Burana Tower

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The Burana Tower is a large minaret in
northen Kyrgyzstan. It was built in the X-
XI centuries in the ancient city of
Balasagun. Initially, the height of the
tower was about 44-48 meters. But due to
earthquakes, the top of it collapsed. Now
the height of the tower is about 21 meters.
On the territory of the settlement there is a
huge burial, decorated with unusual idols -
stone sculptures of babals. These
sculptures are made with careful study of
facial features and headdress. Also you can
find petroglyphs (rock carvings) on the
sculptures.
The history of the Burana Tower
Balasagun was the capital of the Karakhanid Empire. It
was located on the Silk Road; therefore, the city was
developing fast and was one of the wealthiest places in
Asia. But in the 13th century Mongols captured
Balasagun, and two centuries later it completely
disappeared from the face of the earth. During the
excavations many different artifacts and luxury items
were found, which tell about the greatness of the
Karakhanid city.
Legend about the tower
The Burana tower is shrouded in an aura of
sadness and mystery. There was a powerful
khan who had a beautiful daughter worthy
of all praise. Her beauty and intelligence
won the love of the people. Once, khan
invited some predictors to know about
future of his daughter. But one old
soothsayer said them, as she reaches the
age of 16, she will die because of a black
spider. Worrying for the life of his
daughter, the khan decided to build a tower
that would save her from the predicted
danger.
The Khan's daughter lived at the top
of the tower, and each visitor was
carefully checked. On her 16th
birthday , khan was happy that she
didn’t die and brought some fruits
for her. However the khan himself
accidentally brought the black spider
in grape leaves. The poisonous bite
killed the young girl. Khan was very
angry to himself and cried a lot. He
punched his fist against the wall of
the tower and the top of it collapsed.
Thanks