Issyk-Kul (translated as “hot lake”)- the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan at an altitude of 1609 m above sea level. The length of the coastline is 688 km, the greatest depth is 702 m. The Kyrgyz have invented many legends about Issyk-Kul, which are told on excursions. They generally have a lot of legends for every mountain, gorge and lake..

This is what one of the route options around Issyk-Kul looks like on the map, if you come from Almaty. Normal roads, tasty lagman on the way and a separate topic - traffic cops. You will learn many ways to get bribes out of nothing and understand how good our Russian traffic police officers are.

I wrote about how we drove from Novosibirsk to Almaty and about interesting places near Almaty for road trips

I still dream about this water in my dreams, sometimes I look for it at night in order to experience cleansing again by plunging headlong into it... Issyk-Kul with a quiet shore and clear water on the northern part of the coast, where most of the sanatoriums and rest houses are located.

Popular and interesting places here: cities Cholpon-Ata (from where they usually go on excursions) and Karakol, the resort villages of Bosteri, Sary-Oy, Chok-Tal, Bulan-Sögöttu, Chon-Sary-Oy, Tamchy and gorges: Grigoryevskoye and Semenovskoye (located on the northern coast) and Barskoon, Jeti-Oguz (on the southern coast of Issyk-Kul).

Cholpon-Ata market. Uzbek flatbreads in Kyrgyzstan are very tasty.

Northern coast of Issyk-Kul

The northern coast is more popular and filled with tourists - usually Kyrgyz, Kazakhs and Russians. Most of the sanatoriums are located here. In some of them, water flows directly from the hot springs from the shower. By the way, this is what the hot springs looking like, flowing into Issyk-Kul, on the territory of sanatoriums on the northern coast:

Southern coast of Issyk-Kul

The southern coast is less touristy and more deserted, but Kyrgyz vacationers can also be found here. This is my favorite part of the lake.

If you travel by car, you can go wherever your heart desires. In principle, the gorges from the tourist routes of the south (a map with descriptions of the gorges can be purchased in tourist shops in Cholpon-Ata, for example) are also very beautiful and interesting to visit. There aren't many tourists there. But for some reason the southern gorges of Issyk-Kul stuck more in my mind (both in my memory and in my camera). Here they are.

Gorges and mountains around Issyk-Kul: what to see

Barskoon Gorge

One of my stops is in the Barskoon gorge, about 20 km deep. Here, a Kyrgyz family rented a huge plot (several hectares) for 49 years for $150 per year. They live in this beauty in the summer, giving tourists the opportunity to spend the night in a yurt (for 70 soms per person), and raising livestock. The place is very cool and beautiful. The air temperature on a July night, during a slight cold snap, was about 3°C, and during the day - about 25°C.

Jety-Oguz Gorge

Jety-Oguz (translated as “Seven Bulls”). Seven bulls are seven red rocks, although they are red only when the sun shines on them).

The wilder southern coast of Issyk-Kul with Kyrgyz vacationers:

To prepare food on vacation, the Kyrgyz take a live sheep with them. Before they kill him, they say a prayer - something like in Avatar - that this is an innocent victim, but they need to eat something (there will be a photo with blood next).

Here one important incident happened to us. During our stay on the southern shore it started to rain. At first it was very beautiful. Like that:

But then we were miraculously lucky, because right through the tent camp into the lake at one sudden moment a rather strong stream of water flowed from the surrounding ditches, which flooded the tents and would have washed away our things, if not for a small patch of earth on a hill in the middle of the camp, on which we saved the main staff. This is what the stream going into Lake Issyk-Kul looked like:

This is what our tent camp looked like:

Such a journey may take several days, or even a couple of weeks. It's good here.

Other blog posts on this topic:

Fresh review

Tri-City Park is located in Placencia Township, bordering Fullerton and Brea Township. All these settlements are part of Orange County, in southern California. For all the time we've been here, we haven't figured out where one city ends and another begins. And, probably, it’s not that important. They are not very different in architecture and their history is approximately the same, and parks are within easy reach. We also went to this one on foot.

Random entries

After describing the hotel, as promised, I’ll tell you about the beach and the sea. Our hotel, as the name suggests, had its own beach. Well, a little bit not our own, but one huge one for three or four hotels. But sun loungers and umbrellas are free, the sea and sand are clean. The beach opens at 9 am. Closes at 6 pm.

The sun in May is already quite harsh. You get burned pretty quickly. But the sea is still pleasant - warm, but not hot. In general, swimming is good. By the way, there were no jellyfish either - I don’t know when their season is there.

This year, September 1st fell on a Sunday, adding another day to the holidays. So we decided to celebrate this day in a special way with our grandchildren. In the morning, after breakfast, I suggested going to the mountains: to Medeo or Koktyube. But to my surprise, I received a categorical refusal of two votes. Polina motivated the refusal by saying that she did not have a blouse and it was cold in the mountains. I said I would find her something warm. But she declared, purely as a woman, that she would not go in anything. Maxim simply remained silent and looked at the computer monitor. I was simply in shock, remembering my childhood, when any walk with my parents that promised some kind of entertainment, or at least ice cream, was a holiday for us. Yeah, today's kids have too much entertainment. I can’t say that I was offended, but some kind of sediment remained in my soul. I was about to go to the kitchen to put the chicken in the oven when Maxim finally said: “Actually, we can go.” True, it was around lunchtime, it was warm outside and you could go without a blouse, so Polina quickly agreed. Before anyone changed their mind, we got ready in five minutes. There was no point in going far anymore, so we headed to Koktyube.

This summer, my husband and I made another trip - to Georgia. It turns out that he dreamed of visiting there since childhood and carefully hid it, lying on the couch and watching TV programs about travel. True, I completely understand him when, due to his duty, he has to roam the endless expanses of Kazakhstan, live not always in comfortable conditions, or rather, always in uncomfortable conditions, and on top of that, do work. Having returned home and stretched out on the sofa, you don’t really want to pack your bags and go somewhere to look at ancient ruins or outlandish places. We saw a lot here too that perhaps those who travel abroad have not seen. But when you retire, you have free time and completely different thoughts, you remember your childhood dreams. And if today you don’t turn them into reality, then tomorrow you may not have time, time is no longer working for us.

