Tranquil Pier on Issyk-Kul Lake

A narrow pier projects over the clear waters of Issyk-Kul, one of the world’s largest alpine lakes. Encircled by the Tien Shan mountains, this basin long offered shelter and pasture to nomads and a stopover for traders moving between Central Asian routes. Its name means warm lake, a reference to its unusual resistance to freezing even during harsh winters.