17. Deep in the mountains of Siberia, in the middle of an isolated lake stands the remnants of an ancient imperial palace dating from the Uyghur Khaganate
Concealed in the southern Sengelen mountains of the Tuva Republic, a federal subject of the Russian Federation, eight kilometers west of the village of Kungurtuk and close to the Mongolian border is Lake Tere-Khol. In the middle of the isolated body of water sits Por-Bazhyn, a ruined structure encompassing almost the entire island mass. Enclosed by a rectangular wall, measuring 215 meters by 162 meters, the interior of the site is composed of two large yards, a main building complex, and a series of small yards. Including also gate towers, the surviving outer walls still reach 10 meters in height suggesting an immense construction during its period of use.
Believed to date from the Uyghur Khaganate – a Turkic empire that existed between the mid-8th and mid-9th centuries – radiocarbon dating indicates the construction was built between 770 and 790 CE. Speculated from archaeological surveys to have originally served as a palace, and based heavily upon Chinese T’ang architectural designs, the addition of an inscription referencing Bayanchur Khan supports this hypothesis. Falling into disuse, it is believed the remote site was converted into a Manichaean monastery before being devastated by a series of earthquakes during the Middle Ages.