Finally, in the spring of 1949, the day came when the last scaffolding was removed. The creators of the architectural ensemble once again walked around and carefully examined the entire structure. All the shortcomings they noticed were corrected in the short period of time that remained until the day of official delivery. The selection committee, along with Soviet architects and artists, included several leading comrades from SVAG.

We have a few days left before leaving home and we have already seen enough cities, towns and even villages. But there was one more city left, significant for Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (this is more familiar to me, well, I studied “before historical materialism”, or rather, under it, when all the toponymy on maps was written in Russian transcription. And I studied in Faculty of Geography, and this toponymy, or as we called it - map nomenclature, we took weekly and with passion. So, for me, these objects are still listed as Halle and Harz, period).

I’ll tell you a little about the hotel in Sharjah. We chose an inexpensive hotel with its own beach. And in general, we liked everything, except for the lack of alcohol, but this is of course not the hotel’s problem, but the problem of the Emirate of Sharjah as a whole.

At seven in the morning we were at the Balykchy bus station. The early morning in Issyk-Kul was gloomy and cold. The sun had risen, but the clouds were doing their job. On the square in front of the autobaket, taxi drivers were loudly calling clients, very old grandmothers were placing buckets of apricots on the curbs, preparing to sell. We slowly got ready and left Balykchy towards the southern coast. We planned to get to the village. Tosor, spend three days there and begin the climb to the Tosor pass according to the original hike schedule.

We literally escaped from Balykchy - we wanted to quickly find ourselves in nature and sensibly assess our situation, make plans for the future. Having driven three kilometers from the city, we stopped to study the map. Then a Russian woman stopped next to us, lowered the car window, she asked: “Boys, why did you come here? Don’t you know that they’re shooting here? Leave. You’re still so young.” According to the woman, in Issyk-Kul there is a division of power, pogroms and showdowns all around. In Naryn, as the driver claimed, it is also restless. The woman’s words upset us. As far as we were aware, the unrest that day only affected the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, which are far from the line of our route. Immediately after the unpleasant news, we felt all the grayness of the Kyrgyz morning; the sleepless night spent on the bus began to affect our morale. The lake was nondescript. Having driven without breakfast until 12 noon, we stopped under an apricot tree and ate ripe fruits.

After the fruit lunch there was a more nutritious lunch. Pasta with stew on the edge of a potato plantation restored strength and lifted my spirits. How does food intake affect your overall mood? Immediately it became deeply perpendicular to local bandits and revolutionaries. Half an hour after the pasta, we bought half a bucket of apricots on the edge of one of the many poor coastal villages. The saleswoman invited us to tea. She, contrary to the information received before, said that the lake was calm, and in Naryn and Bishkek, too, no one had been shooting for a long time. This is how, by dumping a tub of cold and then warm information, the local residents influenced our mood and desire to continue the hike in the intended way. Apricots, by the way, were cheap, but greenish. Right after buying fruit from a woman, we stopped to buy apricots from the children. As a game, we bought 10 apricots from the children for 10 soms.

By that time we had already come up with a new route. It was decided to play it safe and not go to Naryn. Instead, we planned to go around Issyk-Kul, climb through Kochkor to Lake Song-Kol, and then move through the Tyo-Ashuu pass to Bishkek.

The road on the southern shore of the lake is paved along the entire length from Balykchy to Karakol, but the quality of the asphalt... the Mongols, of course, dream of it, but it is not acceptable for the Russians. We were able to observe the pothole repair of the road. Workers in orange capes lay asphalt in a hole filled with bitumen and diligently pat it down with a shovel. A slide appears in place of the hole. Mounds are the hallmark of the Balykchy-Karakol route. The terrain of the road to Bokonbaevo is not easy. Once turning away from the shore, it winds through the hills.

By the way, we spent the night that day on the shore behind the village of Kazhisay. We had dinner in the village. For 210 som we were served two large portions of lagman, a flatbread and a kettle of tea. The tent was set up seven meters from the water. We didn’t swim, but we managed to wash ourselves. At night there was a strong surf, and it started to rain.

· Mileage per day - 115 km

· Travel time - 6:30

For breakfast - buckwheat porridge, brewed the night before + stew. It was drizzling all morning, all day, we rode in raincoats. In one of the villages we managed to buy a bucket of large ripe apricots for 80 soms. The digestive system was in shock, but we did not give up and ate apricots all day. Along the road, behind fences, there are gardens in which these same apricots grow.

At 10:30, outside the village of Tosor, we met two French women - sisters Sophie and Audrey. They walked from Kochkor through Naryn and Issyk-Kul to Bishkek. The horse Garson traveled with them. We did not accept their invitation to lunch and hurried on, although we ourselves did not have lunch that day.

We got up early for the night because of the relentless rain. At the exit from the large village of Kyzyl-Suu we found dense thickets of young maple trees, and we set up a tent behind them. We went to bed at 18-00, having dined on flatbread, apricots and watermelon.

· Mileage per day - 85 km

· Travel time - 5:30

We decided to have breakfast in Karakol and reached the city in an hour and a half. We stopped at the cafe twice to eat ashlyamfa. 15 som per serving.

It was Sunday, on the way from Karakol to Tyup, one after another we were overtaken by cars carrying cattle. Horses, rams, and cows were selling like hot cakes in the markets of Karakol. Local traffic police officers were pleased with this influx of non-standard cargo and stopped each such vehicle to check documents. Beyond Tyup we stopped in a natural park, rested, and ate two melons. Coastal villages have running water. It was immediately felt that the northern shore was more developed than the southern one. In the north there are shops, gas stations, and people of Slavic appearance.

At noon we stopped for lunch in order to dry our things that had gotten wet the previous day. In a mown clearing not far from the birch trees, they laid out everything from socks to sleeping bags and began to prepare lunch. Then Kostya noticed a cyclist with a backpack pedaling towards Karakol. Kostya ran out onto the road. By then the cyclist had parked at the side of the road. My brother motioned for him to come to us, but in an instant he broke down and moved on. I got scared. After 5-7 minutes I saw a second cyclist riding in the same direction. In a hurry, I ran out onto the road and, with the same gesture as Kostya, called out to the cyclist. He immediately turned in our direction. He turned out to be Thai and had been on the road for nine months, and the frightened biker was his friend. Together they traveled from Thailand through China, Laos, Cambodia, India and Pakistan. They planned to finish the trek in September in Uzbekistan. The route was laid through the Tosor and Song-Kol lanes. The Thai looked at our things scattered on the grass with surprise, looked into our pan and left. He is a member of some kind of ecological expedition in support of orangutans and the prevention of global warming. His bike backpack had stickers to match.

