Report on the Expedition with the Russian Geographical Society
The expedition with the Russian Geographical Society was dedicated to the upcoming anniversary of Pеtr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky and followed the route of the traveler in the Tien Shan mountains.
The author of the report is Petr Ilchishin, the head of the SUSANINTOUR company, the head of the DIVE.KG diving club, and also an active traveler.
It all started with a message from Oleg Mashkov, a specialist in organizing expeditions for the Russian Geographical Society. He contacted me with a question about the possibility of organizing expeditionary and transportation matters in Kyrgyzstan for the RGO expedition. I don't know why they chose me; apparently, there was some prior recommendation about my merits.
I gladly agreed to this event, and we began discussing the details of the expedition and building the route through the Tien Shan mountains. Subsequently, Roman Moskin was appointed as the responsible person for the project on behalf of the RGO – the curator of science in the RGO’s expedition department.
After two weeks of discussions and route planning, we reached a consensus on organizing the expedition, and I began preparing transportation and camping gear. At that moment, I had no idea about the wonderful people and outstanding scientists I would have the opportunity to work with during these two weeks.
And so, I meet the expedition team at Bishkek Airport. The first to approach me was Andrey Mikhailovich Korzhenkov, an outstanding scientist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, and head of the Paleoseismology and Paleogeodynamics Laboratory at the O.Yu. Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth at the Russian Academy of Sciences. I learned of all his achievements later when he lectured on earthquakes and faults at various locations on our route. At the moment of our meeting, he appeared to me as a very kind and well-read elderly man, and we immediately struck up a pleasant conversation while waiting for the rest of the expedition participants to join us.
Finally, the entire team was assembled. Maxim Menshikov – an experienced archaeologist and an employee of the R.F. Academy of Sciences, Aleksandr Bogdanov – a staff member of the estate museum of P.P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky and custodian of the history of the great explorer’s travels, Evgeny Garbenko – a dendrology scientist, Maxim Dubinin – a cartographic specialist, Daria Koroleva – a historian and an excellent photographer.
Later, Vasily Polishchuk joined our team, an associate professor of history and archaeology in the Kyrgyz Republic, and a distinguished teacher at the Kyrgyz Slavic University in Bishkek. He was also an old acquaintance from various underwater archaeological expeditions on Lake Issyk-Kul, in which I actively participated as an experienced diver and head of the dive club on Issyk-Kul.
I gladly agreed to this event, and we began discussing the details of the expedition and building the route through the Tien Shan mountains. Subsequently, Roman Moskin was appointed as the responsible person for the project on behalf of the RGO – the curator of science in the RGO’s expedition department.
After two weeks of discussions and route planning, we reached a consensus on organizing the expedition, and I began preparing transportation and camping gear. At that moment, I had no idea about the wonderful people and outstanding scientists I would have the opportunity to work with during these two weeks.
And so, I meet the expedition team at Bishkek Airport. The first to approach me was Andrey Mikhailovich Korzhenkov, an outstanding scientist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, and head of the Paleoseismology and Paleogeodynamics Laboratory at the O.Yu. Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth at the Russian Academy of Sciences. I learned of all his achievements later when he lectured on earthquakes and faults at various locations on our route. At the moment of our meeting, he appeared to me as a very kind and well-read elderly man, and we immediately struck up a pleasant conversation while waiting for the rest of the expedition participants to join us.
Finally, the entire team was assembled. Maxim Menshikov – an experienced archaeologist and an employee of the R.F. Academy of Sciences, Aleksandr Bogdanov – a staff member of the estate museum of P.P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky and custodian of the history of the great explorer’s travels, Evgeny Garbenko – a dendrology scientist, Maxim Dubinin – a cartographic specialist, Daria Koroleva – a historian and an excellent photographer.
Later, Vasily Polishchuk joined our team, an associate professor of history and archaeology in the Kyrgyz Republic, and a distinguished teacher at the Kyrgyz Slavic University in Bishkek. He was also an old acquaintance from various underwater archaeological expeditions on Lake Issyk-Kul, in which I actively participated as an experienced diver and head of the dive club on Issyk-Kul.
