Tours to ancient monuments of Aral Sea region.

"A multitude of bones was encountered - not only human but also those of various animals... Subsequently, fragments of fired brick, charcoal, and numerous shards of clay vessels were unearthed." In one location, at a depth equal to a person's height, V. Vereshchagin discovered a rather narrow jug - three-quarters of an *arshin* in height and of very beautiful form - featuring a handle and a projecting spout.

V. Vereshchagin. *St. Petersburg Vedomosti*. 1868, No. 2.

"The layout of the foundation and floor suggests that a dome - clad on the outside with blue tiles - rested upon four pillars adorned with multicolored tiles. Entrances to this domed structure appear to have existed on all four sides, corresponding to the cardinal directions; inscriptions likely framed each entrance. No traces of stucco work were found. Indeed, such work would not have withstood atmospheric exposure, as the monument's interior was unprotected against the elements during autumn and winter. Graves enclosed by walls four feet thick lay in the ground on the eastern side. The skeletons - which bore no traces of clothing or ornaments - were oriented facing east. Above these graves stood brick funerary monuments clad in exquisitely decorated tiles, with inscriptions covering the side panels. However, these monuments were so severely damaged that it is difficult to form an accurate idea of ​​their original appearance from the surviving fragments. Near the northeastern corner of the main monument, the remains of a pavement made of a single row of small square bricks were discovered; approximately fifty copper coins covered in a thick layer of oxide, along with two silver coins, were found at the same spot."

"Archaeological Expedition to Turkestan Region in 1867 by P. Lerkh." St. Petersburg. Printing House of Imperial Academy of Sciences. Vasilyevsky Island, 9th Line, No. 12. 1870. 

"Why shouldn't the ancient city near Zhankent become our Pompeii? Military men - who usually care little for antiquities - are now... interested in the ruins, contemplating their scientific importance, posting sentries to guard them, and striving to protect them from any harm. Is this not wonderful news?"

Art critic V.V. Stasov. "Artistic Publication." 1883.

Ancient monuments of Aral Sea region.

Zhankent settlement site is situated at an elevation of 61 m. a. s. l. It lies 5 km from left bank of Syr Darya River; 2.1 km southwest of village of Urkendeu; 12.2 km east-southeast of village of Kozhabakhy; 7.2 km south-southeast of village of Birlik; and 31.6 km southwest of town of Ayteke Bi (Kazalinsk), within Kazalinsky District of Kyzylorda Region.

Early mentions and history of research on Zhankent settlement.

Zhankent dates from the early centuries AD through the XVIIIth century. From the early centuries AD until the XIIth century, the settlement was located at the Zhankent site; during the XIIIth and XIVth centuries, it occupied the territory of the Myntobe settlement site.
The Arab geographer Ibn Rusta was the first to mention Zhankent, doing so between 903 and 912 AD. The first Russians to visit these ruins were Gladyshev and Muravin, who traveled to Khiva in 1740. The first archaeological work at the site was initiated in 1867 by P.I. Lerkh.
In 1868, the site was surveyed by V.V. Vereshchagin. In 1946, the settlement was investigated by the Khorezm Archaeological-Ethnographic Expedition led by S.P. Tolstov. Archaeological research on the settlement began in 2005 as part of a joint expedition involving the A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology (Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan), the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (Russian Academy of Sciences), and Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda State University.
Since 2007, the site has been studied under the state program "Cultural Heritage." Several rooms forming part of a large, permanent dwelling have been investigated within the settlement's citadel.

Meaning of word "Zhankent."

Zhankent, Jankent, or Yanykent - meaning "new city" in Turkic - is an ancient fortress whose ruins remain well-preserved; it was visited by numerous travelers as early as the second half of the XIXth century. Zhankent is a monument of the Aral Sea region and served as the capital of the Oghuz (a Turkic-speaking people).
Medieval Arabic and Persian written sources describe the city as a major economic and cultural hub in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River. The name of the medieval Oghuz capital, Zhankent (Yangikent), translates as "new city" or "new capital."
This suggests the former existence of an "old city" - an earlier Oghuz capital. According to various medieval written sources, Zhankent (Yangikent), located in the lower Syr Darya region, served as the seat of the "King of the Oghuz." The city's remains have been remarkably well-preserved to the present day.