Before reaching Ananyevo, on the edge of one of the villages we met a hitchhiker from St. Petersburg - Shurik (You can find him here). We spent the night together on the shore of the lake. It was hard to find the way to the water. There is only one road to the shore, among the quagmire.

In the evening we swam a little, although the bottom was very flat, the water was cloudy due to a strong wave.

In the dark, they prepared dinner on Sanka’s wonderful burner, burned a fire for a long time and listened to the stories of a new acquaintance about his trip to the Pamirs. By the way, it was after these stories that we decided to go to the Pamirs next year.

· Mileage per day - 95

· Travel time - 6:40

It rained a little at night, but in the morning the sky cleared and the lake calmed down. Breakfast was already prepared on our burner. This was the last time she made any fuss, although until that moment the burner had worked without interruption. Having said goodbye to Sanko, we headed back to the road; leaving took 15 minutes. And Sanyok, as it turned out later, lived in this place for eight days. Until I finished the bucket of apricots.

In the next village after the parking lot, we bought a Megacom SIM card for 120 soms. Beyond the village we called home. It turned out that our Beeline SIM cards in Kyrgyzstan did not accept calls and SMS messages.

We arrived in Ananyevo and were surprised by this village. The main means of transportation for residents is a bicycle. Everyone rides it - men and women of all ages, and especially children. Mostly they drive old Urals. In Ananyev (the village is named after a soldier who fought under the leadership of Panfilov and died during the defense of Moscow) we stopped at the market, where we bought watermelon and zharma (a national drink made from a fermented mixture of talkan and water). Outside the village, in a small clean park, we stopped for lunch. There are a lot of Russians in Ananyevo, there are shutters on the windows of the houses, this indicates that the owner is definitely not Kyrgyz. As we were told later, there are also many Germans in the village. We left the village on time, because within a few minutes it was covered by a rain cloud. The sun mercilessly burned us for the rest of the day's journey.

We arrived in Cholpon-Ata at 14-20. The quality of asphalt has improved before our eyes. It was ideal and started exactly from the border of the tourist capital of the lake. In some places, road repair work was carried out, but the workers did not compact the asphalt with a shovel - they had a vibrating plate in their hands. In Cholpon-Ata we went to shops that we had known for a long time (we had been to the city twice before the trip) and bought groceries for the evening. We had lunch a few meters from the road, sitting on the grass and leaning our bicycles against the low fence of the flowerbed. We reminded ourselves of homeless people with bicycles, and this thought inspired self-respect.

We stopped for the night, a couple of kilometers short of the village of Chon-Sary-Oy, on the shore of the lake. The bottom of the parking lot was rocky, the shore was quite dirty due to the large number of people who had ever rested in that place. We never took a swim. However, we found a flat area covered with grass. They set up a tent on it. Making my way through the thorns to the parking lot, I punctured the rear tire. While Kostya was preparing dinner, I was gluing the camera.

· Mileage - 95

· Travel time - did not count

We left without breakfast. In Chon-Sary-Oy we bought a half-kilogram roll for 100 soms, washed it down with lemonade in a deep ditch and drove on. The body didn’t require any more. Before Tamchy (yes, the local spelling is amazing) we bought two melons, this was our lunch. We had lunch in a clearing in the shade of a tall pyramidal poplar and watched as two donkeys, far from us, lay peacefully on the ground. They scratched their backs and sides, raising clouds of dust.

It was unusually hot and the road was difficult. We arrived in Balykchi at 14:30, turned left at the roundabout and drove towards the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir. We spent the night in a gorge on the banks of the Chu River. In the evening a strong wind rose and there was light rain.

We can briefly describe the nature of Issyk-Kul, around which we traveled. The western and southwestern coasts are deserted. The vegetation is sparse, and there are very few rivers flowing into the lake. There are practically no open bodies of fresh water. The southeastern coast is wet and fertile. The main tourist village of the southern coast is Kazhisay. The eastern and northeastern coasts have a humid climate. The annual precipitation there is the highest in the Issyk-Kul Basin. Rich vegetation and enough fresh water for comfortable travel. The northern coast from Karakol to Balykchy is drying up. The optimal climate for recreation and tourism in Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri gives these villages the right to be the tourist center of the North Coast. For many reasons, the North Shore is more popular among tourists than the South Shore. This includes both natural diversity and existing tourism infrastructure.

As it became known at the time of writing the report, China signed an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the construction of a road around Issyk-Kul, so descriptions of road potholes on the shore of the lake may disappear into oblivion in a couple of years.

· Mileage per day - 70 km

· Travel time - 5 hours

Route book: No. was not issued

Area: Kyrgyzstan

Route: Around Lake Issyk-Kul

Running days: 23

Route length, km: 990

Number of participants: 3

Three weeks is the optimal period for inspecting everything we have planned.

It probably made sense to leave a week, or maybe two, earlier because... on the lake, and even more so on the passes and valleys, it was already very cold at night, although it did not reach frost. By the end of the hike, the water in the lake, which was not very warm, became much colder (about 17 degrees), which, however, did not stop us from swimming in the morning.

The guide at the Przhevalsky Museum, a very nice elderly woman, said that this year is very cold and the winter will apparently be harsh because... Already on September 6, a yellow leaf appeared on the birch tree, and snow fell in the mountains.

To travel to Kyrgyzstan you do not need a passport and do not need a visa. Russians can stay in Kyrgyzstan without registration for up to 90 days.

After purchasing tickets for an Aeroflot flight (RUB 21,000), we carefully studied the baggage rules. To eliminate problems, we called the airline 2 weeks in advance and informed that we were carrying oversized cargo - bicycles whose weight does not exceed 20 kg (the ticket limit was 20 kg) and indicated their dimensions in height, length and width in centimeters in disassembled form ( we were given the number of our request). 2 days later we called back and received verbal permission to transport bicycles there and back. You could carry another 10 kg of hand luggage into the cabin, but its dimensions and contents were specified. We were ready to pay about 5 kg of excess weight (7 euros per kg), but this was not required.

Among the equipment we had a three-person tent, an awning, a multi-fuel burner (we only used gasoline and bad gasoline), a bow saw, a hatchet (we could have done without it), a tagana grille, canchiki, several plastic bottles for water and gasoline, a first aid kit and repair kits with a large number of patches, spare tubes and spare brake pads.