The tasks set before our expedition were to travel along the route that Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky took during his research expeditions through the Tien Shan, visit historical sites and archaeological monuments, and locate places where Pavel Mikhailovich Kasharov, an active participant and artist in Semenov-Tian-Shansky’s expeditions, made sketches of the locations they visited. We were also required to take soil samples and artifacts at archaeological sites and perform coring of old trees to determine their age and possible consequences of significant earthquakes.
The first day of the expedition began, and we set off on our journey. Our route lay through the Boom Gorge. At the beginning of the gorge, we made a stop near the remains of an old bridge that Pyotr Petrovich crossed, examined the site, took some photographs, and continued on our way. Our next stop was at a location of earth crust fracture during a strong earthquake, located near the first cafes opposite the red cliffs. Andrey Mikhailovich explained in detail how tectonic shocks occurred and how the mountains in this area changed. The farthest point for today was the monument to Semenov-Tian-Shansky at the entrance to the city of Balakchy.
The second day of the expedition promised to be very interesting. We started by heading into the mountains in the Tora Aygyr gorge. Along the entire road ascending the gorge, small burial mounds can be seen, which archaeologist Maxim Melnichik dated to the 12th century. He also shared that this summer he had been studying ancient settlements located at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, near the village of Tora Aygyr. Together, we concluded that an ancient caravan route passed through this area, where settlements existed along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Later, a catastrophe occurred: the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul sank, and the settlements ended up underwater. Additionally, Andrei Mikhailovich shared many interesting facts about this region; he pointed out fracture zones created by the Kemin earthquake of 1911, which had a magnitude of 11. We clearly saw how young mountains are formed as a result of shifts in the earth's crust.
Our next location was the petroglyphs near the village of Ornok. In a large area scattered with big stones bearing a black coating, hunters and their rituals were depicted by the people who lived here thousands of years ago. Vasily Ploskih provided a detailed explanation of this place and the people who inhabited it 2,000 years ago. I was curious about where such large stones came from in this area. Andrei Mikhailovich Korzhenkov explained this in detail. It turns out that there was a massive glacier in this region during ancient times, situated above this plateau. Within glaciers, large stones and boulders are always present. When glaciers melt, water accumulates in them, and during a breakthrough, it carries away huge boulders and pieces of rock.
Thus, the day of the expedition passed, and I learned a lot of fascinating information, being sincerely grateful to those who shared their knowledge with us.
The third day of the expedition began with a site visit on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, where, according to scientists' hypotheses, the palace of Temirlan was located. Remnants of bricks, wooden piles, and logs were found. Samples of these artifacts were taken, and after examination, new hypotheses and opinions will emerge.
Next, our journey took us to Grigorievsky Gorge, where Andrei Mikhailovich discussed and showed us the consequences of the 1911 earthquake. The force of the tremors was so great that a massive mountain block in Grigorievsky Gorge jumped up by 10 meters. This area still bears many traces of this earthquake, including landslides, created lakes, cracks, and folds on the earth's surface.
Additionally, Evgeny Garbenko collected wood samples from this region, which will help determine the exact dates of significant calamities.
Another interesting location today was the ancient settlement in the village of Zherkembaev. At the exit of the gorge, a fairly large area was home to the walls of a fortress, watchtowers, and a defensive moat. We carefully examined this place, took soil samples, and collected ceramic remains. With today’s plans fulfilled, we looked forward to the guest house in the village of Kuturga and a delicious dinner.
The second day of the expedition promised to be very interesting. We started by heading into the mountains in the Tora Aygyr gorge. Along the entire road ascending the gorge, small burial mounds can be seen, which archaeologist Maxim Melnichik dated to the 12th century. He also shared that this summer he had been studying ancient settlements located at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, near the village of Tora Aygyr. Together, we concluded that an ancient caravan route passed through this area, where settlements existed along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Later, a catastrophe occurred: the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul sank, and the settlements ended up underwater. Additionally, Andrei Mikhailovich shared many interesting facts about this region; he pointed out fracture zones created by the Kemin earthquake of 1911, which had a magnitude of 11. We clearly saw how young mountains are formed as a result of shifts in the earth's crust.