Description of Zhankent settlement.

The settlement is roughly rectangular in plan, measuring 325 by 200 meters. A well-preserved citadel is situated in the northwestern section of the site. A separate, elevated, square-shaped compound is attached to the inner side of the northern wall.
Entrance gates are located on the western and eastern sides of the settlement. The site's fortifications consist of outer walls featuring projecting semicircular towers. A structure - now visible only as the remains of eroded walls—was once attached to the exterior of the northern wall.
The settlement, which covers an area of ​​approximately 16 hectares, is oriented toward the cardinal points with a slight deviation to the northwest. The fortifications in the eastern section - comprising outer defensive walls with projecting semicircular towers constructed from *pakhsa* (rammed earth) blocks - are particularly well-preserved.
In the western part of the settlement, the fortress walls have survived primarily in a slumped, eroded state. The site measures 415 by 230 meters (with a width of 320 meters in the eastern section). Remains of flanking towers are visible along the defensive walls, spaced 25 to 40 meters apart.
The settlement's main gate is located in the center of the eastern perimeter wall, evidenced by complex gate-front structures featuring massive towers. A second entrance gate is presumed to exist in the opposite western wall, as the settlement's main street - running east-to-west - originates at the gate and divides the town into two equal halves.
The citadel is square in plan, measuring 120 by 120 meters; it occupies the entire northeastern section of the site and rises nearly 7.5 to 8 meters above the surrounding terrain, with the highest point of the citadel wall reaching 14 meters. The citadel is the most heavily fortified part of the settlement.
Enclosed by high fortress walls, it is reinforced by massive towers at the corners and along each wall, as well as by three projecting towers. The citadel's entrance gate was most likely located in the center of the southern wall; a large mound - 14-15 meters in diameter and approximately 1 meter high - is visible at the site of the gate.
The gateway was situated between two flanking towers. The interior and layout of this dwelling clearly reflect the architectural traditions characteristic of the medieval urban culture of Southern Kazakhstan and Khorezm. Distinct areas for domestic and residential use can be identified.
Raised platforms (*sufas*) situated along the walls were discovered in the living quarters. The rooms were heated by small hearths. A sanctuary was discovered on the citadel of the settlement, and previously unknown structural features of the fortress wall were identified; a richly ornamented terracotta statue of a two-headed ram was also found.
A large collection of artifacts was recovered, including copper coins, tools, and bronze items - such as earrings, rings, small bells, and sewn-on plaques - that find parallels in sites dating from the late Ist to the early IInd millennium AD. The ceramic assemblage consists of tableware and utility vessels - including large storage jars (*khums*), pitchers, mugs, bowls, and platters - produced using both hand-modeling and potter's wheel techniques.
The ceramics reflect cultural traditions characteristic of the sedentary agricultural and nomadic tribes of Southern Kazakhstan and Saryarka. The blending of diverse cultural traditions in the ceramics of Zhankent likely reflects the close interactions among Turkic tribes within the Oghuz ethno-political confederation - a union encompassing various economic and cultural zones, a fact also corroborated by written sources.Authority:

https://kyzylorda-pamyatniki.kz/ru/monuments/resp/rmemr13

Archaeology.kz on Zhankent settlement.

