Burana Tower

• We took another weekday outing, with Nicholai again behind the wheel, to the Tower of Burana, 50 miles to the east. It is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, a Silk Road establishment from the 9th century.
  
  Once out of Bishkek, we enjoyed a fast, divided, four-lane highway:
  

  

  
  Arriving at the tower, we had the place to ourselves --- other than the caretakers. In fact, we were the only visitors the whole time. As we walked up to the tower, this was our first close-up glimpse:
  

  

  Originally 148 feet tall, its height is now only 82 feet because of earthquake damage. The protruding “stick” near the top is a modern rain-water diverter. The one little window illuminating the interior staircase is visible in this picture. Little wonder it is so dark inside.
  
  Off to the right was a distraction we decided to explore before the tower:
  

  

  This was a field of balbals --- Turkic totem-like stone markers or petroglyphs --- that were carved sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries. Each was unique and may have represented a particular individual. We chose our favorites, Patty’s being Mr. Smiley:
  

  

  I prefered this fellow; his mustache gave him an air of intelligence, don’t you think?
  

  

  Others were even shorter:
  

  

  

  All of the stone carvings were oriented toward the tower, although this may have been done in recent times:
  

  

  
  Our curiosity over the balbals satisfied, we turned back to the tower, admiring the intricate brickwork that gave such pleasing geometric patterns:
  

  

  Before ascending the tower, one last picture at the tower base seemed a good idea:
  

  

  Now for the climb. The entrance to the interior is high off the ground; most likely, the original tower access was from the rooftop of a mosque. As a modern substitute, metal spiral stairs allow easy entry:
  

  

  Having peeked inside at the steep, dark staircase, Patty nervously weighs her options:
  

  

  By camera flash, the staircase does not seem so dark but its steepness is indisputable:
  

  

  Lucky thing we brought flashlights.
  
  The expansive view from the tower’s top --- even with the haze --- made the climb worthwhile. This photo is to the north, directly over the balbals:
  

  

  To the east, if you can spot a car, it is ours:
  

  

  ... and to the south, mountain silhouettes are vaguely outlined. Too bad about the haze --- from photos we have seen, the mountains can be spectacular:

  

  Before leaving the top of the tower, we managed to capture a smile from our driver:
  

  

  
  After a safe return to earth, we looked over the caretakers’ yurt. Apparently, the caretakers spend their day and, perhaps, their night inside:
  

  

  
  At last, it was time to go. Hardly underway, however, while driving by a pasture, we noticed that, even here, Neighborhood Watch misses nothing: