Exhibition: National Tenge — Pride of the State

In honor of the National Currency Day, staff of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Monuments of Ancient Taraz" organized a traveling exhibition "National Tenge – the Pride of the State" for students of the "Happy Future" Palace of Schoolchildren. During the exhibition, students were shown imported Chinese coins of the Tang dynasty from the 7th century, coins of the Karakhanid dynasty (10th–12th centuries), and coins of the Turkic Turgesh Khaganate.

It should be noted that during archaeological excavations at the Taraz settlement, an extensive collection of medieval coins was discovered. To date, more than 1,800 coins and their fragments have been accepted into the funds of the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Monuments of Ancient Taraz," representing unique numismatic artifacts that reflect the history of political, monetary, and cultural relations in the Central Asian region. In 2015, archaeological excavations uncovered a hoard consisting of 183 medieval copper coins. Taraz is an ancient city located at the crossroads of the caravan routes of the Great Silk Road. Known as the "City of Merchants," Taraz was the center of the Turgesh, then the Karluks and Karakhanids, where mints operated for centuries, striking coins in the name of supreme rulers. Most coins were made of copper, meaning copper coins were used by merchants and residents of the ancient Taraz settlement in mutual trade. At the same time, medieval silver coins were used in trade relations with major states.