Photo tours in Taraz.

"Taraz is a large fortified town with many gardens, with a densely populated rabad."

Arab historian Al-Maqdisi.

Photos of Taraz.

The town of Taraz (Talas) - a historical and cultural center on the Great Silk Road was founded in 40 - 36 BC. In 568 the city was first mentioned in Byzantine sources. In 630, the Chinese traveler Xuan-Jian writes the following: "The town of Taraz is in a circle of 8 - 9 li, merchants from different countries live here interspersed."
Arab traveler Ibn Hawkal describes the town as follows: "Taraz is a place of trade between Muslims and Turks." The Arab historian Al-Maqdisi left the following information: "Taraz is a large fortified town with many gardens, with a densely populated rabad."
In the middle of the Xth century, the town of Taraz was considered the largest cultural center of the Karakhanid state. The historical center of the ancient town of Taraz consists of 3 parts: citadel, shahristan and rabad.
Archaeological schisms that began at the end of the XIXth century showed that the city had a water supply made of clay pipes, a public bath-hamam, a mint, cobbled streets and other structures. The size of the citadel is small compared to the shakhristan (240 x 240 meters).
Flanked on four sides by rounded towers protruding from the plane of the wall by three quarters, it was a very thoughtful fortification, successfully inscribed into the shahristan from the north. In the southern wall of the citadel there was a gate leading to the shahristan.
One of the studied towers (northeastern), preserved to a height of 3.6 meters, with a diameter of 18 - 20 meters, was built of clay with a large admixture of pebbles. The explored areas of the city made it possible to find out the contours of the shakhristan.
Its area in comparison with the area of ​​the citadel is quite significant (620 x 620 meters). It is connected to the citadel by walls in the north and made a single whole with it. On three sides (western, eastern and southern), the shahristan had a gate that connected it on the eastern side with rabad.
The contours of the living quarters of this period were very weakly traced.

Authority:
http://www.archeology.kz/ru/1523-gorodishhe_taraz.html

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.