"Yangikent," "Zhankent," "Jankent," "Shehrkent," "al-Qaryat al-Haditha," "al-Madina al-Jadida," "Dih-i-Nau," and "New City" - these are the various names, across different languages ​​and dialects, for the historically renowned capital of the Oghuz *Yabghus*.
The famous XIIth-century Arab historian al-Idrisi referred to this city as "New Ghuzia." Ibn Hawqal, a Xth-century Arab geographer and traveler from Baghdad, provides interesting details about Zhankent - a name meaning "New Settlement." In his historical-geographical work, he explicitly states that this "New Settlement" was the capital of the Oghuz state.
According to him, Zhankent was the largest settlement in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River; it served not only as the capital but also as the winter residence of the Oghuz ruler. The choice of New Ghuzia as the political center of the Oghuz realm was driven by several factors.
Chief among them was Zhankent’s advantageous geographical location at the junction with the major agricultural oases of Central Asia. New Ghuzia served as a corridor connecting the Oghuz steppes with Khorezm, Transoxiana (Mawarannahr), and Khorasan.
Furthermore, the Syr Darya cities of the Oghuz *Yabghus* were vital hubs for both overland and riverine trade. Ibn Hawqal records that vessels laden with grain and bread traveled along the Syr Darya to the "New Settlement." Zhankent was situated on a key caravan route that led across the Kimak steppes to the valleys of the Sarysu, Kengir, Ishim, and Nura rivers.
The capital of the Oghuz Yabghus occupied a strategically important position in a region that had long served as a zone of constant contact between steppe nomads and the agricultural oases of Central Asia - a veritable "crossroads" of migration and trade routes.
Over a long period, conditions evolved here that fostered the stable coexistence of diverse ethnic groups. Zhankent reflects a pivotal stage in the history of medieval Kazakhstan, one closely linked to the origins of Kazakh statehood, as well as to the ethnogenesis and culture of the Kazakh people.
The ancient Turkic Oghuz (Ghuzz) tribes - who, according to Arabic historical and geographical texts, established a state between the late IXth and Xth centuries - played a significant role not only in the history of medieval Kazakhstan but also in the history and ethnogenesis of peoples such as the Turkmens, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Crimean Tatars, Gagauz, and many others.
Evidence found in the works of Ibn al-Faqih suggests that during this period, the Oghuz possessed their own state and were regarded as one of the most powerful tribal confederations across Central Asia. Fourteenth-century writings - specifically Rashid al-Din’s *Compendium of Chronicles* and Juvayni’s *History of the World-Conqueror* - contain accounts of the conquest of Zhankent by Mongol forces led by Jochi; after subduing the city, Jochi installed a ruler there. Popular historical memory preserves accounts of attempts by Abulkhair and Aryngazy - Kazakh khans of the Junior Zhuz - to restore the city, further underscoring Zhankent’s status as a key geopolitical center.
The unique nature of the settlement was recognized as early as the XIXth century by the renowned art historian V.V. ...Stasov, who placed local archaeological sites on a par with those of antiquity, noting: "...Why shouldn't the ancient city near Zhankent be our Pompeii?"
Military personnel stationed in forts along the Syr Darya also regarded this site as historically significant. They took measures to preserve the ancient settlement, prohibiting the destruction of old structures or their dismantling for bricks. V.V. Stasov himself wrote of this: "Military men - who usually care little for antiquities - are now... taking an interest in the ruins, contemplating their scientific importance, posting sentries to guard them, and striving to protect them from any harm. Is this not wonderful news?"
The history of archaeological study in the Aral Sea region and Southern Kazakhstan began in the second half of the 19th century, following their conquest and incorporation into Russia. In 1867, the renowned Orientalist P.I. Lerkh traveled to the area on a mission for the Russian Archaeological Commission.
He examined and described the remains of the medieval cities of Zhankent, Sauran, and Sygnak, and conducted limited excavations at Zhankent. The famous Russian battle painter V.V. Vereshchagin visited Southern Kazakhstan in 1867-1868 and again in 1869-1870.
He, too, undertook excavations at Zhankent and assembled a collection of ceramics. Vivid descriptions of the antiquities of this new, little-known region - published by him and by other scholars and travelers - awakened interest within Russian society regarding the history and art of Turkestan.
The next stage in the study of the Syr Darya valley's antiquities is associated with the work of members of the Turkestan Circle of Archaeology Enthusiasts, established in Tashkent in 1895 with the scholarly support of V.V. Bartold. It brought together members of the intelligentsia, military personnel, and officials - individuals who, to the extent their means and interests allowed, engaged in the archaeology of Turkestan. In the post-war period, the Khorezm Archaeological... launched research in the Aral Sea region.
...an ethnographic expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences, led by Professor S.P. Tolstov. Continuous archaeological work at the settlement site began in 2005, conducted by staff from the A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology and Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda State University, in collaboration with the N.N. Miklukho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The walls of Zhankent were erected on a flat, low-lying plain bounded by the Syr Darya River to the north and northeast, the Aral Sea to the west, and the Kyzylkum sands to the south. The settlement measures 483 meters along the northwest-southeast axis and 333 meters along the north-southwest axis.
Its total area is 159,000 square meters. The site has a T-shaped layout - a rectangle with an extension in the eastern section. The medieval city's interior is enclosed by massive fortress walls featuring towers. A square citadel, separated from the *shahristan* (inner city) by walls, is situated in the northwest corner of the outer wall perimeter.
A trapezoidal entrance ramp adjoins the *shahristan* wall on the northeast side. The citadel consists of a square enclosure formed by fortress walls measuring 100 by 100 meters. The walls rise 7–8 meters above the surrounding terrain and 3-4 meters above the general level of the settlement.
The interior of the citadel features dense development, consisting of large building complexes (quarters) separated by a network of streets. The *shahristan* is divided from west to east by a main street running parallel to the outer walls. Alleys branch off from the street at right angles, dividing the settlement into large residential blocks that are clearly discernible in aerial photographs.
Entrance gates were located on the western and eastern sides. The unfortified *rabad* (suburb) of Zhankent lies to the north of the *shahristan* (citadel/inner city). The cultural layers of the *rabad* have been heavily eroded and leveled by natural processes.
Zhankent is a historical site of national significance. In 2012, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List as part of the serial transnational nomination "Silk Roads."