The bicycles were packed with special care. Tubes were inserted into the front and rear forks so that they would not be broken or bent, the rear derailleur with the cock was unscrewed, I tied the wheels to the frame with rubber bands (stars inside the frame) so that they formed a single whole with it. Inside the frame I packed tent poles and a telescopic spinning rod. On the outside, I lined the bike with foam and a bike backpack and wrapped it all with stretch thin polyethylene film (stretch), dispensing with a bike cover, although finding a roll of stretch on the market in Bishkek was not easy.

Losses after the flight - one broken spoke and a bent trunk.

It is best to exchange rubles for soms (1 ruble ~ 1.4 soms) in the center of Bishkek at the intersection of Moskovskaya and Sovetskaya (MosSovet) streets, there are many exchangers, some work around the clock. There were also exchangers in Karakol (Przhevalsk), Cholpon-Ata and Balykchi (Rybachye ), but the exchange rate there is less favorable.

As for prices: lunch in a cafe for three (without alcohol) rarely cost us more than 500 - 600 soms. Melons cost 20-30 soms per kg, tomatoes at the market in Bishkek from 7 to 15 soms per kg, lamb 170-200 soms per kg, flatbread 20 soms, seven-year-old cognac 230 soms, visiting hot springs from 150 soms per person, rent a one-room apartment apartment in Bishkek for the night from 1000 soms.

The most economical way to get to Balykchy (Rybachye) is by train, which runs only in the summer months - the price is about 70 soms and another 30 luggage, but the train leaves Bishkek at 4.25 am, the next option is an Ikarus type bus with luggage compartments (150+ 50 soms) - runs from the new bus station. At the bus station you can hire a taxi for about 1,500 soms per car, but first think about where to put your luggage :).

We collected bit by bit information about what was worth seeing, implemented most of our plans and made no mistakes.

Boom Gorge.

Canyons near Kök-Moinok (overnight on the Chu River).

Salty (dead) lake Karakol.

Fairy tale (next to Tosorchik).

Barskoon Gorge (monument to Gagarin, waterfall, pass, Lake Jashilkel).

Juuku Gorge (red rocks, hot spring).

Chong-Kyzylsu gorge (mountain spring Djilusu).

Jeti-Oguz gorge (seven bull rocks, broken heart rock, meadow of flowers, waterfall, side gorges with yellow and red aeolian rocks).

Arashan Gorge (Aksu resort, Altynarasan folk resort - we didn’t get there).

Przhevalsky Museum and the grave of Nikolai Mikhailovich.

Sukhoi Ridge (unparalleled views of Tyup Bay, Przhevalsky Bay and mountains).

Semenovskoye Gorge and drive through the pass to

Grigorievskoye Gorge (high mountain lake Syuttuu Bulak?, horseback riding to the waterfalls).

Chronology of the campaign

1 day

Boom Gorge.

An unforgettable gorge for its beauty, through which the road from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul goes. Stunning views that we saw from the car window. Biking through the gorge is complicated by very busy traffic.

We were unloaded on a road bridge over the Chu River, which is 15 km upstream from the Red Bridge of the Boom Gorge. On the opposite bank of the river from the highway we collected bicycles. This bridge is clearly visible from the highway; there is an asphalt road across it to the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir. We planned to see the fantastic aeolian canyons that begin 5 km from the bridge. A dirt road leads to them (downstream of the river). You need to drive through the village of Kek-Moinok, then follow the road through the cemetery for a little more than a kilometer. There are an infinite number of canyons. They are quite narrow, sometimes with high vertical walls about 40 meters high. The bizarre turns of their labyrinths lead far from the entrance, revealing more and more new pictures. Several hours flew by unnoticed; I wanted to endlessly look and be amazed at this incredibly beautiful splendor.

We spent the night on the banks of the Chu River. We managed to catch small trout using maggots, the size of minnows. Surprised by mosquitoes.

Day 2

It was sunny and warm in the morning; it turned out that the wheels were pierced with thorns. The spines are small and thin, like the point of a needle 2-3 mm in length; they must be picked out of the tire to avoid repeated punctures. We didn’t know then that punctures would happen all the time when driving from asphalt to dirt roads. We reached Issyk-Kul and purchased food for 3 days in Balykchy at the central market. We waited out the thunderstorm while having lunch in a cafe. A gust of wind knocked down all the partitions in the yard. Having filled our bottles with water, we drove along the southern shore of the lake. We spent the night on the shore, not reaching 1 km from Ottuk. In the evening a thunderstorm came from the south, but not for long. An incredible evening. The Rybachy lights on the other side of the lake, the Mullah’s call to prayer, stars, salt marshes, thorns and an endless number of unprecedentedly large mosquitoes that do not bite.

Day 3

It's warm and sunny in the morning, we swim in Issyk-Kul, we glue the cameras - today everyone made it through. We try to drink salty tea from the lake. Beyond Ottuk, apple trees grow along the road, we pick apples, swim somewhere beyond Kara-Tala (we saw a ramp to the lake through the iron “collective farm” gates) and have lunch in a cafe, having crossed the Ak-Terek River (there is a spring on the left before the bridge). To Kyzyl -You need to turn off the asphalt to get to the dead Lake Karakol. A road with picturesque views runs along the Ak-Terek River and leads to the Issyk-Kul Bay, where the farm is located, there is also a lake, but this is not Karakol. It’s still a few kilometers away along a sandy road (14 km from the asphalt). If you reached the barrier and were charged 50 soms, then you are at the salt lake Karakol. In the springs that bubble up on the shore of the lake you can get fresh water (a little brackish, but cold). The water in the lake is very salty and warm, there are many vacationers here. A very unusual bathing experience. It is impossible to dive deep - it immediately pushes you in. Less than a kilometer from the salt lake is the Issyk-Kul Bay. We spend the night there on the shore.

