The Legend of Lake Issyk-Kul
Lake Issyk-Kul, the second-largest mountain lake in the world, is the subject of numerous Kyrgyz legends. One legend tells of a cruel khan who fell in love with a beautiful shepherdess. When she rejected him, he kidnapped her. Her lover, riding a magical Tulpar (winged horse), rescued her but she was recaptured. Rather than submit to the khan, she threw herself from a tower. As punishment for her death, clear mountain water rushed down and flooded the entire valley where the khan's palace stood, creating the vast lake. Another legend says that Timur (Tamerlane) required each of his soldiers to