Divers Uncover 600-Year-Old Silk Road City Beneath Lake Issyk-Kul

Underwater archaeologists working in Kyrgyzstan report the discovery of a substantial medieval settlement now submerged beneath Lake Issyk-Kul. The team believes the site is the ancient town of Toru-Aygyr, which was flooded after a powerful earthquake in the early 15th century. Divers documented brick buildings, wooden structural elements, a stone millstone, a wealth of ceramics and a Muslim necropolis whose burials face Mecca.

Key discoveries

At depths reaching about 13 feet, researchers recorded the remains of masonry structures, traces of wooden beams, and household and commercial artifacts. A large public building with external decoration suggests a civic or religious function — possibly a mosque, bathhouse or small Islamic school (madrasa). Nearby, a necropolis dating to the 13th–14th centuries is actively eroding under the water; two inhumations were oriented toward Mecca, consistent with Islamic funerary practice.

Context and dating

Archaeologists link the material culture at the site to a period of transition in Central Asia: the region moved from rule by the Turkic Karakhanid dynasty toward broader Islamic influence under the Mongol-era Golden Horde. The older burial areas and varied building footprints reflect a long-occupied settlement on a key section of the Silk Road that connected China with the West.

"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 involved in the expedition. Maksim Menshikov, who led the international team, added that the finds strengthen the identification of the site as Toru-Aygyr and underline its role in medieval trade.

What likely happened

Researchers propose that seismic activity at the beginning of the 15th century reshaped the landscape and raised the lake level or otherwise submerged the settlement. They suggest that inhabitants may already have been leaving the town before the earthquake accelerated population shifts; afterward, the settled medieval urban culture in the area gave way to more mobile, nomadic groups.

Why it matters

This submerged site offers a rare, well-preserved glimpse of medieval Central Asian urban life and the shifting political and religious dynamics along the Silk Road. Because historical sources — including regional records — refer to this area, archaeologists hope to correlate written accounts with the growing body of physical evidence being recovered from the lakebed.

Ongoing work: The international expedition continues documentation and conservation assessments. Further study of ceramics, architecture and human remains should clarify chronology, trade connections and the daily life of Toru-Aygyr's inhabitants prior to its submergence.