On his plot of land, a farmer made an accidental discovery—a statue from the 6th century.

In the vicinity of Issyk-Kul, near the Tien Shan mountains, a man named Erkin Turbaev stumbled upon a remarkable discovery while conducting routine earthworks on his plot. Amidst the soil, he unexpectedly unearthed an enormous statue known as Balbal, dating back to the sixth century.

Initially mistaken by the Kirghiz farmer as an ordinary cobblestone, Erkin decided to remove it from his land. However, as he dug deeper, he soon realized that his shovel had struck something far more significant—a colossal ancient statue.

This remarkable find depicted the head and torso of a human figure. Further investigation revealed that the statue served as a grave marker, akin to a tombstone from ancient times. Such markers were commonly used by the nomadic Turks and Central Asian Asians during the first millennium.

The statue, measuring an impressive three meters in length, exhibited intricate carvings of armor and a distinctive headdress. With a sword intricately carved into its left hand, it became evident that the statue represented a warrior. The lower part of the statue was missing, presumably buried separately in the ground.

At the time of his demise, this individual held a position of honor and importance. This conclusion was drawn by the renowned historian Abdikerimov, who meticulously examined all the inscriptions on the artifact.