The Song-Kol Lake is located in the gigantic, almost flat hollow between the mountain ranges at the height of 3016 meters above the sea level. The mirror area is equal to 270 km2. The Song-Kol is the second lake in Kyrgyzia, after Issyk-Kol, according to the size and the most large natural freshwater reservoir of Kyrgyzia. The maximum water temperature is within 20-23C degrees. The Song-Kol Lake is frozen at the second half of October up to April. 8 rivers: Kum-Bel, Ak-Tash, Tash-Tabo and Kara-Keche flow into the lake. And only one river, i.e. Son-Kol flows out. The birds’ world is very rich there. Over 1000 species.

What should be told about Son-Kol? First of all, it attracts, as any considerable reservoir. Beside water and sky, which constantly change their state, there is a little, that diverts your view. There are no any trees at the lake, no single bush, due to the height of over two thousand meters. Moreover, the capital constructions are absent there, except the herders’ yurtas. The surrounding mountain ridges are not high and not very expressive, so your attention is not diverted from the water mirror, where a fishing boat is graphically distinguished from time to time. The primitive force is spread from the landscape, something ancient and mysterious. That place is covered with numerous legends and sagas, as any extraordinary and strong landscape. After all, the same families occupied the same herders’ settlements from great-grandfathers to great-grandsons during many centuries. One of the legends narrates about the Song-Kol’ formation. According to it, the terrible and cruel Khan’ camp was once there instead of the lake. He collected the most beautiful girls from the whole Tien-Shan to increase his harem. Their sufferings stirred the pity of mountains. The place, where the Khan’s palace stood, went down and water flooded the Ruler’s camp and adjoining territories. The green high-mountain dzhailoo are located there, where the sheep are pastured. One can always get a horse at the local nomads and have a ride at the lake. The valuable Siberian fish species were brought to the fishless lake: pelyad’, sig and chir in the early 60-s. Fish has accustomed and quickly spawned in the lake. But its quantity has catastrophically decreased, due to local population poaching toward fishing at the beginning of 90-s. Currently, fishing is temporary forbidden at the Song-Kol Lake, according to the Order of the Kyrgyzia Government.

Tash-Rabat, one of the rarest monuments of the ancient Asian architecture, is located in the picturesque Kara-Koyun Canyon. We know, according to the results of the archeological and architectural researches of the recent years, that Tash-Rabat was set up in the 10th century of our era. Perhaps, it was the Monastery of Christians-Nestorians (or Buddhists) even before the Mongols invasion and Islam extension. The fortress served, as a caravanserai (hotel) on the ancient caravan path from Semirechye to Kashgar during the Silk Way development.

Tash-Rabat is nicely fitted in the surrounding landscape. It presents a rectangle of the 35.7x33.7m by sizes with several cupolas. The structure includes a big central hall (the plaster elements from “gancha”, i.e. the burnt clay, and paint signs have been preserved in its interior) and 31 rooms, located around the hall, crowned with 20 cupolas and 11 arches. Numerous underground passages are there in the fortress; there are secret exits and underground prisons (zindans). They were used, as shelters for refugees and hermits, as places to study religion and shelters for the trade caravans during centuries. Nobody knows: who has built Tash-Rabat. The construction remains to be a riddle. The history states, that it was Mukhammed Khan, the local Ruler. But the old people say, that: “It was built by a father and a son. And when the last brick was to be put on the cupola, they saw the approaching caravan. The son left the work and decided to have a look, which people were going. “Don’t go,- said his father,- let’s finish the work and then you’ll go.” But the son didn’t obey. He went and didn’t return. That’s why Tash-Rabat even now stands without the roof. And all that, is due to a young beautiful girl, which went with that caravan”.

The Issyk-Kol Lake is located at the height of 1609m above the sea level. It is one of the most beautiful, largest and cleanest lakes in the world; it gives way only to the Titikaka Lake in Peru in the mirror area among the high-mountain lakes of the world. The Issyk-Kol Lake occupies the first place in the world, in regard to depth, volume and clarity. It is just worthy to come for there. The maximum lake depth is 702m, length – 180km, width – 58 km, area – 6236 square kilometers and clarity – 31m. The charming view of the Tien-Shan Mountains is opened from the lake to the South and North, many peaks of which are at the mark over 5000 meters. Over 100 rivers flow into the lake, but none of them flows out. The town existed on its coast in the extreme antiquity, which later was flooded, due to the increased water level. But even now, remnants of the ancient settlement can be found at the bottom of the Tyupskiy Bay. Issyk-Kol is the proud and soul of Kyrgyzstan. Its beauty is indeed indescribable, and thousand tourists come there from all over the world each year to enjoy beauty of the mountain region.