4 day

The morning is sunny and warm. We swim in the lake. Attempts to fish are unsuccessful. Where are you, oh my zanders, will I catch you? We return along the previous road to Kyzyl-Tuu, have lunch in a cafe and go to the pass. The calm before the storm, the steam room is like a bathhouse, the ride is hard. The thunderstorm is coming from the south from the mountains. She catches up with us, lightning flashes, but we are already rushing down from the pass and wait for her at the stop in Ak-Sai. Here we turn off the road into the mountains and reach Kek-Sai, taking another pass. We stop in a guest yurt to drink tea. The hosts are very hospitable and welcoming. Tea is served with ayran, flatbread, melted butter, kaymak (real sour cream), currant and apricot jam. We are sitting on pillows, wrapped in blankets (baiting), a thunderstorm is raging outside. The owner tells us about the short road from Lake Karakol to Ak-Sai. We needed to go forward, not go back. We decide to stay overnight in the yurt. For dinner they serve argali meat fried with onions and fried potatoes - kurdaak. Then tea drinking, conversations and a whole ceremony of making the beds in the yurt.

5 day

The morning is sunny and warm. We glue the flat tire again. After having breakfast and paying the hosts (YurtCamp company = 2000 soms for three for tea + dinner + tea + overnight + breakfast), we leave this cozy place, from where horse groups are led to the mountains, and continue our journey through this wonderful valley. Proud snowy peaks rise to the right, and Issyk-Kul stretches beyond the mountains to the left. And in the valley itself there is a rich carpet of grasses on which herds graze, hay is prepared and where ditches with clean mountain water rustle. The dirt road took us through the villages of Jer-Uy and Temir-Kanat, and after climbing the pass, it opened up a delightful view of a wide valley, where several streams merged into one noisy stream. We marked the place just beyond the pass near the stream as suitable for spending the night. The noisy stream managed to completely demolish the bridge, but this did not stop us from crossing to the other side of it on concrete slabs and again ending up on the road leading to Bokonbaevo through Tura-Suu. Having purchased food for 2 days, we found out the way to Kargon-Bulak and again left for the mountains, without stopping at Issyk-Kul. The long and difficult climb to the pass 2540m began. Behind me was a mirror of the lake, behind which rose the snowy peaks of the northern coast, and in front was a forest of Tien Shan spruce. How wonderful it is to see the forest again, and not bare stones. We collected water from the house before taking off to the pass (when we saw that the bed of the running stream at some point turned out to be dry). Having crossed, we immediately stopped for the night in the forest. There was no thunderstorm in the evening. There was a huge starry sky, faint lights in the valley and on the opposite shore of the lake, and cosmic cold.

Day 6

The morning is sunny and warm. My dream came true: I saw a snow hare and a teleut squirrel:). All morning I galloped along the edge of the forest with a camera. After breakfast we went down to Korgon-Bulak and again climbed to the pass, which turned out to be 40 m higher than the first. The descent from the pass was quite steep, then we found ourselves in a valley from which there was no visible exit. Amazing mountain panoramas appear before you. Around a sharp turn, the road dives into a narrow and stunningly picturesque canyon in which the Tesh-Sor River flows, rushing its waters to Issyk-Kul. This canyon alone is worth overcoming two passes.

Having reached the asphalt, we turned to the West to drive 2 km towards Bokonbaevo along the asphalt to a drying creek bed, which is surrounded by concrete slabs, and along the dry bed we went up another kilometer to see a truly unforgettable and amazing highlight of the entire coast - " A fairy tale." I think we walked for at least 3 hours and enjoyed the splendor that Nature has created. And the evening light gave me the brightest, most intense experiences of what I saw. When the last tourists left this place, we decided to spend the night here to watch the dawn in Skazka. We even found water here.

The night was endless. The dream was difficult. Apparently some kind of fumes affected us or it was due to the abundance of impressions, but I have never seen such nightmarish tales at night again.

Day 7

The morning was cloudy. Having said goodbye to the Fairy Tale, we set off. In Tamga we bought food and, after having lunch in a cafe, decided to take a shortcut to Barskaon, but after passing the airfield we got lost. The locals helped. The road from Barskaon, although unpaved, is in good condition. It is watered daily. Huge trucks drive along it to the mine where gold is mined. I was very impressed by the canyon in which the Barskaun River flows. A headwind did not allow us to go far, and a thunderstorm approaching from the southern mountains forced us to stop in a yurt next to the Gagarin monument at the waterfall. We were glad that we spent the night in a yurt. The thunderstorm was very strong and it seemed that the next gust would blow away our yurt along with us and our bicycles.

Day 8

The weather improved and we were in the mood for a feat. We planned to take the 3754m pass to see the Arabel stone desert, spend the night on Lake Jashilkol and see the demons of this desert. But it seems demons came last night and tried to stop us. At the 28 km cordon (former store building) we stopped to drink mare's milk and tea. We were greeted by very nice people. The owner invited us for tea and did not advise us to go to the lake to spend the night, but said that we could easily get to the first crossing of 3442 m. We left our bicycle backpacks and rode lightly in just over an hour to the first pass. It was very cold and uncomfortable there - it was raining with snow, a strong wind was blowing, nothing was visible - the demons did not want to let us in. The hospitable hosts invited us to visit next summer and were ready to provide housing and food for 500 soms per day. They also offered to organize horseback riding tours to the mountains for the same money. They showed photographs of those who had visited them in past years. Very nice and decent people - we recommend them. After lunch we went down to Issyk-Kul, where a local allowed us to put up a tent behind his garden on the shore, borrowing 100 soms - we agreed.

Day 9

The morning was sunny and warm. We admire the lake and the clouds above it. Swimming and sealing punctures have become traditional for overnight stays on the lake. After driving about 10 km we stopped to swim again. In Saruu we bought food and had lunch in a small canteen, which is often visited by local residents; the food was delicious and the portions were large. In the same village we turned onto the dirt road leading to the Dzhuku gorge. A very beautiful gorge. Behind us was the expanse of Issyk-Kul, and ahead were mountain peaks. We stopped for the night on the spout of two tributaries near the red rocks. The place was damp, near the road, but no one disturbed us.

10 day

As soon as the sun illuminated the tent, it immediately became warm and I wanted to get out as quickly as possible to sunbathe in the sun. Red rocks, incomparable in their beauty, rose next to us. We have never seen anything like this in any other gorge. We drove along the orographically right tributary (Dzhukuchak) and in less than 5 km we arrived at a hot spring, which was located in a stone yurt. Dzhuka is a comfortable resort with several residential buildings. While we were waiting for our turn to take hot baths (150 soms for 1 hour per person), they kindly agreed to charge the battery for the camera. Here in the gazebo we met pleasant interlocutors. The attitude towards Russians is very good. Almost the entire adult population speaks Russian.

