Issyk-Kul is the largest and cleanest lake in Kyrgyzstan. The reservoir is one of the 25 largest lakes in the world in terms of area, 7th in the list of the deepest. But the lake is famous not only for its scale, sea storms and amazing nature - it has its own legend …
Long ago, an ancient city towered on the site of Issyk-Kul. The city was ruled by an old and powerful khan, whose greed and cunning knew no bounds. The khan did not know either love or pity, but he was voluptuous. Once a rumor reached him that there was a girl of unearthly beauty in the family of a poor nomad, and he decided to get her at any cost.
The messengers of the khan appeared with gifts to the beauty, but only heard: "I love another and I will not be anybody's wife, except my beloved!" When the girl's answer was conveyed to the cruel ruler, he was beside himself with rage and ordered his subjects to take her to the palace.
Armed horsemen found the unfortunate beauty by the stream, grabbed her and took her away. When she was freed and the blindfold removed from her eyes, she saw herself in the midst of fabulous splendor. Then she realized that she was being held captive by the khan. But neither luxury, nor musicians, nor offerings could win the girl's heart.
Then the khan decided to take by force what he could not get from her with gifts, and one dark night appeared in her chambers. “I love someone else,” was the old answer. The khan began to approach the captive, but she instantly found herself at the open window, over the gaping abyss. “No, khan, I will not be yours,” and with a loud cry the girl rushed down.
At that moment the earth trembled and cracks ran along the inaccessible walls of the castle, stone vaults began to collapse. The abyss into which the girl fell began to fill with water, which came from everywhere until it flooded the entire valley. This is how Issyk-Kul appeared. They say that if you swim in a boat at night to the middle of the lake, you can hear a quiet girlish cry.
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The legend would have remained a legend, but divers exploring the bottom at shallow depths began to notice huge blocks of artificial origin, like pieces of a destroyed fortress. It is also known that sometimes a strong storm washed ashore silver dishes and ornaments, and even in the last century, among the sand, shards of jugs with preserved ornament were sometimes found.
Some say about the flooded castle, others about the destroyed monastery, and still others about the grave-treasury of Genghis Khan in one of the underwater caves. One thing is clear: something was here, but for some unknown reason sank under the water, leaving behind only a heap of desperate speculations and mysterious legends.