THE MEDIEVAL SAN TASH CARAVANSERAI IS A WITNESS TO SEISMIC DISASTERS ON THE GREAT SILK ROAD

In 2023, an archaeological site in the eastern part of the Issyk-Kul basin was investigated using the archaeoseismological method.In the San Tash medieval caravanserai, horizontal wall displacements along ruptures, tower landslides along seismic ruptures and tilts, shifts andcollapses of walls were identified and measured. The source of the seismic movements was one of the seismogenic zones that passed nearby(Taldysui or South-lssyk-Kul). The intensity of seismic oscillations, judging by the horizontal displacements of the walls of the caravanserai,was at least I £ IX points. The possible age of the seismic event that led to the destruction and abandonment of the medieval settlement isthe XI-XIII centuries. This is the time of the last movements along the South Issyk-Kul fault (its eastern part is the Karkara fault). The materialsobtained will help clarify the seismic hazard of the Northern Issyk-Kul region, extend the archive of seismic disasters deep into the centuries,as well as determine the impact of strong earthquakes on the development of civilization in the Tien Shan.These data can complement the creationof a New seismic zoning map of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as contribute to understanding the deformation style and location of strong earthquakefoci in post-platform orogens such as Altai, Sayan and Tien Shan.