Manjyly-ata

Manjyly-Ata (or Manzhyly Ata) valley is located at the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul, between the villages Kaji-Sai and Ton and about 10 minute drive east from Bokonbaeva. Residents call it “the Valley of the sacred springs.” Manjyly-Ata springs have been famous for a long time and can allegedly cure everything from upset stomach to infertility by drinking from a certain spring. 

The site has also been a spot of pilgrimage since the region’s animist Tengrism tradition but has also remained a popular destination after the region turned into Islam and it is still an active religious site where residents come to pray. Manjyly Ata is also mentioned in the Manas epoch and is mentioned as a sacred place for the Kyrgyz people and it has some sacred trees and graves of old sufi and islamic saints. It is a fascinating place where the old beliefs have been mixed with the muslim traditions.

The name of Manjyly Ata comes from a legend about a seer who spread Islam among the local population and used the healing waters of the springs to cure hundreds of people. He was buried near the springs and people have continued to seek his guidance and ailment to their diseases since then. There is still a tomb of islamic saint still standing on one of the hills, serving as a starting point for the pilgrims who come here. 

Most of the 17 springs found in the area have their own legends and each of them is said to cure certain different diseases or conditions. The most popular reason to come to Manjyly Ata is to drink the waters to increase the fertility if a couple is having troubles having a child. The springs are mostly small depressions or holes in the ground that have some tables and cups next to them to catch the water flowing underground towards Issyk Kul.