Taraz – Silk Road Travellers.

“From afar,” writes an eyewitness to the events, a full-time historian of the expeditionary force, “colorful flags of the city of Tanirkut were visible, majestically developing in the wind. Several hundred armed squads stand watch on the towers of the mound. A few hundred more riders briskly jump around the fortress wall. At the main gates of the fortified city, a system of several hundred soldiers — infantrymen are engaged in exercises”

Silk Road Treasure Tours in Taraz.

The town of Taraz (Talas) -"town of merchants" - is more than 2,000 years old. It reached its zenith in the XX - XIIth centuries, when it was famous as the capital of the Karakhan state. You can step into the past at the Karakhan and Davudbek Mausoleums, rulers' castles and many ancient burial-places. Just outside modern-day Taraz (15 - 18 km away) are the Babaji-Khatun Mausoleum (X - XI th centuries) Aisha-Bibi Mausoleum (X  - XIIth centuries), masterpieces of ancient architecture that are listed as world architectural rarities by Unesco.
The architectural form, decoration and artistic value ofAisha-Bibi are amazing. The emergence of Taraz on the map of bygone centuries is directly related to the "Great Migration of Peoples" from East to West. As you know, education in the I millennium BC on the banks of the Yellow River, two warring tribal unions - Han and Huns - marked the beginning of this event.
As a result of protracted hostilities, the emperor of the Han dynasty at the turn of the last century BC managed to split the strong union of the Hunnic tribes into two parts of the "northern" and "southern". As a result of this split, in fact, two Hunnish empires were formed, headed by the Huanye Shanuy (Shanuy is the name of the Prince of the Huns), which recognized the supremacy of the Han and “northern” under the leadership of the younger brother of Huhanie, Zhi-Chih-Shanuy (according to the annals of 26 Chinese dynasties , the so-called “Stories” (his real name is Tezzek-shanyu), who preferred independence and freedom.
It happened in 53 BC Under the onslaught of a strong hostile alliance between the “southerners” and the Han people, the northerners led by the Zhi-Zhi Shan (Tezek Tanirkut) gradually alternated in the northern lands, first in the Dzungaria, and as a result, the Huns intervened in the war between the Kangyuts and Usuns in the Talas Valley.
Here at the end of the 1st millennium BC. It was Shanuy Zhi-Zhi who justified his stake in the Talas-Asa river valley and began to build a fortified city. A huge work force was sent to the construction of the fortified city. According to the great orientalist and historian Lev Gumilyov, even the Romans participated in the construction of the city.
It is assumed that these were the Legionnaires of Crassus, captured by the Parthians and sent by them to serve on the eastern borders. In a word, within two years the capital city was built with two fortified walls, framed by numerous towers and magnificent inner palaces and premises.
The emergence of a strong, hostile to the Han house union of the Kungyu Huns and Usuns in the west, alerted the Chinese emperor, it was decided to destroy the state formation of the "northern" Huns and their city. The pages of “26 Stories” describe in detail how the beautiful fortified city was defeated in 36 BC. e.
The expeditionary corps of the Chinese emperor, led by Commander-in-Chief Gan-Yanshau and his deputy Chin-Tan, stop 3 liahs (1.5 km) from the city of Tanirkut (Talas-Taraz-Talos) on the banks of the Talas River.
“From afar,” writes an eyewitness of the events, a full-time historian of the expeditionary force, “colorful flags of the city of Tanirkut were visible, majestically developing in the wind. Several hundred armed squads stand watch on the towers of the mound.
A few hundred more riders briskly jump around the fortress wall. At the main gate of the fortified city, a system of several hundred soldiers - infantrymen are engaged in exercises. ” Such was our ancient city in 36 BC.
Despite the various vicissitudes of fate for all subsequent centuries, the city of Taraz never lost its leading role as a center of spiritual and material culture, science and state building, which became one of the main transit points of the Great Silk Road.
For many centuries, our city has had the status of a center of numerous state formations, without losing its vanguard role as a center of spiritual development and a civilized way of life. In the 11th - 12th centuries the city of Taraz became the capital of the powerful empire of the Karakhanid dynasty, which for the first time in Central Asia declared Islam the state religion.
In those years, a mint was built, magnificent buildings of religious architecture were built, science developed. Today, historical science knows the names of numerous Tarazi - immigrants from our city who have made a huge contribution to the development of literature, science, culture and art.
If in the history of mankind the Middle Ages is considered the era of the greatest prosperity of human civilization, then the contribution of Taraz to the development of many areas of creative activity of man is undoubtedly great.
Many unique creations of those distant years have survived to the present day. Starting from petroglyphs and stone sculptures ending with magnificent mausoleums and archaeological sites that are rightfully included in the World Heritage List, undoubtedly replenish, the leading appearance of our city in universal history.
At the turn of the 13th century, the phoenix city revived from the ashes was called Yangi-Taraz (New Taraz). In subsequent years, in honor of one of the representatives of the powerful dynasty of the Karakhanids - Shah Mahmud, the city was renamed Aulie-Ata (Holy Grandfather).  
And since 1938 the city of Aulie-Ata was renamed the city of Mirzoyan in honor of a prominent party and statesman who left a good mark in the memory of the people - Levon Isaevich Mirzoyan. The people called him the affectionate name "Myrzazhan", it was his popularity among the population and loyalty to the needs and aspirations of the people that apparently alerted the Bolsheviks and he was soon shot. Since 1938, our city was named after the great poet - Zhambyl Zhabayev.
Exactly 10 years ago, on January 8, 1997, according to the Decree of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, which he signed on the territory of the slave of medieval Taraz, where the capsule with the President’s message to the future generation is installed, the city was returned its original historical name - Taraz.

Authority:
Taken Moldakynov, Director of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve Museum. "Monuments of ancient Taraz." http://www.drevniytaraz.kz

Photos
Alexander Petrov.