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  Suyab Shown within Kyrgyzstan Show map of Kyrgyzstan Suyab Suyab (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia | |
| Alternative name | Ordukent |
|---|---|
| Location | Chüy Region, Kyrgyzstan |
| Coordinates | 42°48′18.8″N75°11′59.6″E / 42.805222°N 75.199889°E /42.805222; 75.199889 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 5-6th century |
| Abandoned | 11th century |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Suyab (Persian:سوی آب;traditional Chinese:碎葉;simplified Chinese:碎叶;pinyin:Suìyè;Wade–Giles:Sui4-yeh4Middle Chinese: /suʌiH jiᴇp̚/), also known asOrdukent (modern-dayAk-Beshim), was an ancientSilk Road city located some 50 km (31 mi) east fromBishkek, and 8 km (5.0 mi) west southwest fromTokmok, in theChu river valley, present-dayKyrgyzstan. The ruins of this city, along with other acheological sites associated with the Silk Road, was inscribed in 2014 as part of theSilk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[1]
The settlement ofSogdian merchants sprang up along theSilk Road in the 5th or 6th century. The name of the city derives theSuyab River,[2] whose origin is Iranian (inPersian:suy means "toward"+ab for "water", "rivers").[3] It was first recorded by Chinese pilgrimXuanzang who traveled in the area in 629:[4][5]
Traveling 500li to the north west of Great Qing Lake, we arrive at the city of the Suye River. The city is 6 or 7li in circuit; various Hu ("barbarian") merchants here came from surrounding nations congregate and dwell. The soil is favorable for red millet and for grapes; the woods are not thick, the climate is windy and cold; the people wear garments of twilled wool. Traveling from Suye westward, there are a great number of isolated towns; in each there is a chieftain; these are not dependent on one another, but all are in submission to theTujue.
During the reign ofTong Yabghu Qaghan, Suyab was the principal capital of theWestern Turkic Khaganate.[6] Thekhagan also had a summer capital inNavekat near the springs north ofTashkent in theTalas Valley.[7] There was a sort ofsymbiosis, with the Sogdians responsible for economical prosperity and theGöktürks in charge of the city's military security.
Following the downfall of the khaganate, Suyab was absorbed into theTang dynasty and was a military outpost between 648 and 719. A Chinese fortress was built there in 679, andBuddhism flourished. According to some accounts, the great poetLi Bai was born in Suyab.[8] The Chinese travelerDu Huan, who visited Suyab in 751, found among the ruins a still-functioning Buddhist monastery, wherePrincess Jiaohe, daughter ofAshina Huaidao, used to live.[9][10]
Suyab was one of the Four Garrisons of theAnxi Protectorate until 719, when it was handed over toSuluk of theTürgesh, appointed by the Tang court as the "Loyal and Obedient Qaghan".[2][11] After Suluk's murder in 738, the town was promptly retaken by Tang Chinese forces, along withTalas.[12] The fort was strategically important during the wars between the Tang dynasty and theTibetan Empire. In 766, the city fell to aKarluk ruler, allied with the nascentUyghur Khaganate.
Of the subsequent history of Suyab there is little record, especially after the Chinese evacuated the Four Garrisons in 787.David Nicolle states that Suyab provided 80,000 warriors for the Karluk army and that it was governed by a man known as "King of Heroes".[13]Hudud al-Alam, completed in 983, lists Suyab as a city of 20,000 inhabitants. It is believed to have been supplanted byBalasagun in the early 11th century and was abandoned soon after.
The area around Suyab briefly returned to China under theQing dynasty during the 18th century, but was ceded to theRussian Empire in theTreaty of Tarbagatai in 1864, along withLake Balkhash. It became part of the Russian Empire'sSemirechye Oblast; following the completion ofnational delimitation in Soviet Central Asia in 1936, Suyab was put into theKyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic.[14][15]
In the 19th century the ruins at Ak-Beshim were erroneously identified withBalasagun, the capital of theKara-Khitans.Vasily Bartold, who visited the site in 1893–1894, also lent his support to this identification.[16] Although excavations started in 1938, it was not until the 1950s that it was determined that the site had been abandoned as early as the 11th century and therefore was not Balasagun, which had flourished until the 14th century.[17]
The archaeological site of Suyab covers some 30hectares. As a testimony to Suyab's diverse and vibrant culture, the site encompasses remains of Chinese fortifications, Nestorian Christian churches, Zoroastrianossuaries, and Turkicbalbals. The site is particularly rich in finds ofBuddha statues and stelae.[18] Apart from several Buddhist temples, there were aNestorian church and cemetery from the 7th century, and probably also a 10th-century monastery with frescoes and inscriptions inSogdian andUyghur scripts.[19]