Tash Rabat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Tash Rabat situated in the surrounding mountains | |
  Tash Rabat Shown within Kyrgyzstan  Tash Rabat Tash Rabat (West and Central Asia)  Tash Rabat Tash Rabat (Asia) | |
| Location | Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°49′23″N 75°17′20″E / 40.82315°N 75.288766°E |
| Type | Caravanserai |
| History | |
| Founded | 10th, 11th or 15th century |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Tursun Zhutabaeva (caretaker) |
Tash Rabat ("stone lodging"[1]) is a well-preserved 10th-[1] or 15th-century stone caravanserai in At-Bashy District, Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan, located at an altitude of 3,200 metres (10,500 ft).
Tash Rabat is located somewhat east of the main north-south highway. To the south are Lake Chatyr-Kul and Torugart Pass. To the north is Koshoy Korgon, a ruined fortress of uncertain date.[citation needed]
Research
There has been some debate about whether Tash Rabat was originally built as a caravanserai or a temple. As early as 1888, Russian doctor and traveler Nicolay Lvovich Zeland suggested that the site was originally an East Syrian or Buddhist monastery.[2]
Research undertaken at the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s by the Institute of History of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences concluded that Tash Rabat was originally built as a Nestorian monastery in the 10th century, although no Christian artifacts were found during excavations. It was also studied as a Sufi khānaqāh.[1] Later it was determined to be a Buddhist monastery as all inscriptions, artifacts and references were found to be Buddhist in nature. This was further supported by the fact that its inhabitants were Buddhist during the period of its construction.[3]
