BURANA TOWER - THE RUINS OF ANCIENT BALASAGYN

  75 km east from the city is a 25m-high tower, which dates from the 11th century and is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagyn. The name “Burana” most probably comes from wrongly pronounced word “Monara” which means Minaret. Minaret is an obligated part of any mosque, it is a tower from which the Muslims were called up for the next praying. Some centuries ago the tower was 44 metres high, but after an earthquake in early 1900, the upper part fell down.

  The tower and a mosque were located in the city centre of Balasagyn town - one of the centres of Karahanid state. The large area around the town was enclosed with 2 rows of fence, that still visible from the top of the tower. Nowadays there is a small museum of Burana, represented with the tower, the remains of three tombmausoleums, and other exhibits, such us: stone sculpture - Balbals, petrogliphes, coins and other things founded during scientific explorations.

  Balasagyn city originaly was covering the territory of 25 sq. kilomiters and was an important trade of the Great Silk Road. It was a birth place of Yusuf Balasaguni - a famous turkic philosophist of XI century.

  Karahanids (Qarakhanids) who built this city were the ones who brought Islam to the region along with new technologies. They had a strong statehood until Chingiz Khans troops destroyed their capitals in XIII century.

Aliases: Balasagun, Balasagyn, Kuz-Ordu, Kuz-Ulush.