It’s a pity that time did not allow us to explore the gorge of the left tributary of the Dzhuku and we were forced to return to Saruu. We lost sight of the fact that today is the holiday of September 1st and the celebrations in the dining room have not yet ended :). The head of the village of Saruu kindly invited us to drive our bicycles into the administration building (next to the canteen) and we still managed to have lunch. The men had already finished celebrating, but the women continued to celebrate the holiday in a separate room. Everyone is dressed modernly, the young Kyrgyz women are very attractive and friendly. There was a sense of celebration throughout that day, it was very pleasant.

At 16 o'clock we arrived in Pokrovka. At the bazaar we replenished our supply of food, bought steamed lamb and watermelon and rushed to the next Chong-Kyzylsu gorge (the turn into the gorge immediately before the bridge over the Chong-Kyzylsu river). When we passed a large village, the sun had already disappeared behind the ridges and one and a half kilometers from the village we stopped for the night in the sea buckthorn thickets on the shore of Chong-Kyzyl-Suu.

Day 11

In the morning the sun is back and the tires are broken again. About 12 km separated us from the hot spring, which they managed to improve this year. There is probably no need to say that this gorge was also fabulous in its beauty. The breath of autumn was felt most strongly here. Tall graceful spruces rose on the slopes of the mountains. We took a half-day and took long hot baths. In the evening we climbed a hill free of forest to admire the sunset.

12 day

Sunny but cool. The nights in the gorges are very cold. We drove down to Pokrovka and drove towards Jetioguz. I remember the repair work on the road ~ 5 km (crushed stone was poured in the middle of the roadway - this is the separator). From the highway to the resort itself there is asphalt. In Jeti-Oguz itself we bought some groceries and had lunch in the dining room, opposite the mosque. Rain is coming. From Jeti-Oguz to the resort it is about 10 km. We stopped for the night just above the resort (behind the bridge over the river), next to cyclists from Novosibirsk. Great guys, it’s a pity we didn’t have much time to talk more.

Day 13

Sunny, cool - we are going to a meadow of flowers (about 6 km from the bridge). Along the road there are 2 springs with living and dead water. The Meadow of Flowers is a magnificent place, I can’t even imagine how beautiful it is there in the spring. We crossed the bridge and drove along the road through a birch grove, after 3 km we reached the guest yurts, where we agreed to leave the bicycles and go see the waterfall ourselves. The steep slope trail offers magnificent views of the valley and mountains. There are many tourists here. Coming from the waterfall, we bought ayran and flatbread. We returned to the resort and, in good weather, admired the “Seven Bulls” rocks, which from the Issyk-Kul side form the “Broken Heart” rock.

We decided to spend the night in this gorge, because... We no longer had time to get to either Teploklyuchenka or the toll Karakol gorge (200 soms per person), and we didn’t want to spend the night in Przhevalsk.

If you drive from the resort to Issyk-Kul, then immediately after the “Broken Heart” to the right of the road you can see small gorges (two for sure, but maybe more) with bizarre outcrops of red and yellow rocks. Some of them have streams and where you can spend the night. There is something to see and photograph there, especially in the evening light, I assure you.

We set up our camp in one of these gorges and were even invited to visit by a shepherd who grazed cattle there. Simple and at the same time unusual treats were presented with all their hearts and, of course, there were topics for conversation.

At night, a strong thunderstorm came from the western part of the lake, but only a small part of it reached us. Powerful flashes of lightning illuminated the tent, and peals of thunder made everyone shudder.

Day 14

It's cloudy in the morning. After saying goodbye to the shepherd, we set off towards Przhevalsk. Rain is coming. It was like in a song - a continuous veil over Issyk-Kul and did not stop until the evening. From the gas station in Jeti Oguz to Przhevalsk - 18 km. After lunch in Przhevalsk and purchasing groceries, we went to Teploklyuchenka. Everyone was soaked through, it was very cold. There are still 12 km to the heat switch. And it’s another 6 km from Teploklyuchenka to the Aksu resort. At the fork in the road (already in the valley behind Teploklyuchenka) we turned left to the well-equipped Aksu resort with hot radon baths. The right road leads to the Altynarashan folk resort, but it is much further away. For 900 soms, three people rented a room, where they rolled up their bikes and ran to bask in the radon baths. There we were able to see and listen to folk artists - performers of folk songs (Sadykov?), who sang very beautiful and melodious songs in national costumes.

Day 15

It rained at night, which turned into snow in the morning. But by 10 o'clock the sun came out and it began to get warmer. The mountains around were covered in snow, it was very beautiful. We drove back through Przhevalsk towards the port where the Przhevalsky Museum is located, which is open until 17.00. The museum is located in a beautiful park, on the high bank of Issyk-Kul. The grave of Nikolai Mikhailovich is also located there. A very sweet grandmother gave us a tour - thank you very much! Then we had to go to Przhevalsk again to visit the exchange office and already at dusk we arrived in Mikhailovka, and in complete darkness we camped for the night in roadside bushes 1.5 km from the village above a cliff, where we didn’t dare go down at night to spend the night by the water .

Day 16

It seems that the weather is deteriorating in the evening, the wind is picking up, but in the morning it is always sunny and warm. As always, in the mornings on the shore of the lake we glue the wheels and swim. Fishing with a spinning rod does not bring results - it is shallow and mud clings, but it was in the mouths of fresh rivers that pike perch were promised. Although there are many fishermen at the very mouth of Jergalan. It was decided not to return to the asphalt, but to go around the Dry Ridge. Before reaching the village of Issyk-Kel there is a very beautiful poplar grove on the shore (an excellent place to spend the night). In the village of Peschany, a very cheerful local cyclist kindly invited us to tea and told us about the harsh life on the Dry Ridge, where there is almost no water and problems with feed for livestock. But it is from here that a stunning panorama of the northern ridge and Tyup Bay opens up. The mountains stood so majestic and gray from the suddenly fallen snow, and mighty birds circled over the ridge in the rising currents. We were able to have a snack and buy groceries only at the market in Tyup. Having crossed the Tyup River, we turned left and along the asphalt we arrived at a very picturesque cape jutting into the lake. The place, judging by the amount of garbage, is frequented, but in the evening there was no one here (except for the owners of the house standing nearby).

