Remains of Buddhist temple found in Kyrgyzstan
A Kyrgyz-Japanese archaeological expedition has uncovered the remains of a Buddhist temple complex at the medieval settlement of Ak-Beshim (Suyab) in Chui region, dating back to the 7th–8th centuries, Qazinform News Agency cites Kabar.
Excavations at the Shakhristan-2 site revealed stairs, a ramp, and a brick platform — architectural features typical of Tang Dynasty temples. These findings confirm the hypothesis of archaeologist Alexei Bernshtam, who suggested in the 1940s that a Buddhist temple existed in this area.
Research conducted in 2025–2026 has provided new insights into the spread of Buddhist culture in Suyab, a major Silk Road city and capital of the Western Turkic Khaganate between the 6th and 11th centuries.
The expedition, active since 2012, is led by Bakyt Amanbaeva of the National Academy of Sciences (Kyrgyzstan) and Kazuya Yamauchi of Teikyo University (Japan).
Plans are underway to restore the site’s historical status and potentially establish an open-air museum. Notably, in 2014, Ak-Beshim was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the transnational nomination “The Silk Roads: the Route Network of the Chang’an–Tien Shan Corridor.”
Earlier, archaeologists unearthed 18th-century city, Byzantine-era Coptic necropolis in Egypt.
