk is made of figured masonry, which is why it looks unusual in the photo.
The history of the creation of the monument and the legend about it
According to average estimates, the Burana Tower was built in the 10th-11th centuries. This period is associated with the development of the Turkic state of the Karakhanids. It occurred as a result of the merger of several tribes of the Tien Shan, who decided to switch to a sedentary lifestyle. The capital of their state was Balasagyn. In its vicinity, majestic minarets began to be erected, the first of which was the Burana Tower. The fact that the structure was significant from the point of view of rituals is evidenced by the numerous tombstones scattered around the cylindrical tower. 
Numerous excavations indicate that the tribes inhabiting this territory sought to strengthen Islam, which is why they developed various crafts and decorated their minarets with unusual techniques. It is believed that the first temple was also decorated with a dome, but due to the earthquake it could not be preserved.
According to legend, the collapse of the upper part occurred for a completely different reason. They say that the Burana Tower was erected by one of the khans, who wanted to protect his daughter from a terrible prediction. The girl was supposed to die from a spider bite on her sixteenth birthday, so her father imprisoned her at the top of the tower and constantly made sure that not a single insect got into her food or drinks. When the significant day arrived, the khan was happy that no trouble had happened. He went to his daughter to congratulate her, and took with him a bunch of grapes. 
By tragic accident, it was in these fruits that a poisonous spider hid, which bit the girl. Khan wept so much from grief that the top of the tower could not stand it and crumbled. Not only because of the unusual legend, but also because of the scale of the construction, tourists are trying to find out where historical monument to go on an exciting tour of Asian attractions.
Burana Tower is a famous architectural monument of the Kyrgyz people. This is the oldest building in Central Asia, which is located 80 kilometers from the capital of Kyrgyzstan - the city of Bishkek and 12 kilometers from the city of Tokmak on the territory of the ruins of the Burana settlement. Her appearance associated with Uzbek architecture. If you don't know what to see in Kyrgyzstan, be sure to visit this attraction and historical place.
Legend of construction
There is a whole legend regarding the appearance of the Burana Tower, one of the most popular and famous among the myths and legends of Kyrgyzstan. One Kyrgyz khan had a daughter, Munara (the name translated means “tower, minaret”), whom he loved and protected very much. But one day an astrologer predicted that the girl would only live to be sixteen years old and die from a spider bite.
Khan built a high tower, at the bottom of which he imprisoned the astrologer, and at the top he settled his daughter all alone. She grew up in a tower, admiring nature only from the windows in the dome.
The servants brought the khan's daughter water and food, while they were thoroughly searched. But, despite all the precautions, on her sixteenth birthday the girl was bitten by a spider and died.
Description
The Burana Tower in Kyrgyzstan is considered the earliest and most outstanding architectural structure in Central Asia. The word “Burana” means “minaret”. Similar buildings were erected around cathedral mosques. The tower consists of several elements: foundation, podium, base and trunk.
The foundation is made of stone at a depth of 5.6 meters, its upper part looks like a quadrangular podium. The eastern and northern edges of the podium are lined with marble blocks. The buildings were adjacent to the western and southern sides, so they do not have a formal design.
An octagonal plinth five meters high is installed in the center of the podium. On all its faces in the center there are arched niches with relief filling made of burnt brick. The niches are decorated with frames made of rectangular ornamental frames.
A round trunk, tapering upward, rests on the base, the surface of which is decorated with alternating stripes of figured and smooth brickwork.
Initially, the height of the minaret was forty meters, the top was crowned with a dome-lantern, which had four doorways - on the cardinal points. Today the height of the tower is 21.7 meters - the rest was destroyed during a strong earthquake in the 15th century.
What is inside
The entrance to the tower is located on the south side. A spiral staircase with steps made of burnt brick and covered with juniper boards leads from it to the top of the minaret. It is quite narrow - one person can hardly walk along it. Along the stairs there were skylights made directly into the trunk. Opens from the top of the tower beautiful view at the settlement.
Surrounding area
The Burana Tower in Kyrgyzstan is located in a city that was once very technologically advanced and modern. It had a plumbing system made of clay pipes.
Water came into them from the nearby mountains. On the territory of the settlement there is a huge burial, decorated with unusual idols - stone sculptures babalami. These sculptures are made with careful detailing of facial features and headdress. There are also simple petroglyphs (rock carvings).
Restoration of the tower
Research on the tower has been carried out by Russian scientists since the mid-19th century. Under Soviet rule, measures were taken to preserve architectural monument and archaeological study of the site. Excavations made it possible to establish that the settlement has a complex layout and consists of the ruins of a quadrangular fortress.
In 1970-1974, employees of the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz SSR carried out the restoration of the Burana Tower. As a result, the destroyed areas were restored along the remaining height of the tower, and the octagonal base was re-laid.
