Tash Rabat

Tash Rabat stands in a grassy mountain valley near the Torugart pass toward China, a stone caravanserai of the Silk Road that has survived largely intact. The squat, domed building is dated to the fifteenth century and stands on the site of an older monastery of the ninth or tenth century; it sheltered merchants and their caravans on the high routes between Central Asia and China. It sits alone among green hills at over 3,500 metres, with yurt camps nearby for overnight stays.

What to look for

• The stone caravanserai - the domed medieval Silk Road inn.
• The interior chambers - the warren of rooms and cells within.
• The valley setting - the remote green high-mountain landscape.
• The yurt camp - the overnight yurt stay beside the site.

When to go

June to September, when the mountain passes and roads are open and the valley green; the site is remote and snowbound outside summer. An overnight in a nearby yurt is the usual way to see it at sunset and after dark.

What to expect

It is remote and reached by a long drive on rough roads deep toward the Chinese border, so it is usually a detour on a wider journey rather than an easy visit, and the caravanserai itself is a modest, if atmospheric, stone structure. Facilities are basic yurt camps.

Nearby

The town of Naryn and the road to the Torugart pass and China are nearby.

Key facts