Karakol is an administrative center of the Issyk-Kol region. The town is located in the eastern part of the Issyk-Kol cavity in the Karakol River mouth at the foot of Terskey Ala-Too at the height of 1770 m above the sea level. Karakol is connected with Bishkek by the highway of 403 km by length. Quantity of its inhabitants is about 70 000; it occupies territory for many kilometers, so there is feeling, that small town has resources of the big town. There are several Universities and Institutes in Karakol, eleven schools, two large micro-regions: Voskhod and Kashka-Suu. You’ll find two markets there, servicing people: the big regional market and a smaller market. Karakol town was founded in 1869, as am administrative center of the uyezd. The place for the town was chosen at the caravan path to Kuldga. The town plan was designed by the Russian military topographers in the same 1869. The rectangular street net was chosen: the town was divided in small rectangular quarters, each of them was divided in sites. 6 quarters were fully built in 1881. The wooden Orthodox Church was built on the brick plinth in the town in the last quarter of the 19th century. The town population increased, mainly, at the beginning, due to the Uzbek, Tatar, Uigur, Russian and Ukrainian migrants. Inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, handicraft, trade, cattle breeding and carrier’s trade. After death of N. M. Przhevalskiy, the famous Russian traveler, died in Karakol in 1888, the town received his name – Przhevalsk. The town was returned its initial historic name – Karakol in the early 90-s of the 20th century. The memorial complex with N. M. Przhevalskiy, the famous Russian traveler’s grave and monument, located 12 km from the town on the high coast of the Issyk-Kol Lake are referred to its sightseeing, including the town park with unique alleys from the Tien-Shan firs, founded by N. M. Barsov, the military physician and active public figure in 1895. The Dungan Mosque, built from wood in 1912 and the wooden Orthodox Church of the last quarter of the 19th century have been preserved up to our days in Karakol, as the architecture monuments.

The Dungan Mosque is the historical-art monument, one of the greatest constructions of the Dungan architecture. The Mosque represents the magnificent sample of the Chinese style of the Tsyn Epoch (1644-1911). The Chinese architecture was developed over 5 thousand years. It had worked out series of methods during that period both construction and compositional. The Mosque was built by, specially invited for that purpose Chzhou-Sy, the Chinese architect from Beijin, who was about 40 years old at that time. He worked with 20 masters, arriving from China. Foundations and stone works were provided by the local masters, and all wooden works were performed by the Chinese. Chzhou-Sy draw ornaments on the wood, which were at once cut by his assistants. Each detail was thought out, according to the project, each small article was envisaged. Blocks of the future building were prepared during about three years. All details were collected and the construction was built within three months. The Mosque construction was completed on May 10, 1910. The Mosque is of 27 m by length and 15m by width. Frontons of three roofs are directed towards the South; 30 goldish -yellow columns on the dark-blue bases support the roofing. Several types of the fairy-tale dragons of nice carving, personifying this or that good will are made on the fronts. The many-tier wooden cornice around the building is decorated with plant pictures (grapes, pomegranates, pears, peaches). Traditional colors – red, green yellow – give brightness to the original building form. The witty kerfs system allowed builders managing without a single nail and any metallic fixing means. The Mosque suffered much later. Carving is broken in many places, and the whole decoration is damaged inside. Restoration is going on there.

The Dungan Mosque is the historical-art monument, one of the greatest constructions of the Dungan architecture. The Mosque represents the magnificent sample of the Chinese style of the Tsyn Epoch (1644-1911). The Chinese architecture was developed over 5 thousand years. It had worked out series of methods during that period both construction and compositional. The Mosque was built by, specially invited for that purpose Chzhou-Sy, the Chinese architect from Beijin, who was about 40 years old at that time. He worked with 20 masters, arriving from China. Foundations and stone works were provided by the local masters, and all wooden works were performed by the Chinese. Chzhou-Sy draw ornaments on the wood, which were at once cut by his assistants. Each detail was thought out, according to the project, each small article was envisaged. Blocks of the future building were prepared during about three years. All details were collected and the construction was built within three months. The Mosque construction was completed on May 10, 1910. The Mosque is of 27 m by length and 15m by width. Frontons of three roofs are directed towards the South; 30 goldish -yellow columns on the dark-blue bases support the roofing. Several types of the fairy-tale dragons of nice carving, personifying this or that good will are made on the fronts. The many-tier wooden cornice around the building is decorated with plant pictures (grapes, pomegranates, pears, peaches). Traditional colors – red, green yellow – give brightness to the original building form. The witty kerfs system allowed builders managing without a single nail and any metallic fixing means. The Mosque suffered much later. Carving is broken in many places, and the whole decoration is damaged inside. Restoration is going on there.