Our next location was the petroglyphs near the village of Ornok. In a large area scattered with big stones bearing a black coating, hunters and their rituals were depicted by the people who lived here thousands of years ago. Vasily Ploskih provided a detailed explanation of this place and the people who inhabited it 2,000 years ago. I was curious about where such large stones came from in this area. Andrei Mikhailovich Korzhenkov explained this in detail. It turns out that there was a massive glacier in this region during ancient times, situated above this plateau. Within glaciers, large stones and boulders are always present. When glaciers melt, water accumulates in them, and during a breakthrough, it carries away huge boulders and pieces of rock.
Thus, the day of the expedition passed, and I learned a lot of fascinating information, being sincerely grateful to those who shared their knowledge with us.
The third day of the expedition began with a site visit on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, where, according to scientists' hypotheses, the palace of Temirlan was located. Remnants of bricks, wooden piles, and logs were found. Samples of these artifacts were taken, and after examination, new hypotheses and opinions will emerge.
Next, our journey took us to Grigorievsky Gorge, where Andrei Mikhailovich discussed and showed us the consequences of the 1911 earthquake. The force of the tremors was so great that a massive mountain block in Grigorievsky Gorge jumped up by 10 meters. This area still bears many traces of this earthquake, including landslides, created lakes, cracks, and folds on the earth's surface.
Additionally, Evgeny Garbenko collected wood samples from this region, which will help determine the exact dates of significant calamities.
Another interesting location today was the ancient settlement in the village of Zherkembaev. At the exit of the gorge, a fairly large area was home to the walls of a fortress, watchtowers, and a defensive moat. We carefully examined this place, took soil samples, and collected ceramic remains. With today’s plans fulfilled, we looked forward to the guest house in the village of Kuturga and a delicious dinner.
On the fourth day of the expedition, we visited an ancient settlement located on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, which was quite similar to the one we had seen before. We collected brick remnants and soil samples for examination and continued our journey. Our next stop was near the village of Frunze, where there is a valley of burial mounds. There are many burial mounds here, with large ones reaching heights of 6-8 meters—over 10 of them—and a myriad of smaller mounds. Maxim Melnichik thoroughly explained how the mounds were constructed, who was buried there, and during which centuries this occurred. We also touched upon the topic of state protection for these sites.
Unfortunately, no efforts are being made in this direction; the burial mounds are being destroyed, and the smaller mounds are being plowed under in the fields. Overall, it’s disappointing for the state...
Another location for today was the gorge of the village of Ak Bulak. At the entrance to the gorge, there is a small cave where, according to legend, the treasures of Nestorian monks are hidden. They concealed their treasures so that they would not be taken by the hordes of conquerors passing through these lands. Later, finds were made in this cave, suggesting that the legend may be true, and even during Soviet times, the ubiquitous KGB conducted excavations in this place, but the fate of the treasure remains unknown. Everything was classified as secret, and it is unclear whether they found anything or not.
The following two days of the expedition were spent visiting museums in Karakol and Tepkuchenka. In Karakol, we attended a lecture at the Przhevalsky Museum, paid our respects at the traveler's grave, and took a photo with the RGO flag near the monument. We also visited a local temple housing the miraculous icon of the Theotokos of Tikhvin. Additionally, we explored the local historical museum and familiarized ourselves with its collection and photo documents depicting the formation of the city of Karakol. Afterwards, we stopped at the Dungan mosque, built by master Zhou Si, who was invited from Beijing between 1907 and 1910. It is a very interesting architectural monument, and the local custodian provided us with a complete history of the mosque's construction.
