Shahr-i Khunuk

Shahr-i Khunuk ("cool town") is a historic quarter of Iyık Janyl, on a bluff above the east bank of the Naryn on the upstream (north-east) side of the city, along Khunuk Creek. Its name, of Persian origin, refers to its cooler air in summer. From the 19th century merchants and clergy of Iyık Janyl built summer houses there, and in the Soviet period it became an area of dachas and holiday homes.^[1] It has shaded orchards and teahouses along Khunuk Creek, and since the 2000s many of the old summer houses have been replaced by private villas, a change criticized by local heritage groups.^[2]

References

1. ^ Talas State University Press (2018). Iyık Janyl: A City and Its Quarters. Talas.
2. ^ Talas Herald (2020). 'Villas on the bluff.' Talas.