The Legend of Lake Markakol

(Source: Yakovlev A. The Lake of Legends: [legends about Lake Markakol] / A. Yakovlev // Titan. – 1984. – September 20. – P. 4)

Once, a rich and excessively greedy bai set up his yurts on the shore of a nameless lake. An old, thin, yet very wealthy, power-hungry, and vengeful neighbor from the summer pastures (zhaïlau) came to visit him. They sat in the yurt, drank kumis, and talked. The yurt owner had a young daughter, the most beautiful girl in the entire area. The guest arranged to marry her for a large bride price (kalym) and left.

Upon learning about this, the daughter ran to her father, begging him not to marry her off to the old man. She told him that she loved a young and handsome dzhigit. But her father became even angrier and refused to listen.

The next day, as agreed, the old groom arrived, driving hundreds of sheep, many horses, and camels. Seeing the old man and the livestock brought as a bride price, the girl grabbed her beloved white lamb, which was always with her, and ran to the lake’s steep rocky shore. Her father found her and demanded that she present herself to the elder groom and accept his expensive gifts.

The girl fell to her knees, clutched her lamb, and once again pleaded with her father not to ruin her life, to spare her, calling upon Allah for help. Suddenly, a strong wind blew down from the mountains. Huge waves rose on the lake, crashing against the rocks and rolling back with white foam.

The greedy father remained unmoved, trembling with anger, but standing his ground. Realizing that his daughter would not obey him, he called his servants to take her to the yurt by force. He snatched the lamb from her hands and threw it into the lake.

Then the girl cried out: «My Marka! It won’t be as you wish!» – and threw herself from the shore. A rushing wave engulfed her and never released her from its embrace.

For many days, the greedy father kept returning to the place, lamenting—not for his daughter, but for the lamb – repeating over and over: «Marka-koldy, Marka-koldy» – «Marka is in the lake».

At first, the bai’s servants, and later the people grazing livestock in the area, began calling the nameless lake Markakol.