One of the most interesting places was the mill museum in the village of Tepkuchenka. The village itself was established in 1864. Initially, it was a small military fortification for the Cossacks, but later people began to arrive, cultivate the land, and build houses. They also built mills and oil presses. One of these has been preserved; local residents, descendants of the first settlers, restored it. Now it is an operating mill and oil press, and it houses a large collection of household and cultural items from the 18th to the 20th century. It's a very interesting place that I recommend visiting. The contact number for the museum is +996553450460.
I want to note that the expedition made a significant contribution to the study of history and historical facts related to the great traveler in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and the staff of our KRSU actively participated in this event. You can view the report on the results of the expedition and the exhibition organized at KRSU featuring the artist Kasharov, who accompanied Pyotr Petrovich on his travels, via this link.
Unfortunately, no efforts are being made in this direction; the burial mounds are being destroyed, and the smaller mounds are being plowed under in the fields. Overall, it’s disappointing for the state...
Another location for today was the gorge of the village of Ak Bulak. At the entrance to the gorge, there is a small cave where, according to legend, the treasures of Nestorian monks are hidden. They concealed their treasures so that they would not be taken by the hordes of conquerors passing through these lands. Later, finds were made in this cave, suggesting that the legend may be true, and even during Soviet times, the ubiquitous KGB conducted excavations in this place, but the fate of the treasure remains unknown. Everything was classified as secret, and it is unclear whether they found anything or not.
The following two days of the expedition were spent visiting museums in Karakol and Tepkuchenka. In Karakol, we attended a lecture at the Przhevalsky Museum, paid our respects at the traveler's grave, and took a photo with the RGO flag near the monument. We also visited a local temple housing the miraculous icon of the Theotokos of Tikhvin. Additionally, we explored the local historical museum and familiarized ourselves with its collection and photo documents depicting the formation of the city of Karakol. Afterwards, we stopped at the Dungan mosque, built by master Zhou Si, who was invited from Beijing between 1907 and 1910. It is a very interesting architectural monument, and the local custodian provided us with a complete history of the mosque's construction.
One of the most interesting places was the mill museum in the village of Tepkuchenka. The village itself was established in 1864. Initially, it was a small military fortification for the Cossacks, but later people began to arrive, cultivate the land, and build houses. They also built mills and oil presses. One of these has been preserved; local residents, descendants of the first settlers, restored it. Now it is an operating mill and oil press, and it houses a large collection of household and cultural items from the 18th to the 20th century. It's a very interesting place that I recommend visiting. The contact number for the museum is +996553450460.
I want to note that the expedition made a significant contribution to the study of history and historical facts related to the great traveler in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and the staff of our KRSU actively participated in this event. You can view the report on the results of the expedition and the exhibition organized at KRSU featuring the artist Kasharov, who accompanied Pyotr Petrovich on his travels, via this link.
On the seventh day of the expedition, we set off in the footsteps of Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky to the Joku gorge. This is a very interesting place; in ancient times, one of the branches of the caravan route leading to China passed through this gorge. At the beginning of the gorge, there is a small cave in the red rock that previously served as a refuge for nomads, and old fire pits can be seen on the walls.
The Joku gorge itself is very beautiful and diverse. In this area, Pavel Kasharov, a participant in Semenov-Tian-Shansky's expeditions, made several drawings that have survived to this day. Using photos from his diary, we identified the locations from which the drawings were made, marked these spots on our map, and took photos with the RGO flag. We explored the entire gorge, collected soil samples, and took cores from trees before heading to our hotel, tired but satisfied.
On the eighth day of our adventures, we decided to ascend to the Arabel Plateau, which Semenov-Tian-Shansky exited from the Joku gorge. The road there passes through the Barskon gorge; we climbed to the Kum Bel Pass, which is 3420 meters high, made a small stop for the vehicle to rest, and continued onward. About an hour later, after overcoming the second Barskaon Pass at 3840 meters, we reached the Arabel Plateau. This unique place is often referred to as the Valley of a Hundred Lakes. At an altitude of nearly 4000 meters, more than 100 large and small glacial lakes are scattered across the landscape. We made stops by some of them, took photos, and collected soil and water samples.
