We spent three nights in Naryn, a down-on-its luck river townsurrounded by mountains (of course everything is surrounded bymountains here, unless it is a mountain). The first day we decided tohike up about 3,000 ft to one of the mountains. There is very littlevegitation here and almost no trees so you can basically just hikeanywhere, chosing your own trail across the low grass. We made it tothe ridge in about two hours and were shocked to find a full view of arange of snowy mountains, blocking the way to China. They seemed tosay, "don't you bring your camels and silk through HERE."
Cemetery in the foothills south of Naryn
Make your own path
The view from the crest of the local mountains
We took a day trip down to a small valley near the Chinese borderwhere there is a small, stodgy stone building known as Tash Rabat(Stone fortress). The cool thing about it is that nobody really knowswhat it is and why its there. Some people think it was a monestary forNestorian refugess from Arabia. Others think it was a Timurid silkroad caravansary. Still others think it was a later fortress. It goesto show how mysterious this part of the world is. Themonestary/fortress/caravansary was located amongst a nice yurt campwhere we had lunch and I took a walk up the valley until I was pulledover by a man in the process of making mud bricks to share a bowl offresh yogurt.
On the road to Tash Rabat
Tash Rabat
Is it a fortress, a caravansaray or a palace? Nobody knows for sure.
Inside
Afternoon prayers twenty miles from the nearest mosque
Baking bricks
Up the valley above Tash Rabat
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