One of the pit stop place on the iconic silk route, which played a very important part in exchange of not only silk but culture and ideologies this tower is very important part of a once capital of Bishkek. Made in the 10th century it’s a pride to step into the past. You can walk all the way up to the tower to also get a better view of the landscape.

This minaret was constructed in the 11th century and was originally 45m tall. Several earthquakes have more or less demolished it, and some repairs have been made. Technically, one can enter into the minaret, but there was such a mass of people lining up for that, so I refrained from even trying. It's a popular place to visit, apparently. More than the tower itself, the surroundings are really beautiful, with the snow-capped mountins in the background. The small museum on the grounds provide some narrateive, with signage also in English.

After driving for over an hour from the Bishkek city center just to find a tower was not the worst it. There is nothing much to do & the museum room is small and was packed with tourists. If you are not claustrophobic do claim to the tower. The step are to narrow and dark. There is no place for two way flow.

We had a really enjoyable visit to Burana Tower. It's all that remains of an 11th century minaret Tower, itself all that remains of the Balasogun citadel. There's an excellent little museum onsite a hundred metres from the Tower. It's well worth a visit as it contains hundreds and hundreds of artefacts found during excavations of the site. The Tower itself is accessed by a steel staircase up to the door and then by wooden steps that are so tight and steep that it's basically a ladder. Only room for one person up or down, yiu eons be passing anyone on the way, put it that way!!! Bring a torch as its oitch dark on the steps. Astounding views from the top by the way, captivating.

As with a lot of sites in Kyrgyzstan away from the cities, this one is a bit hard to get to without a car or guide but it’s worth it. Make sure you do have either a guide or some understanding of the history as this is helpful to put things into perspective. There is a small museum and a small gift shop. Also consider your need to climb it. Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it needs to be climbed ( I didn’t and the stairs are very narrow and one person sized) I was entirely happy to visit without climbing and those in our group who did don’t feel it added a lot