Taraz

  Taraz city is located in the south of Kazakhstan, on the Talas River. It is an administrative district of Zhambyl region with a population of 348,160 people. The city has an international airport, bus stations, entertaining complexes and parks.

  In 568 the first mention of the city Tolos appeared in Greek sources. In 751 there was a battle on Talas between Ziyad Ibn-Salih and army of Tang China. Ismail Samani army came to the walls of Taraz in 893. So the Christian temple was rebuilt in the mosque, then it was joined to the Samanid dynasty. In 999 Samanid dynasty was replaced by the Karahanid dynasty. During their reign, in XI-XII centuries, the ancient city Taraz reached the greatest prosperity. The ruins, found during excavations, are evidenced that the city was completely destroyed by the Mongols in 1220. It was called “Mirzayan” from 1936 till 1938. In 1938 the city was renamed as “Jambul” in honor of Kazakh poet and bard Jambul Dzhabayev.

  Zhambyl city was renamed Taraz city on January 8, 1997 by the decree of the President of Kazakhstan. We haven’t reliable sources of the city name. It is known that the city was called Taraz by the Arabs, and the Kazakh language it is consonant with the word "balance", so it can be concluded that the city was on the Silk Road. September 26, 2001 Taraz people celebrated the anniversary of the city (2000 years) that was officially recognized by UNESCO.