Sunken city discovered in Kyrgyzstan lake was a medieval hotspot on the Silk Road — until an earthquake wiped it out

A researcher in scuba gear holds up a large ceramic fragment underwater.

Archaeologists have discovered a drowned medieval city beneath the waters of a salt lake in northeast Kyrgyzstan.

The location was an important stop on one of the Silk Roads between China and the West during medieval times. But it's thought a city there was struck by a major earthquake in the 15th century, causing it to sink beneath the water.