TORU-AYGYR (Kyrgyzstan), Oct 6 — The sun had barely risen, but diving volunteer Elizaveta Bodrova was already raring to plunge into the cold waters of Lake Issyk-Kul, where the ruins of a once-thriving city have lain submerged for centuries.
Situated on an ancient trading route between China and Europe, little is known about the history of the settlement under Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake or how it came to be flooded an estimated 800 years ago.
Together with a team of around 20 scientists, Bodrova is helping uncover its past, findings that could shape our understanding of the history of Central Asia and beyond.
“The visibility isn’t very good today, but I hope we’ll still be able to find the boundary of the settlement,” the 42-year-old told AFP with a smile, before hopping off a motorboat into the depths below.
