Viral Facts: Imagine… you are swimming comfortably in a calm lake and suddenly below you see a glimpse of brick houses, roads, buildings and a centuries-old cemetery, such a sight can also create fear. Besides, curiosity will also arise in your mind to see it.
This is exactly what happened in Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. Scientists have revealed an entire Islamic settlement hidden under water for 600 years, a busy trading center of the Silk Route and a medieval settlement full of mysteries.
Popular Mechanics reports that this area was once an important trade route for silk, spices and precious commodities. According to researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences, a massive earthquake that occurred in the 15th century completely swallowed this settlement. Where once there was the call of mosques and the hustle and bustle of markets, now only the calm waves of the lake remain.
The remains were found about 13 feet below the surface of the lake. Brick buildings and ancient millstones, wooden structures as well as valuable pottery and an Islamic cemetery, including two tombs facing Mecca.
Researchers say that after seeing the scene, it seemed as if the real “Underwater Atlantis” of a story had suddenly appeared. From the structure of the buildings it was also speculated that mosques, hammams and Islamic educational institutions might once have existed here.
An earthquake destroyed the city, people fled from there and gradually even the name and trace of this settlement disappeared from history.
Centuries later, it was revealed that a prosperous and bustling city once resided in the depths of the tranquil lake. This discovery once again proves that the earth’s water sources not only hide animals but also countless secrets of history and when the right time comes, they themselves tell their story to the world.