Next, our route led to the Suek Pass, which is 4200 meters high. From this pass, a majestic view of theTien Shan mountains unfolds, propping up the sky with their snowy caps. Here we took photos with the RGO flag, marked the location on the map, and began our descent into the valley.
Another location for today was the gorge of the village of Ak Bulak. At the entrance to the gorge, there is a small cave where, according to legend, the treasures of Nestorian monks are hidden. They concealed their treasures so that they would not be taken by the hordes of conquerors passing through these lands. Later, finds were made in this cave, suggesting that the legend may be true, and even during Soviet times, the ubiquitous KGB conducted excavations in this place, but the fate of the treasure remains unknown. Everything was classified as secret, and it is unclear whether they found anything or not.
The following two days of the expedition were spent visiting museums in Karakol and Tepkuchenka. In Karakol, we attended a lecture at the Przhevalsky Museum, paid our respects at the traveler's grave, and took a photo with the RGO flag near the monument. We also visited a local temple housing the miraculous icon of the Theotokos of Tikhvin. Additionally, we explored the local historical museum and familiarized ourselves with its collection and photo documents depicting the formation of the city of Karakol. Afterwards, we stopped at the Dungan mosque, built by master Zhou Si, who was invited from Beijing between 1907 and 1910. It is a very interesting architectural monument, and the local custodian provided us with a complete history of the mosque's construction.
One of the most interesting places was the mill museum in the village of Tepkuchenka. The village itself was established in 1864. Initially, it was a small military fortification for the Cossacks, but later people began to arrive, cultivate the land, and build houses. They also built mills and oil presses. One of these has been preserved; local residents, descendants of the first settlers, restored it. Now it is an operating mill and oil press, and it houses a large collection of household and cultural items from the 18th to the 20th century. It's a very interesting place that I recommend visiting. The contact number for the museum is +996553450460.
I want to note that the expedition made a significant contribution to the study of history and historical facts related to the great traveler in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and the staff of our KRSU actively participated in this event. You can view the report on the results of the expedition and the exhibition organized at KRSU featuring the artist Kasharov, who accompanied Pyotr Petrovich on his travels, via this link.
On the seventh day of the expedition, we set off in the footsteps of Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky to the Joku gorge. This is a very interesting place; in ancient times, one of the branches of the caravan route leading to China passed through this gorge. At the beginning of the gorge, there is a small cave in the red rock that previously served as a refuge for nomads, and old fire pits can be seen on the walls.
The Joku gorge itself is very beautiful and diverse. In this area, Pavel Kasharov, a participant in Semenov-Tian-Shansky's expeditions, made several drawings that have survived to this day. Using photos from his diary, we identified the locations from which the drawings were made, marked these spots on our map, and took photos with the RGO flag. We explored the entire gorge, collected soil samples, and took cores from trees before heading to our hotel, tired but satisfied.
On the eighth day of our adventures, we decided to ascend to the Arabel Plateau, which Semenov-Tian-Shansky exited from the Joku gorge. The road there passes through the Barskon gorge; we climbed to the Kum Bel Pass, which is 3420 meters high, made a small stop for the vehicle to rest, and continued onward. About an hour later, after overcoming the second Barskaon Pass at 3840 meters, we reached the Arabel Plateau. This unique place is often referred to as the Valley of a Hundred Lakes. At an altitude of nearly 4000 meters, more than 100 large and small glacial lakes are scattered across the landscape. We made stops by some of them, took photos, and collected soil and water samples.
Next, our route led to the Suek Pass, which is 4200 meters high. From this pass, a majestic view of theTien Shan mountains unfolds, propping up the sky with their snowy caps. Here we took photos with the RGO flag, marked the location on the map, and began our descent into the valley.
