Balasagun

Balasagun, also spelled as Balassagun was an ancient city in modern-day Kyrgyzstan and capital of the Kara-Khitan Khanate.

Founded in the 9th century and renamed in honor of the poet Yusuf Balasagun, it is located in the Chui river valley close to Lake Issyk-Kul. For many years Balasagun was one of the largest cultural and economic centers of Central Asia, but its prosperity declined after the Mongol conquest. Today it is a village with plenty of ruins for tours, 12km southeast of Tokmok.

The Burana zone, located at the edge of Tokmok and 6 km from the village, was the west end of the ancient city. 80 km east of Bishkek is the Burana Tower in a field of stone petroglyphs, the bal-bals.