🧿 Por-Bazhyn

Por-Bazhyn is a ruined structure on a lake island high in the mountains of southern Tuva. The name means "clay house" in Tuvan. Excavations suggest that it was built as a Uyghur palace in the 8th century AD, converted into a Manichaean monastery soon after, abandoned after a short occupation, and finally destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent fire. Its construction methods show that Por-Bazhyn was built within the Tang Chinese architectural tradition.