Traveling through southern Kazakhstan

Traveling through southern Kazakhstan is of particular interest to those who are passionate about antiquity. Such cities of Southern Kazakhstan as Taraz, Otrar, Turkestan are historical monuments in the open air. These cities stood on the Great Silk Road. Thousands of tourists strive to get here every year from the city of Turkestan, this city ​​of Kazakhstan Muslims reverence it as a shrine, it is believed that after visiting three times

Turkestan is like visiting Mecca. The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi was built by order of Tamerlane, who served as the residence of the Kazakh khans during the Kazakh Khanate. In the central room of the mausoleum during the time of the Kazakh Khanate, meetings and group celebrations of dervishes took place; in the center of the hall there was a ritual cauldron, the weight of which is very impressive - 2 tons, and the diameter of the cauldron is 2,2 meters.leave

The cauldron is interestingly decorated and painted, the handles of the cauldron have the appearance of lotus flowers. Built next to the Yasawi mausoleum, the mosque became famous in the Muslim world as a religious center. Traveling further through southern Kazakhstan, you can visit the Otrar settlement not far from Turkestan. Here you can find the ruins of medieval settlements, but the most impressive are the ruins of Otrar. From Arab sources, the first settlement on the site of Otrar arose in the 12th century and the city was called Farab. Due to its location (on the Great Silk Road), the city developed rapidly and by the XNUMXth century it was a large trading center. The city was in a very advantageous position and at the same time it was the most dangerous position. The wars of conquest have taken their toll, and only ruins have reached us from the once prosperous city.Kazakhstan7

The collection of coins found in Otrar is of great interest to historians, since coins from all cities along the Silk Road were collected here. According to historical documents, there was a ruler’s palace in Otrar, which has not yet been excavated. Since 2004, there has been a program “Revival of Ancient Otrar.” So we can hope that interesting discoveries await us in the future.

Next, your journey through southern Kazakhstan heads to the ancient city of Taraz. The city of Taraz was already known in VI, thanks to non-ferrous metallurgy. Local craftsmen were distinguished by their high skill in casting and forging non-ferrous metals. One example of foundry art is the cauldron of the mausoleum of Ahmed Yassawi in Turkestan. In the 10th–12th centuries, Taraz was the capital of the Karakhanid state. Today in the Taraz region you can see dozens of preserved historical monuments that testify to the former greatness of these places: the mausoleums of Karakhan and Davudbek, as well as the castles of the rulers. Authentic masterpieces of ancient history have reached us.

architecture – mausoleums of Babaji Khatun (X–XI centuries) and Aisha Bibi (XI–XII centuries). These two monuments are included in the UNESCA World Heritage List.

 The ancient cities of Kazakhstan are of course of particular interest to travelers; tourists from many countries come here to see with their own eyes the cities of ancient civilization, the cities that stood on the Great Silk Road. And you can end your trip through Southern Kazakhstan with a city that amazes travelers with its modern architecture and the availability of recreational facilities in the southern capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty.

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