Tash Rabat

Tash Rabat, hidden in a remote, grassy mountain valley near the Torugart pass toward China, is one of Kyrgyzstan's most evocative historic sites, a remarkably intact stone caravanserai of the Silk Road. This squat, domed stone structure, likely dating from the fifteenth century or earlier, sheltered merchants, travellers and their caravans crossing the high, dangerous mountain routes between Central Asia and China. Set utterly alone amid rolling green hills at over 3,000 metres, with yurts nearby for overnight stays, it powerfully conjures the romance and hardship of the ancient trade routes.

What you actually see

• 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, watching the sun set over the lonely stone inn and the stars emerge, is the most atmospheric way to experience it.

Honest expectations

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. For the sheer romance of a lonely, well-preserved Silk Road inn in a stunning, empty mountain valley, though, it is unforgettable and steeped in history.

Nearby

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