Settlement Kulan, VI–XIII centuries

The city was first mentioned in the travel notes of the Chinese pilgrim Xuan-Jian. It is reported by numerous medieval travelers. Ibn Khordadbeh and Kudama (9th century) place Kulan 14 farsakhs west of the city of Taraz. Kudama writes: «In the north of Taraz and Kulan there are sands, behind them are stone deserts, which stretched to the border of the territory of the Kimaks». Al-Maqdisi (X century) reports: «Kulan is a fortified city with a cathedral mosque. Now it is empty, it stands on the big Taraz road». In the XIII century the author of the geographical dictionary Yakut writes: «Kulan is a pleasant town on the border of the country of the Turks from Maverannahr». The topography of the settlement shows shahristan, a citadel and traces of an unfortified rabad on the eastern side.

Status: a monument of archeology of republican significance. Kulan has been included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List since 2014 as one of the objects of the international route «Silk Road: Route Network of the Chang'an-Tien Shan Corridor». Since 2017, within the framework of the «Rukhani Zhangyru» program under the «Sacred Geography of Kazakhstan» project, it has been included in the list of sacred monuments of regional significance.