Underwater archaeologists at work …
The National Geographic reports of the Issyk Kul 2012 expedition
There are some visitors from the National Geographic Magazine up at Lake Issyk Kul at the moment, taking part in an Underwater archaeological expedition. Although they may not have the place entirely to themselves, there wont be that many tourists getting in their way despite the fact that Issyk Kul is a major tourist zone full of resorts and attractions.
I was talking to an ex-pat the other day, for example, who had just returned to town from a jaunt “up to the Lake”; Lake Issyk Kul, that is. He was saying how pleasant it was, beautiful, good weather, but so quite with very few people. The reason for that was probably very simple: it was in September.
The season up at Lake Issyk Kul is very short. I used to talk about it being three months, until the Director of one of the resorts took me task and asked, “Why do you keep saying three months? – we always reckon on forty days!”.
Many places simply pack up and close their doors as soon as September 1st arrives. Most of the smaller pensionats, open just for the two months July and August, putting up the shutters and closing down as soon as the kids all go back to school.
The way that rooms are priced in the larger resorts, which are either open all year round or, at least, for longer than for just those two summer months are always at their most expensive at the height of summer, (that is in July and August), and tapering away either side of this High Season, (they cost less in in June and September, and even less in May and Ocotber …).
Although I understand the reason behind this short season:
- Although the weather can be very good from April/ May to October/November … it may get chilly – especially at nights outside the High Season.
- Because there are fewer visitors there is less reason for establishments to remain open … but, it seems to me, there is still plenty to see and do and, (although you wouldn’t catch me doing it), there are people that swim all year round.
- Those working in the resorts and attractions are seasonal workers, (perhaps students), happy to work for the short season and busy at other times (perhaps at college or doing other jobs – perhaps on the family farm).
On the other hand, it cannot be good for the local economy trying to generate enough business in two months to sustain the community for the other ten and I suspect that not everyone can thrive on seasonal work. There are always discussions about what opportunities exist that would allow the season to be extended. The Sanatoria, for example, offer all year round treatments, training camps for sportsmen, conferences and seminars, specialist festivals or activities … and so on.
Some people, of course, welcome the peace and quite afforded in the “off-season”.
This year, there have been some interesting off-season visitors staying up on the Northern shore, near Cholpon Ata: the National Geographic Magazine currently has a team of divers conducting some underwater archaeology in Lake Issyk Kul in Northern Kyrgyzstan.
Issyk Kul is an “endorheic lake” (that is it has no outlet) fed by both waters descending from the mouyntains in over 80 different streams and also a number of underwater springs. There is considerable evidence of how the water level of the lake has fluctuated dramatically over the centuries, resulting in these submerged settlements, which once had lain on the shore.
It was one of the earliest sites for underwater archaeological research in Central Asia, with divers exploring its depths as long ago as the 1860s. There were also some excavations in the 1920′s and 1950′s. Professor Vladimir Ploskikh of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences has been leading expeditions back to the lake since 1985 and, since 2010, a team from team from National Geographic and the Slavic University in Bishkek, has been working in the lake. Last year, for example, they conducted a visual and remote sensing survey of the site leading to this year’s expedition.
At the moment they seem to be mapping the lake bed, identifying “buildings” or other sites or objects of interest. As well as manually inspecting the bed of the lake, they are also making use of new technologies of remote sensing, in particular a form of sonar, acoustic energy bounced off the bottom of the lake, the intensity of the echoes being analysed by special equipment to give an indication of what be buried underneath.
It’s going to be tight because they only have until the middle of October when the weather conditions and the water temperatures will get too cold.
Press reports, however, indicate that they have made some discoveries as well, including ceramic jugs and some utensils, and especially an intricate clasp made of bronze in the shape of a leopard’s head.
For the record: Back in April I wrote a postcard about the Sunken Cities in Lake Issyk Kul and the archaeology of the various sites.
The team from National Geographic have been posting some blog entries, with some great photos, on the National Geographic website, (Issyk Kul 2012 – News Watch), and also also conducting live sessions in Google+ Hangout. For example:
Updated: 26/09/12
Bishkek