On the ninth day of the expedition, we spent time in the Konur-Olen Valley. This valley was an active route of the Silk Road, and it is home to many ancient monuments, tombs, and burial mounds. On the sacred mountain of Konur Olen, there are Tibetan inscriptions on stones and rock drawings made by ancient people. We spent the entire day studying this area, and by the end of the day, we were fortunate to discover a very rare balbai—a stone statue that was placed on the grave of a warrior. The estimated age of this stone is approximately 1,500 years. Everything was photographed and documented, and the findings were passed on to Kyrgyz archaeologists.
On the tenth day of the expedition, we returned to Bishkek and prepared for a meeting with the students of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. We began summarizing the expedition results. An exhibition featuring the works of the artist Pavel Kasharov was organized at KRSU. All these drawings were made during expeditions in the Tian Shan Mountains with Pyotr Petrovich Semenov.
A meeting was held with the students, during which the expedition participants shared their work, discoveries, and future plans. Alexander Alexandrovich Bogdanov spoke about the museum house of Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, located in the Lipetsk region, and invited everyone interested to visit this wonderful place. Vasily Ploskih showed us the historical museum of KRSU, which houses unique finds made in Kyrgyzstan and told us many interesting stories.
Additionally, a report on this expedition as well as plans for the next year was published on the website of the Russian Geographical Society. You can familiarize yourself with this interesting information via the link provided.
In summary: everyone returned home; some rushed off to their next excavations, while others went back to their everyday work. But I am confident that this is not the end; there will be more such expeditions and we will certainly make many interesting discoveries.
I would like to thank all the expedition participants for their lectures, new knowledge, and love for their work, which is evident in every word and action of these remarkable people.
And here’s what is being said about this expedition on the Yandex Zen channel—details can be found in the link.
The Joku gorge itself is very beautiful and diverse. In this area, Pavel Kasharov, a participant in Semenov-Tian-Shansky's expeditions, made several drawings that have survived to this day. Using photos from his diary, we identified the locations from which the drawings were made, marked these spots on our map, and took photos with the RGO flag. We explored the entire gorge, collected soil samples, and took cores from trees before heading to our hotel, tired but satisfied.
On the eighth day of our adventures, we decided to ascend to the Arabel Plateau, which Semenov-Tian-Shansky exited from the Joku gorge. The road there passes through the Barskon gorge; we climbed to the Kum Bel Pass, which is 3420 meters high, made a small stop for the vehicle to rest, and continued onward. About an hour later, after overcoming the second Barskaon Pass at 3840 meters, we reached the Arabel Plateau. This unique place is often referred to as the Valley of a Hundred Lakes. At an altitude of nearly 4000 meters, more than 100 large and small glacial lakes are scattered across the landscape. We made stops by some of them, took photos, and collected soil and water samples.
Next, our route led to the Suek Pass, which is 4200 meters high. From this pass, a majestic view of theTien Shan mountains unfolds, propping up the sky with their snowy caps. Here we took photos with the RGO flag, marked the location on the map, and began our descent into the valley.
Another location for today was the gorge of the village of Ak Bulak. At the entrance to the gorge, there is a small cave where, according to legend, the treasures of Nestorian monks are hidden. They concealed their treasures so that they would not be taken by the hordes of conquerors passing through these lands. Later, finds were made in this cave, suggesting that the legend may be true, and even during Soviet times, the ubiquitous KGB conducted excavations in this place, but the fate of the treasure remains unknown. Everything was classified as secret, and it is unclear whether they found anything or not.
The following two days of the expedition were spent visiting museums in Karakol and Tepkuchenka. In Karakol, we attended a lecture at the Przhevalsky Museum, paid our respects at the traveler's grave, and took a photo with the RGO flag near the monument. We also visited a local temple housing the miraculous icon of the Theotokos of Tikhvin. Additionally, we explored the local historical museum and familiarized ourselves with its collection and photo documents depicting the formation of the city of Karakol. Afterwards, we stopped at the Dungan mosque, built by master Zhou Si, who was invited from Beijing between 1907 and 1910. It is a very interesting architectural monument, and the local custodian provided us with a complete history of the mosque's construction.
