Burana Tower is one of the most famous historical monuments in Asia. It is located in Kyrgyzstan near the city of Tokmak. The name comes from the distorted word "monora", which translates as "minaret". That is why it is believed that this is one of the first temples built in Kyrgyzstan.
The outer structure of the Burana tower
Despite the fact that there are many minarets scattered in this area, the design of the tower differs significantly from other similar structures. Its height is 24 meters, but such a building was not always. According to conventional estimates, initially its dimensions were from 40 to 45 meters. The upper part was destroyed hundreds of years ago due to a strong earthquake.
The shape of the monument resembles a cylinder, which tapers slightly towards the top. The main parts of the building are:
- foundation;
- podium;
- base;
- trunk.
The foundation goes underground to a depth of five meters, about a meter it rises above the ground and forms a podium. The dimensions of the base are 12.3 x 12.3 meters. The facing of the western and southern faces is made of marble, and the main part is made of stone based on clay mortar. The plinth is located in the center of the podium and has the shape of an octagonal prism. The towering trunk is made of curly masonry, which makes it look unusual in the photo.
The history of the creation of the monument and the legend about it
The Burana Tower, according to average estimates, was built in the 10-11th centuries. This period is associated with the development of the Turkic state of the Karakhanids. It happened as a result of the merger of several Tien Shan tribes, who decided to move to a sedentary lifestyle. The capital of their state was Balasagyn. Majestic minarets began to be erected in its vicinity, the first of which was the Burana Tower. The fact that the structure was significant from the point of view of rituals is evidenced by the numerous tombstones scattered around the cylindrical tower.
Numerous excavations indicate that the tribes inhabiting this territory sought to strengthen Islam, which is why they developed various crafts and decorated their minarets with unusual techniques. It is believed that the first temple was also decorated with a dome, but due to an earthquake it could not survive.
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According to legend, the collapse of the upper part occurred for a completely different reason. They say that the Burana tower was erected by one of the khans, who wanted to save his daughter from a terrible prediction. The girl was supposed to die from a spider bite on the day of her sixteenth birthday, so her father imprisoned her at the top of the tower and constantly made sure that not a single insect got in with food and drinks. When the momentous day came, the khan was happy that trouble did not happen. He went to his daughter to congratulate her, and took with him a bunch of grapes.
By a tragic accident, it was in these fruits that a poisonous spider hid, which bit the girl. The Khan sobbed so hard with grief that the top of the tower could not stand it and crumbled. Not only because of the unusual legend, but also because of the scale of the construction, tourists tend to find out where the historical monument is in order to go on a fascinating excursion to Asian sights.