Day 17

Got up before sunrise. KMK took some good photos. Fishing luck rewarded me with the most magnificent landscapes, three good bites, one cliff and a pike perch :). The place is very wonderful, but it is completely devoid of any bushes and we still had to drive away the calves that kept sneaking up to the tent in the morning. We left late because... We fried pike perch and finished off the watermelon. We had lunch at Ananyevskaya dining room (very tasty). We spent the night at dusk in the roadside bushes on a ditch (on the map there is a stream) exactly in the middle between Ananyevo and Semyonovka (the water in the stream was clean), driving 1 km from the highway towards the mountains. There is real suffering in the fields - combines rumble, tractors and old lawns drive by. This is a return to the eighties - nostalgia.

Day 18

It’s a quiet morning and we are in a strip of bushes between the fields, where people are already working. We brew aromatic coffee over the fire. The emerald waters of the lake sparkle in the morning haze of a sunny day, and behind us the mountain range rises. Beauty and splendor all around. In Semyonovka we stop at a store, buy cognac and cigarettes as always :) and drive up the Semyonovka Gorge. The road winds for a long time among the plateau and then dives into the gorge. Once again, spruce and birch trees delight the eye. You can already feel the approach of autumn. The sign indicates the presence of a ski resort. Behind the forester's farm there is a fork in the road straight to the Sutbulak pass, and our road turns left to the Kek-Bel pass. Behind the bridge over the tributary we have a snack and begin to force the steep ascent of the pass. The descent turns out to be just as steep. Our goal is a high-mountain lake, but from the pass it is not visible, but only the road that leads to it is visible. We cross the tributary over the bridge and begin the tiring climb to the lake (another 6.5 km). Tourists came to the lake and we decided to spend the night above the lake, and for one buy ayran from a shepherd (marked on the map as an MTF 1 km above the lake, which is not on the map). The tea party ended with dinner, and we decided on a 5-hour horseback ride to the waterfall on the left tributary of the Chong-Ak-Suu. We spent the night in a tent opposite the camp.

Day 19

We got up early, packed up the camp and went to have breakfast with the shepherd Talan. At 9 am we were already in the saddles. The waterfall has three stages - it’s very beautiful, it’s about 4 km away, but it takes about 2 hours to get there on horseback or on foot. The gorge is also very beautiful. The guide advised us to look at the ridges - where you can see argali, but, alas, we did not have the chance. Along the way we encountered numerous thickets of wild currants and rose hips. We returned around 14:00 and after an hour of rest we moved to the bicycle saddles. Dinner, breakfast, lunch and horseback riding cost us 5,000 soms for three, which is more than 3 times more expensive than similar services on the southern shore of the lake, but horseback riding in the mountains left a strong impression even on experienced riders. We drove down the most beautiful Grigorievsky Gorge. The landscape was filled with autumn colors and in the soft evening light was amazingly beautiful. A graceful stream, falling steeply through huge boulders, was in a hurry to bring its waters to Issyk-Kul and its deep catches looked into the sky like crystal clear turquoise.

But the lower we descended, the more vacationers, guest yurts, cars, barbecues with barbecues we encountered, and the more the clouds thickened over the mountain tops and the more fiercely the lightning flashed. We spent the night on the shore of Issyk-Kul opposite the last house of the village of Kurumdu in the thickets of sea buckthorn. At night there was a strong surf, but in the morning it calmed down.

Day 20

There's a thunderstorm in the northern mountains, and it's summer again! We swim in the lake, sunbathe and, as usual, patch up broken tires. We bought a melon at the market in Bosteri. The entire coastline is in boarding houses. After lunch at a cafe and a visit to the call center in Cholpon-Ata, we decide to take another swim and have difficulty finding the entrance to the water in front of Bayetovka.

We stopped for the night after passing Tamchy. An asphalt ramp along the fence of the boarding house leads to poplars on the shore of the lake, where we put up our tent in a clearing among reeds and sea buckthorn bushes. In the evening the wind rises and drives low thunderclouds over the lake. In the evening we sit for a long time by the fire and listen to the night.

21 day

The sun greets us again! Our hike is ending and I want to linger in summer at least a little longer, absorb the fresh breath of the lake along with the sun’s rays, enjoy the sun’s glare on the transparent surface and listen to such a gentle and lazy morning surf. I walk along the edge of the water along a deserted beach, leaving a chain of footprints on the warm sand, and Asia leaves the same traces in my memory and in my heart, and I want to come back here again!

The closer you get to Balykchy, the more the landscape resembles a stone desert. Only ephedra bushes brighten up the harsh landscape. Having passed Sary-Kamysh, we turn onto the dirt road leading to the shore of the lake. Among the rare sea buckthorn bushes, we spent a long time choosing a place for a tent. There are no more than 5-7 km left to Rybachy. After lunch, the wind picks up and short-term rain gives way to a rainbow.

Our afternoon bliss was disturbed by the hum of the turbines (in three weeks we managed to wean ourselves off it). Two pairs of SU-25s passed over us in full combat suspension, making a combat turn over the mountains and shooting off decoys - they launched missiles at ground targets. And this happened several times, and then again at night. It was very wise to arrange an overnight stay opposite the training ground :)

Day 22

Sunny. We get ready and arrive in Rybachye in less than an hour. We disassemble the bikes and pack them in covers. And we take a taxi to Bishkek, once again enjoying the views of the Boom Gorge. We spend the night in an apartment. In the evening we walk around the city - it’s very warm, we’re surprised that we don’t need to wear fleece, hats and vests. We went to the kiyashnik :)

Day 23

In the morning we go to see the Sunday market. A lot of people, a lot of goods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, honey - everything is very colorful, colorful, noisy. Next, taxi, airport and hello Capital!

Despite the cordiality and hospitality, always inquire in advance about the cost of a particular service, so as not to overpay 2-3 times.

When buying vegetable oil, ask if it is cottonseed oil (a very specific product).

You can poison yourself with kumiss, even to the point of death (it is important to know in what container it was prepared).

Mare's milk (even in not very large quantities) has the effect of completely cleansing the body :).

After a week, the patches on the bicycle tubes begin to etch and the tube needs to be either vulcanized or a new one installed.

It’s pointless to fish with a spinning rod from the shore - the grass clings, and pike perch only takes at the confluence of the Tyup and Dzhergalan rivers, while catching small chebak with a fishing rod in the vicinity of Rybachy is problematic due to the wind and waves that intensify in the evening.

