Tash-Rabat

Dating back to the 15th century, Tash Rabat is one of the few ancient buildings in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Tash Rabat is a stone caravanserai, a roadside inn where travelers would stop to rest and relax.  It is one of the best remaining examples of the ancient caravanserai in existence, with a total of 31 rooms.

Although only 90 kilometres from the Chinese border at Torugart, the caravanserai is set some 15 kilometres away from the main highway up a side valley.  This ensured that it was safer and less vulnerable to brigands.

It seem it was not only a place of rest, but also of worship.  At 3,500 metres high it would have been the final stopping place before making that last push over the mountains, or equally a place for a well-earned rest if you had just crossed the mountains.