First published: 19/09/17.

Jarek Pokrzywnicki

Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (Inscribed)

Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor by Jarek Pokrzywnicki

As some others were described I will focus on less popular: Talgar (Kazakhstan) and Suyab - Ak Beshim (Kyrgyzstan), both visited in July, 2017.

Talgar can be easily visited from Almaty town as a half-day trip. There is a convenient public bus from Sayakhat Bus Terminal (Avtovokzal Sayakhat) that goes directly to Talgar town (last bus stop). From town center there are around 3 km to the archeological excavations. From bus station cross the bridge and take the first main street to the right and follow the main road up the river. The place should be at the end of the street. Mind that there are no road-signs but at least local people know it and can direct you provided you know some Russian.

In fact coordinates on our website are wrong as they show a place in the city center. Good coordinates are 43°16'47.1"N 77°13'19.0"E as they should show the the place called on Google Maps “Талгарское Городище” (Talgar Borough). Archeological remains covers relatively huge area although there is not much left apart from the reconstructed town gate (on the photo). There area is currently utilized as grazing ground for sheep, horses and cattle. Reconstructed town gate is interesting but during my visit it was closed (no information about opening hours).

Suyab (Ak-Beshim) can be easily visited together with Burana as it is located some 12 km from the site. Moreover I was surprised that taxi drivers knows the place (and the way how to get). Good starting point for the two locations is a small town Tokmok. In Tokmok (available from Bishkek by public transportation) it is possible to hire a taxi for a couple of hours to get to both places (Burana is by far more interesting so reserve much more time for it).

Suyab looks to be even less preserved than Talgar, it is just a vast area with some evacavation spots, the place is completely unmarked. During my there was a group of Chinese tourists as probably poet Li Bai (Li Po) was born there.

In fact our website coordinates are also wrong as they show the centre of Ak Beshim village. Correct coordinates are as follows 42°48'15.4"N 75°11'56.6"E

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