https://archaeology.kz/ru/heritages/157-zhankent-qalasy

A.I. Levshin on Zhanykent (1832).

The most notable of these are the ruins of the city of Zhanykent; it measures several versts in circumference and is situated an hour's journey from the left bank of the Syr [Darya] and a day's journey from the river's mouth. It is unknown when or by whom Zhanykent - or Yangikent ("New Fortification") - was built, though the renowned Arab geographer Abulfeda, who lived in the XIVth century, mentions it by the name Yangikent.   
In the previous century, it belonged to the Karakalpaks. Lieutenant Gladyshev, sent to this people by the Russian government in 1742, wrote that he found Zhanykent in ruins, yet stone towers with enclosing walls still stood there, and the Karakalpak Khan resided there.
After the Karakalpaks dispersed, the area was occupied by the Kyrgyz-Kazakhs, who claim that the original inhabitants of Zhanykent were driven out by snakes. Jankent - or Yanykent, meaning "New City" in Turkic - was an ancient fortress whose well-preserved ruins were visited by many travelers as late as the early XXth century.
It is situated on the left bank of the Syr Darya River, 23 km southwest of Kazalinsk. The Arab geographer Ibn Rusta was the first to mention Jankent, doing so between 903 and 912 AD. The first Russians to visit the ruins were Gladyshev and Muravin, who traveled to Khiva in 1740.
The most notable among them are the ruins of the city of Zhanykent; they span several versts in circumference and are situated an hour’s ride from the left bank of the Syr [Darya] and a day’s journey from the river’s mouth. It is unknown when or by whom Zhanykent - or Yangikent ("New Fortification") - was built, though the renowned Arab geographer Abu al-Fida, who lived in the XIVth century, mentions it by the name Yangikent.
In the previous century, the site belonged to the Karakalpaks. Lieutenant Gladyshev, sent to this people by the Russian government in 1742, wrote that he found Zhanykent in ruins, yet stone towers with enclosing walls still stood there, and the Karakalpak Khan resided there.
Following the dispersal of the Karakalpaks, the area was occupied by the Kirghiz-Kazakhs, who claim that the original inhabitants of Zhanykent were driven out by snakes.

