Issyk Kul Lake, God’s Eye Best Place for Travelling
Issyk Kul Lake:
The most important feature of Issyk Kul Lake is that Eurasia is the “Pole of Inaccessibility”. What is this “Pole of Inaccessibility”? The point located at the center of any continent and the furthest point from the surrounding seas is called the “inaccessibility pole”. Here, Issyk Kul Lake is located at the furthest point from all seas surrounding Eurasia.
Of course, when you name it that way, it seems like a deserted place that is very difficult to reach. However, Issyk Kul Lake is only geographically inaccessible, but in fact it is at a very easily accessible point. In fact, it is one of the most touristic places in Kyrgyzstan. There are many shops selling bagels, sea beds and towels around the lake where you can swim. Do you think a crowded place like the Mediterranean coast is in the pole of inaccessibility? Is happening.
It sounds crazy to imagine golden beaches, sun loungers, umbrellas, sunbathing by the beach, people doing water sports at the furthest point from all the seas surrounding Eurasia, right? Issyk Kul Lake is a place that surprises you even with this feature alone.
Issyk Lake:
Issyk Lake, which is one of the unknown lakes in the world, means warm / hot lake. In Chinese sources, it is called the hot sea.
Surrounded by the Tian Shan Mountains, one of the largest mountainous systems in Central Asia, the lake is 1600 meters above sea level. The length of the lake is 180 kilometers and its width is 70 kilometers. The deepest part of the lake is 668 meters and the average depth is around 300 meters. The azure lake, which is over a million square kilometers in size, resembles an eye when viewed from a bird’s eye, as it is surrounded by two branches that are divided into two parts to the south and north and to which the Tanrı Mountains are separated. That’s why they call it the eye of God among the people.
Issyk Kul City:
There are many accommodation options in Issyk Kul City. The best of these are Zaton Guesthouse, Resort 10, Guest House “Aura”. If you prefer to stay close to the city center, you can choose hotels such as Dolinnka Hotel, Panorama, Olga Guest House, or if you want more economical alternatives, you can try the Дом отдыха Берёзка facilities. There are also nice discounted opportunity hotels on Booking.com’s Issyk Lake searches. You can also follow them from this link.
One of the most important features of the lake is that it does not freeze in winter, despite its geography. The clearest reason for this is that the lake is fed by over 100 streams and underground resources, most of which are hot water. Thanks to these hot water underground sources, the water never freezes.
Boat tours:
Boat tours on the lake are very popular. Especially during the summer months, you can watch the snowy scenery on the top of the Tanrı Mountains surrounding the lake while you are touring the lake by boat. Due to its fauna, this region is on the route of migrating birds. For this reason, Issyk Kul is also a paradise for bird watchers.
Issyk Kul, which is the subject or place of many epics and legends, was 8 meters lower than it is today in 1000 – 1500 years. With the rise of the waters, the settlements around the lake remained under the lake waters. For this reason, archaeological studies in some parts of the lake are still continuing to unearth the settlements that are under water.
According to the legend in the pre-Muslim period, King Ossounes ruled here. However, since the ears of the King were like donkey ears, he always hid his ears. Only barbers knew about the king’s secret. However, the king also killed the barbers who knew his secret one by one. One day, a barber who escaped from the king’s hand went to a well and shouted, “The ears of the king are donkey ears” as much as his lower lungs. However, when he forgot to close the lid of the well, this secret he shouted echoed and the overflowing waters formed Issyk Kul. Sound familiar?
The lake, which has been one of the important stops on the Silk Road throughout history, offers quite beautiful views. This place is thought to be the starting point of the plague epidemic in Europe that resulted in the death of around 200 million people. Because the plague germ reached Europe from Central Asia by travelers and merchants using the Silk Road. However, this view is not accepted by those living around Issyk-Kul.
As of the 20th century, sanatoriums have been built around the lake for tuberculosis patients. After that, the development around the lake increased and summer houses, hotels and hostels started to be built. Nowadays, Russians, Kyrgyzs and Kazakhs show great interest in Issyk Kul Lake, which was one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country during the Soviet era.
The average air temperature, which is 25-28 degrees in summer, drops to -5 degrees in winter. However, due to its altitude, the air gets cooler even in the summer months.
Most Visited Period:
The most visited period of the lake is between June and September. Between 25 July and 25 August, the prices in the region increased the most. Therefore, you should pay attention to this while planning your vacation.
