Taraz is a city with more than 2000 years of history, the heir of great cultures that have entered the Treasury of world civilization. The ancient land of our region has absorbed all the diversity of cultural values of the peoples who lived on its territory. The interfluve of Shu-Talas is the center of development of ethnogenesis of the Kazakhs, the place of formation of the Kazakh khanate. In ancient times, the Great Silk road passed through the steppes of Kazakhstan, connecting East and West. On the routes of the caravan routes, there was a dialogue of cultures, the process of spreading religion, and the exchange of material and spiritual values. The heritage of that era is numerous monuments of nomadic and sedentary cultures.

The State reserve-museum "Monuments of ancient Taraz" of the Ministry of Culture and sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, organized by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 256 of March 24, 1998, is engaged in the study, protection and promotion of objects of historical and cultural significance. The reserve-museum "Monuments of ancient Taraz" manages 30 monuments of Republican significance, built in different historical periods, from the stone age to the present day, located both within the city and on the territory of the Zhambyl region.

Five major medieval cities-Aktobe-Balasagun, Kulan, Ornek, Kostobe, and the Akyrtas Palace complex located in the territory of Zhambyl region-were included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 2014 as monuments of the route network of the "Chang'an-Tien-Shan corridor of the Great Silk road". In the article "Seven facets of the great steppe", N. A. Nazarbayev focuses on the historical heritage of the Great Silk road, which united the Mediterranean and far Eastern civilizations. In 2018 the Akyrtas complex and Aisha Bibi mausoleum have joined the world list of objects of special tourist attraction.

The State reserve-museum "Monuments of ancient Taraz" is engaged in research activities. Since 2011, archaeological and research works have been carried out on the territory of the Taraz settlement, as a result of which an "Open-air museum" is being created - the archaeological park of the Taraz settlement. The funds of the reserve-museum contain unique artifacts made of ceramics, metal, and glass that determine the level of development of crafts and commodity-money relations in the region.

In 2015 The international council of museums ICOM awarded the reserve-Museum "Monuments of ancient Taraz" the title - "Museum of the year".

We invite you, dear reader, to get acquainted with the ancient monuments of archeology, masterpieces of architectural thought of medieval architects who created the mausoleums of Aisha-Bibi and Babaji Khatun, Karakhan and Davudbek, as well as later unique monuments-the mosques of Abdikadir, Abdulla Ishan, Nametbay, Karakhoja, Shokay Datka mausoleum. All of them have been restored, and the territory has been landscaped for visitors.

The diversity and richness of the cultural and historical heritage of Kazakhstan is a fundamental feature of a civilized society. We study it, restore it and carefully preserve it for posterity, making it accessible to residents of Kazakhstan and tourists from all over the world.