Glossary
The encyclopedia of the tourist
P
Padysha-Ata, gorge. Not
far to the north of Kerben. This is a gorge and fast flowing river
up stream from Kashka-Suu. A road runs along the gorge to Karabashat
village and Saint Padysha-Ata Mazar (VI-VII centuries). A spectacular
area with thick birch groves running along the course of the river.
The valley narrows and the power of the water increases, turning huge
stones loudly, in a white mist of water vapour. Passing through the
gorge the valley widens and the sides are covered with thick Tien-Shan
fir forests. White birches line the banks with other assorted shrubs.
Several tributaries join the main river cascading through narrow canyons
with walls up to 400 m high. After another gorge the river opens out at
2000 m to flood across a wide meadow with a beautiful fir grove. Snow
fields and a small glacier with three mountain peaks over 4 km, are seen
to the north. Top
Pakap. To the East of Bishkek,
archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient settlement
dating from the 6th to the 12th century. Top
Pobeda, peak. At 7439 m. Peak
Pobeda, sitting astride the border with China, was the second highest
mountain in the former Soviet Union. It is also the most northerly
7000-meter mountain in the world. It was first climber in 1938 by a
Soviet team that were surprised - they thought it was a lot smaller.
The Chinese name of the mountain is Tomur Peak.
Originally it was called Khan-Tengri by locals but when Semyenov
first saw the peak Kan-Too, he was struck by the distinctive pyramid
shape and mistakenly thought that it was Khan-Tengri. Peak Pobeda
does not have a pyramid profile. Some People think that, in fact
both peaks were known by the name Khan-Tengri to different peoples
at different times. Anyway, the matter was settled in 1946 when it
was renamed in honors of the victory at the end of the Second World
War. Top
Pristan Prjevalsk.
Just outside the town of Karakol. («Pristan» is Russian for pier).
There is a museum dedicated to Prjevalsk on
the site of the house that he had built overlooking an inlet
from the lake. He was a Russian explorer who made several journeys
into Central Asia and almost reached the gates of Lhasa in Tibet,
but who contracted an illness - TB (Consumption) or Typhoid, there
seems to be some confusion - and settled in the area over looking
the lake to die.
There are a number of dachas in the area taking
advantage of the beaches on the lake shore. However, there
is also a restricted military zone here - it used to be a center
for torpedo testing. Top
