Taraz. The Pearl of the Silk Road

The oldest archaeological traces on the territory of Taraz date back to the time of the Saks and Usuns, who established their first settlements here approximately in the IV-V centuries BC – this is almost 2.5 thousand years ago. A couple of centuries later, Xiongnu Khan Zhizhi established his capital here. 500 years later, in 400 AD, the city was first mentioned in Greek sources as Tholos.

Half a millennium later, the dynasty of Turkic rulers from the house of Karakhanids would defeat the troops of the Persian Samanid dynasty and establish power in Central Asia. Karakhan declared Taraz his capital. It is in Taraz that his mausoleum is located, one of the most remarkable monuments of the city. The Karakhanid period will be the era of Taraz's greatest prosperity.

Then, in the Middle Ages, the mint was located in the city, paved streets were laid out, public baths operated, and there was even a unique water supply made of clay pipes for that time. During the excavations, the remains of a stone bridge for the movement of caravans were revealed.

The State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve-Museum "Monuments of Ancient Taraz" is located on the territory of modern Taraz in the Zhambyl region.

The museum's collections contain a rich collection of coins from various eras and peoples, as well as a unique treasure, the so–called "jeweler's treasure": coins, bracelets, earrings, openwork plaques, linings, blanks and ingots of metal from the Karakhanid period (XI-XII centuries) discovered during excavations.

The reserve includes large–scale archaeological sites, settlements and ancient settlements, such as Taraz, Merke, Tuimekent. Taraz is also famous for its national–scale mausoleums - Aisha Bibi, Babaja Khatun, Karakhan, Daudbek and other historical figures. The real gems of the reserve's treasury are the monuments recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are the ancient settlements of Kulan, Aktobe, Akyrtas, Ornek, Kostobe.

Aisha Bibi Mausoleum is very popular among the Kazakh people and among tourists. Legend has it that a girl named Aisha was connected by love threads with the powerful lord Karakhan. The state was already preparing for lavish celebrations. However, on her way to the wedding, she was bitten by a snake, and she died before she could put on her wedding dress. In memory of his beloved, Karakhan ordered the construction of a mausoleum, to which the flow of pilgrims never stops, as a symbol of high love and innocence.

The fact that people lived in these places back in the Stone Age is evidenced by the Neolithic site of Tanirkazgan. Here, on an area of about one square kilometer, archaeologists discovered a whole collection of various tools made of black and dark gray silicon. Typologically, these products are similar to the oldest monuments of Eurasia and Africa, as well as tools of the Olduvai culture.

The ancient settlement of Taraz is the most colorful, comfortable and spectacular object of the reserve–museum "Monuments of ancient Taraz". It is located right in the city, which makes it convenient to visit. A modern archaeological park has been created here over the ruins of the so-called "Shahristan", the residence of the city's elite class. Visitors can see entire neighborhoods of the ancient city covered with special canopies, see many museum exhibits in stationary museum rooms, stroll through the cozy squares decorated in the colorful decorations of medieval Taraz, explore the surroundings from the observation tower.

X street, Taraz, Zhambyl region.Bekturganova, No. 3

Phone: 8 (7262) 43-08-26

E-mail: tarzapmuz@mail.ru

Website https://ezhelgi-taraz.kz/