In the vicinity of Rybachye the bottom of the lake is muddy, further from Ottuk to Lake Karakol the bottom is sandy, and in the Barskoon area it is already rocky, but you can swim everywhere.

What would I change in the route:

When the route was being planned, I really wanted to spend as much time as possible on the lake, but now it seems to me that the most interesting were the roads along the gorges and valleys away from the lake. Maybe I was tired of passing motorists honking their horns in greeting on the highway around Issyk-Kul :)? But now I would change the route so that after visiting the canyons near Kök-Moinok, I would go not to Rybachye, but to Ottuk through the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir. Then, after spending the night on the shore, I would again go to the mountains, turning into Kara-Shaare on the road along the Tuura-Suu river and, driving through the Ala-Bash pass (2365), I would look at the petroglyphs. Then I would go down to Kara-Koo through Den Talaa. Then I would drive to the salt lake Karakol, but then I would not return to Kyzyl-Tuu, but would try to drive along the shore of Issyk-Kul to Tong Bay, and then on the road go to Kyok-Sai and then along our route, visiting all the gorges.

Comment:

There was a desire to see and photograph Khan Tengri, Lake Merzbacher and Pobeda Peak, reaching the base camps, but it seems to me that this is a separate hike and, most likely, without bicycles :)

“Issyk-Kul” is translated as “warm (hot) lake.” No wonder they called it that - it doesn’t freeze! This was noticed back in the 1st century BC by the Chinese - “Zhe-Hai”, but, either out of their love for poetry, or perhaps they could not agree, they gave a couple more names: “Tian-Chi” - “Filled Lake”, “Yan-Hai” - “Salt Lake”. And the Buddhist Xuan-Jian, who lived and preached in the 7th century AD, even had the good fortune to see dragons in the lake, which he reported in his chronicles. But one day, an unknown Persian geographer of the 10th century involuntarily gave the final name to the lake - “Issyk-Kul” - in his work “Khudul al-Alam”, and subsequently the name was assigned to the “pearl”. And how many legends there are about the emergence of a wondrous lake!

On February 6th we leave at 6:30 am from the city of Almaty to the city of Karakol to the ski resort of the same name to go skiing. We travel in our own personal transport. The distance is approximately 650 km, the road passes through Lake Issyk-Kul. There are two options for the route along the southern coast and the northern one, I like the southern one better, there are fewer villages, the speed is higher, which means we go along the southern one.

Southern coast of Issyk-Kul.

We cross the border at the Black River (Karasu). We cross our border in 5 minutes, it’s empty, there are no people. The Kyrgyz one takes a little longer, because of the declaration, it takes a long time to fill out the engine number, registration number, etc. The border has been passed, we are leaving on the Bishkek-Issyk-Kul highway, the road is new, of excellent quality, 4-lane, it reaches almost to Rybachy, but is not finished further. At the fisherman's point we go to the right, go out to the southern shore and, happy, move to Karakol, happy because there are three hours left to drive. Approximately in the middle of the lake we stopped to stretch our legs and take a walk along the shore, at this moment the Almaty LC 200 catches up with us, honks, waves its hand, and rushes further towards Karakol. We walk, take pictures of the shore, have lunch. We get into the car and drive, an hour later we meet that LK 200, only it drives towards us, honks, we stop, the driver of the 200 says: Then the road is blocked, the Kyrgyz are on strike because of Kumtor, the road is barricaded, I don’t let anyone through the village. What a bummer! It’s a shame, there are 50 km left to Karakol, now you need to go back through the entire Issyk-Kul, it turns out to be a 400 km ring. We return again to Rybachye.

Alexander the Great, having conquered in 334-329. BC e. Persian power, took hostages from noble families in order to prevent possible revolts. Going on a campaign against China and India, he took hostages with him, however, finding himself in cramped circumstances, he was forced to abandon the noble Persians on the shores of Issyk-Kul. The sons of Persian nobles, having lost hope of returning home, rebuilt a town here in their own style, and gave the area the name Barskhan. In the book of the district governor of the city of Przhevalsk, which stands on the lake, it is proven that at one time there was the center of Eurasia. And that as a result of an unprecedented catastrophe, the blooming city was flooded. But in calm weather in the waters of Issyk-Kul you can see traces of a sunken city with the outlines of buildings and walls. However, the city resting at the bottom is not the only one. Archaeologists count at least 10 ancient cities, not to mention monasteries.

I have a problem with fuel, I filled the tank full before leaving, I didn’t want to refuel on the road, I thought I’d fill up in Karakol and change the money there. There are no soms, gas stations don’t take tenge, exchange offices are closed, it’s evening. I had to change dollars in a store in Rybachy at an unfavorable rate. We refuel at Gazprom and without any problems along the northern shore we arrive at 10 pm in the city of Karakol. As a result, instead of 650 km, I drove 1000 km in a day!
On the way back we were stopped 6 times by the Kyrgyz traffic police. The day before, a policeman was shot, now they have a catching operation on the highway, there are checkpoints in every village, they stop everyone! In Rybachye they stopped me for the 5th time, an official in uniform came up to me, so gentle and kind, and said:
- We're violating!
- What are we violating?
- They exceeded the speed limit and smiles.
- What is the limitation here? (I drove 60 km).
- 40 km!
- Do you have radar?
- He’s silent, then he asks me, how long did you travel?
- I was driving 40 km per hour (and I’m smiling too)!

Local elders claim that Genghis Khan himself was buried in Issyk-Kul. When in 1227 the great conqueror was mortally wounded during the siege of the Tangut capital, his sons imitated a funeral in Ordos (Mongolia), and they themselves secretly sent him to Issyk-Kul. Here, under the leadership of the ruler of these places, the beloved son of Genghis Khan Chagatai, they built a large coffin from heavy-duty mountain juniper, laid the body of the deceased along with his funeral treasures and lowered them into the abyss of water. The legend of the Kyrgyz also cannot be neglected, because the tomb of Genghis Khan has not yet been discovered, having shoveled the mounds and deserts of Mongolia to no avail.

On the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, not far from the village of Tamga, there is a gorge of the same name. Every kilometer there are stones with Tibetan-Buddhist prayers of the 8th-9th centuries carved on them. According to scientists, such as Yuri Roerich and his disciples, they were left behind by Buddhist pilgrims. The word “tamga” itself comes from the Turkic language and means “seal” or “stamp”.

North Shore.