In Medieval times, when Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan was a stop-over on the Silk Route, which connected Europe and Asia, the lake level was some 8m lower than it is today. In areas along what used to be the coastline but have since become submerged, divers have discovered the remains of a 2,500-year-old advanced civilization. Vladimir Gudzev and his buddies went to the area to have a look.
In Medieval times, when Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan was a stop-over on the Silk Route, which connected Europe and Asia, the lake level was some 8m lower than it is today. In areas along what used to be the coastline but have since become submerged, divers have discovered the remains of a 2,500-year-old advanced civilization. Vladimir Gudzev and his buddies went to the area to have a look. Scenes from the ruins of an ancient cemetery at 2m depth. The bones were highly mineralized in the lake so they did not dissolve. Local craftsmen made vessels out of the skulls for wealthy collectors. Kyrgyzstan Locations Contributed by Words Vladimir Gudzev The first account I heard of diving in Lake Issyk-Kul was an expedition many years ago headed by Academician Orbeli and comprised of a group of volunteers using ISA-M 48 oxygen rebreathers to explore the shallow waters along the coast. The story stuck in my mind—in case I ever got the opportunity to go there. As matters eventually turned out, I did. A friend of mine, Valentin Bukin, happened to work in a small research center on the coast of Lake Issyk-Kul, near the village of Cholpon-Ata. So I decided to go visit and dive this mysterious lake, to see if there was something interesting and to reunite with an old friend. The lake is situated at an altitude of about 1,609m and can, in many ways, be compared to the more famous Lake Baikal in Siberia. However, there is one significant difference: Lake Baikal is a freshwater lake whereas Lake Issyk-Kul is not. It contains a large amount of soluble mineral salts, thus giving it a slightly salty 'taste'. Reaching Lake Issyk-Kul wasn't exactly easy. First, we had to fly to Alma-Ata, and then, we had to get on a domestic flight at the airport at Cholpon-Ata. The lake was so large that when the plane came in for a landing, it felt as if we had flown over the ocean. We were fortunate to get accommodation at the research center on the coast. The 'hotel' was actually a small construction trailer, or mobile home, equipped with all the amenities we needed right there on the lake shore. Around the lake were fairly high mountains that dropped off steeply, directly into the lake, and therefore the water depth increased quite rapidly. Despite the very hot weather (and this is in the mountains!), the water in the lake remained cool. However, this wasn't really a suitable place for a long swim. We rented some equipment and decided to start our diving along the coast. The water was very clear and also quite cool, at about 14-16°C. Our 5mm wetsuits certainly came in very handy! At the bottom of the lake were crystalline formations, which at a first glance appeared to be coral boulders. However, these structures were not formed by living organisms, such as coral polyps, rather they were comprised of precipitated salt crystals. Admittedly an interesting sight, but rather monotonous after a while. There were also traces of commercial activity in the form of fragments of ancient ceramics. Although the dive proved to be interesting and mysterious, we were hungry for more. After chatting with a local scientist, we learned about some interesting places further up the coast. Two of these sites were nearby and fairly easy to reach, and although they were located within the resort area where the public could freely access them, there were no visitors. Along the coast there were also some no-go areas—military installations where research and testing of military deep sea equipment took place. According to other sources, the Soviet Navy used to test submarine and torpedo technology in the eastern end of the lake. Underwater garden The first site that was recommend to us was the so-called "poplar alley". In ancient times, the water level of the lake was lower. A few thousand years ago along the old coastline, which later became submerged, were buildings and gardens. Today their remains can be found at a depth of 1.5 to 2m. Underwater there are also lines of tree trunks sticking out of the bottom, running in straight lines. Above water nothing was preserved, having rotted away a long time ago. But on the lake bottom, the trees and their roots were nicely preserved. Following the directions given to us by local residents, we soon found our designated point of entry and plunged into the water. Almost immediately we found the remains of trees, which stood in a straight line. After following the line out into the lake, the depth increased to three meters, after which, the line of trees turned a sharp right. After about 30 to 40m, the line of trees headed back to the shore as if it was tracing the perimeter of a yard. Inside this garden, there was a flat, sandy bottom. If we had done some digging, we would probably have found some relics. However, since we did not have a permit to dig up any artifacts or do excavations, we were restricted to just filming the area. Diving a cemetery The second location was a submerged cemetery, which was under 1.5 to 2m of wate...