The Burana Tower (photo: Jumamadel Imankulov)

The Chuy Valley, located between Bishkek and Issy-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, was once one of the main political, economic and military centres in Eurasia, lying on the Silk Roads trading routes that joined Europe to China for some 1500 years. The main towns of the valley, Navikat (today Krasnaya Rechka), Suyab (Ak Beshim) and Balasagyn (Burana), were founded during the 6th century CE, later developing significantly and becoming unique centres of symbiosis between Indian, Chinese, Sogdian and Turkic cultures, as well as a connecting link between these civilizations thanks to their positions on the Northern Silk Roads. Peoples from India, Sogdia, Syria, Persia, China and the northern steppes settled in the towns, each bringing with them their own religious and cultural traditions.

Navikat and the other towns of the Chuy Valley are mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang, who visited the area in around 620 CE. The town of Krasnaya Rechka (Navikat) has long been one of the most important of all the urban settlements in the Chuy Valley and in the Tien-Shan region. Archaeological excavations in and around the town have revealed a Zoroastrian fire altar and grave site in the western suburbs, Nestorian Christian votive stones in the citadel, and two Buddhist temples south of the town walls.

The sanctuary is the best-preserved part of the Second Buddhist Temple Complex, its excavated remains having been backfilled to prevent further degradation. However, the monument as a whole was excavated 20 years ago, and extensive protective measures to protect the remains have not been carried out. Degradation has therefore taken place, and if urgent conservation measures are not carried out the remains will be lost forever, constituting the irreplaceable loss of this unique monument of early mediaeval Buddhism in Kyrgyzstan.

The purpose of this UNESCO / Japanese Funds-in-Trust project is to carry out a conservation programme at Krasnaya Rechka (Navikat), particularly of the Second Buddhist Temple Complex, and emergency conservation activities at the adjoining sites of Suyab (Ak Beshim) and Balasagyn (Burana). In addition, the project aims to:

• document and research the sites, which is essential for their better understanding and for that of the region as a whole;
• identify the best means towards the sites’ conservation and preservation;
• give training and build national capacity, Kyrgyz specialists being trained by the best international experts;
• draw up a Master Plan for the sites’ conservation as a preparatory step to the potential inscription of the Chuy Valley on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Partners

• Kyrgyz State Commission on Cultural Development;
• Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University;
• Kyrgyz Construction and Transportation University;
• Kyrgyzrestoration Research and Design Bureau.