[1] Located on highway A363 on the north shore of Lake Issyk Kul, the next town to the west is Semyonovka, and to the east, Tüp.

St. Matthew's burial site is reputedly on the shore of Issyk Kul (on Svetly Mys, "Bright Cape") near Anan'yevo.

According to Laurence Mitchell, 'Kyrgyzstan', Bradt Travel Guides, 2008, there is a legend that Saint Matthew, on a journey to India, died and was buried on the shores of Issyk Kul.

They are located at Svetly Mys ('bright cape'), 48 km from Karakol, south of the village of Ak-Bulung (formerly Belovodsk) on the Zayachy peninsula at the northeast corner of Issyk Kul.

In September 2006, Vladimir Ploskikh (see Issyk Kul) reported the discovery of a medieval settlement with catacombs on the Zayachy peninsula.