Alexei Iraklievich Levshin. *Description of Kirghiz-Kazakh or Kirghiz-Kaisak Mountains and Steppes*. 1832.

L. L. Meyer on Zhan-Kent. 1861.

Although, according to Levshin, the site is mentioned by the XIVth-century Arab geographer Abu al-Fida, we cannot attribute such antiquity to the ruins we observed there. The name *Zhan-Kent* - meaning "New City," a name common wherever Turkic tribes settled - may refer to a different location or even the same one; however, the extant traces of the fortification and city belong to a later period.
It is implausible that walls made of fired clay could have withstood the passage of so many centuries while retaining their original appearance almost entirely intact. At present, a rather large fortification stands there in the shape of an irregular quadrilateral - approximately 150 sazhens long and 160 wide - with a fired-brick citadel located in one of its corners.
Scattered around this fortification - sometimes in what appears to be a degree of disorder - are numerous mounds; while their exteriors resemble natural hillocks, their interiors consist of fired brick, suggesting that this area likely constituted the city itself.
Furthermore, shards of coarse earthenware lie scattered across the landscape, and traces of numerous irrigation canals are visible. About ten versts away stands a tomb known as Bik-min-ana; it is an octagonal fired-brick tower reaching a height of up to eight sazhens.
The construction of the oldest among these tombs can be dated to the same period as the existence of the city of Jan-Kent. Jan-Kent is situated 20 versts from Fort No. 1, on the left bank of the Syr River and five versts from its current channel.
A fortified irregular quadrilateral rises from the saline plain. Its southern and northern sides measure 150 sazhens in length, while its width is no more than 100 sazhens. The walls remain intact, with the exception of the southern wall, which has largely collapsed into the moat; they stand four sazhens high and up to five sazhens thick at the base.
The wall follows a jagged line and features small projections at intervals designed to defend the moat with arrows and stones. Inside, the structures have fallen into ruin, forming a heap of clay mixed with sand and shards of fired earthenware - though the pottery appears to have been of very crude workmanship.
A tower or citadel likely stood in the northwestern corner; here, the wall is higher and exceptionally thick, constructed with an admixture of fired bricks. To the southwest of the fortress lies a cemetery; on the western and northern sides, it is surrounded for a distance of a verst or more by mounds - evidently the remains of clay structures - which are arranged in lines in some places.
The city itself was likely situated here; the area is now overgrown with thorn bushes and other desert vegetation. One of these mounds is significantly larger than the others and contains a greater number of pottery fragments; according to the Kirghiz, it is the Khan’s palace, and they claim that their ancestors discovered large quantities of precious metals and clay vessels within it.
A single, very large bowl is still in the possession of a wealthy Kirghiz man, though I was unable to see it myself. Who lived here, and exactly when, will likely remain a mystery forever; however, it would be interesting to compare these ruins with other ancient Central Asian cities, such as Samarkand and Merv.
The legend concerning the "Kizilbash" (the term used in Central Asia for Persians) who supposedly lived here merits no serious consideration; it was evidently fabricated by the Kirghiz themselves, much like the story of the inhabitants' extermination by snakes - creatures that are, in fact, abundant among the ruins.

Lev Lavrentyevich Meyer. "Syr Darya River Delta and Its Relation to Russia," Morskoy Sbornik. (Naval Miscellany), No. 9, 1861.

Geographic coordinates of settlement of Zhankent: N45°36'44 E61°55'17

Authority:
"Monuments of Central Asia". Author M. Khashimov. Publishing house "Saga", 2001. www.farsah.kz
. "Ancient Kazakhstan"

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.