One of the most interesting places was the mill museum in the village of Tepkuchenka. The village itself was established in 1864. Initially, it was a small military fortification for the Cossacks, but later people began to arrive, cultivate the land, and build houses. They also built mills and oil presses. One of these has been preserved; local residents, descendants of the first settlers, restored it. Now it is an operating mill and oil press, and it houses a large collection of household and cultural items from the 18th to the 20th century. It's a very interesting place that I recommend visiting. The contact number for the museum is +996553450460.
I want to note that the expedition made a significant contribution to the study of history and historical facts related to the great traveler in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and the staff of our KRSU actively participated in this event. You can view the report on the results of the expedition and the exhibition organized at KRSU featuring the artist Kasharov, who accompanied Pyotr Petrovich on his travels, via this link.
On the seventh day of the expedition, we set off in the footsteps of Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky to the Joku gorge. This is a very interesting place; in ancient times, one of the branches of the caravan route leading to China passed through this gorge. At the beginning of the gorge, there is a small cave in the red rock that previously served as a refuge for nomads, and old fire pits can be seen on the walls.
The Joku gorge itself is very beautiful and diverse. In this area, Pavel Kasharov, a participant in Semenov-Tian-Shansky's expeditions, made several drawings that have survived to this day. Using photos from his diary, we identified the locations from which the drawings were made, marked these spots on our map, and took photos with the RGO flag. We explored the entire gorge, collected soil samples, and took cores from trees before heading to our hotel, tired but satisfied.
On the eighth day of our adventures, we decided to ascend to the Arabel Plateau, which Semenov-Tian-Shansky exited from the Joku gorge. The road there passes through the Barskon gorge; we climbed to the Kum Bel Pass, which is 3420 meters high, made a small stop for the vehicle to rest, and continued onward. About an hour later, after overcoming the second Barskaon Pass at 3840 meters, we reached the Arabel Plateau. This unique place is often referred to as the Valley of a Hundred Lakes. At an altitude of nearly 4000 meters, more than 100 large and small glacial lakes are scattered across the landscape. We made stops by some of them, took photos, and collected soil and water samples.
Next, our route led to the Suek Pass, which is 4200 meters high. From this pass, a majestic view of theTien Shan mountains unfolds, propping up the sky with their snowy caps. Here we took photos with the RGO flag, marked the location on the map, and began our descent into the valley.
On the ninth day of the expedition, we spent time in the Konur-Olen Valley. This valley was an active route of the Silk Road, and it is home to many ancient monuments, tombs, and burial mounds. On the sacred mountain of Konur Olen, there are Tibetan inscriptions on stones and rock drawings made by ancient people. We spent the entire day studying this area, and by the end of the day, we were fortunate to discover a very rare balbai—a stone statue that was placed on the grave of a warrior. The estimated age of this stone is approximately 1,500 years. Everything was photographed and documented, and the findings were passed on to Kyrgyz archaeologists.
On the tenth day of the expedition, we returned to Bishkek and prepared for a meeting with the students of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. We began summarizing the expedition results. An exhibition featuring the works of the artist Pavel Kasharov was organized at KRSU. All these drawings were made during expeditions in the Tian Shan Mountains with Pyotr Petrovich Semenov.
A meeting was held with the students, during which the expedition participants shared their work, discoveries, and future plans. Alexander Alexandrovich Bogdanov spoke about the museum house of Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, located in the Lipetsk region, and invited everyone interested to visit this wonderful place. Vasily Ploskih showed us the historical museum of KRSU, which houses unique finds made in Kyrgyzstan and told us many interesting stories.
Additionally, a report on this expedition as well as plans for the next year was published on the website of the Russian Geographical Society. You can familiarize yourself with this interesting information via the link provided.
In summary: everyone returned home; some rushed off to their next excavations, while others went back to their everyday work. But I am confident that this is not the end; there will be more such expeditions and we will certainly make many interesting discoveries.
I would like to thank all the expedition participants for their lectures, new knowledge, and love for their work, which is evident in every word and action of these remarkable people.
And here’s what is being said about this expedition on the Yandex Zen channel—details can be found in the link.
