Tyup is a center of the Tup District of the Issyk Kul Province of Kyrgyzstan. It was established as village Preobrazhenskoye in 1870. Tyup is a road junction town at the northeast corner of Lake Issyk Kul. To the west on A363 is Anan'yevo and to the south Karakol. To the east, A362 leads up the Karkara valley to Kazakhstan.
The Karkara ('black crane') Valley leads east from here about 60 km to Kazakhstan between the Kyungey Ala-Too to the north and the Central Tian Shan to the south. There is an annual horse festival. Halfway up the valley is the village of San-Tash (counting stones). It is said that Tamerlane once ordered each of his soldiers to place a stone in a pile as they passed. When they returned, each soldier was to remove a stone, the number of remaining stones being the number of soldiers that has died. There is a small hollow in the top of the pile, representing the comparatively very small number of people who returned. There are no other stones in the region for miles around.
There's war in the heavens
Rebellion on high
the son of the morning
Descends from a black sky
Severed and broken
His wings burned to dust
His coverings of diamonds and gold
In a moment in time dissolve to rust
Thunder and lightning
Shatter the night
The dragon of darkness
Appears cursed by the keeper of the light
The dark is chosen
The scroll has been sealed
Hidden in verses of prophets
His face is revealed
Songs of glory
Shout across the land
I can take you there
Child of mine, take my hand
Down through the ages
The story's been told
The daughter of wisdom
Beguiled by the serpent of old
Born into sin in a valley of thorns
Torn from enchantment and
Tossed into the eye of the storm
Heaven's garden
Made by God for man
This is paradise
Child of mine, take my hand
Glory to glory
Sin after sin
The rider of death
Pushes on to the place where
The battle must begin
Songs of glory
Shout across the land
This is paradise
Won't you take my hand
Heaven's garden
Made by God for man
This is paradise
Child of mine, take my hand
Oh, take my hand