Ancient city Kostobe is located to the northeast of Sarykemer village, Baizaksky district, on the right bank of the Talas River, 15 km from Taraz.

The city dates back to the VI–XII centuries and it is a monument of archaeology. It has been included in the list of world cultural heritage of UNESCO since 2014. Moreover, it was also included in the list of sacral monuments of Kazakhstan regional significance in the framework of “the Sacred geography of Kazakhstan” project in 2017.

Kostobe is identified with the town of Jamukat (Hamukat), one of the largest urban centers of its time.

In written sources, the mention of Jamukat is found in the works of the historian of the tenth century. Nershahi wrote that the city was founded in the VI century by the Bukhara Sogdians settled in Turkestan and the settlement was named after their leader Zhamukh. In his writings, Al-Maqdisi describes the city in the following words: “Zhamukat is a big city, which has a mosque with walls in the neighbourhood, and bazaars in the rabad”. Orientalist V.V. Barthold proved that the ancient settlement of Zhamukat is located in the Talas Valley, while other researchers believed that it was located on the Syr Darya. However, the problem of identifying a city with some specific monument still remains relevant.

Its topography is close to the topography of the sites of the Shuisk valley of Ak-Beshim and the Red River, identified with the remains of Suyab and Navaket cities. The city is surrounded by long fortress walls, has a rabad, shahristan, the central part, the temple of fire, there are burials nearby. The ruins of Kostobe settlement are a sub-rectangular elevated section (420 × 450 m), surrounded by walls with towers, a moat between them and a moat behind the outer wall. The city has four exit gates.

Since 1938, archaeologists have been conducting research projects to study the struc ture of the city. During the archa e ological excavations of the inner fortress, construction sites of the VІ–ХІІІ centuries were discovered. The lower layer of the city belongs to the VI-VIII centuries. The palace con sisted of residential and busi ness units, with a bypass corridor. Ornamentation of the inner palace shows the high develop ment of architec ture and construction. The predo mi nance of plant and geometric patterns indicates a powerful influence of Islam. You can see the best architecture examples, made in the Central Asian style. This proves that there was a high development of town planning art in the Talas valley. Coins and pottery found in the upper cultural layer prove that the city existed until the beginning of the 13th century. During the excavations, there were often remains of wood and reeds in the form of ash layers, probably the city fell from a large fire or because of war.

Kostobe – a city on the great silk road, it had cultural and trade relations with the cities of Central Asia, the Middle east and the Far east. It was one of the major political and economic centers in this region. The proximity to Taraz testifies to its indisputable prosperity. After the Mongol invasion, the life of the city gradually began to stop.

Ornek city is located in the Sulutor gorge on the Bank of Altinsu river , 7.7 km South of Ornek village of T. Ryskulov district. Archaeological monument dating back to the VIIIXII centuries. Since 2014 it is in the list of UNESCO world cultural heritage, in 2017 within the “Sacred geography of Kazakhstan” project it is included in the list of Sacred monuments of Kazakhstan of regional significance.

            There is information in medieval written sources about the location and name of the city. There is an assumption that the city of Kulshub, referred to in Arab sources, is the modern city of Ornek. In this case, we can conclude that the city was one of the political and strategic centers of the Karluks.

            The study of the topography of the settlement of Ornek and the materials of excavations give an idea of the original center of settlement and craft that existed here. The presence of powerful fortifications, a Cathedral mosque, a rich mausoleum indicates that the monument was one of the major urban centers.

            Undoubtedly, the great silk road had a huge impact on the history of the formation and development of the settlement. At one time, this city, located on one of the main roads, was a halting point for travelers and traders passing in one direction or another. The monument is a witness of many devastating wars, struggle for the throne and various historical events. Of course, it is an invaluable cultural heritage.

Situated in the Shuskii region of Zhambyl Province, 3km south-east of the village of Aktobe on both sides of the River Aksu, the ancient settlement of Balasagun comprises two shakhristans (1 and 2), a citadel and city outskirts. Shakhristan 1 is rectangular in form (380 x 250m) and 6-7m tall. The citadel is situated in the central area, is square in shape with sides of 100m, and 10m tall. Shakhristan 2 is sized 300 x 250m and is 3-6m tall. The city’s outskirts are surrounded by long embankments: the first embankment is 17km in length and the second is 25km. Four semicircular embankments are attached to the second embankment on the east and west sides. Archaeological excavations have been carried out in all parts of the settlement.

According to certain renowned orientalists, the settlement can be identified as the medieval settlement of Balasagun.

The medieval town of Balasagun was the capital of the western wing of the Karakhanid Empire for a long time. It was a cultural, academic and spiritual centre in the enormous territory of the Eurasian continent. Prominent figures such as Iusup Balasaguni, Mahmud Kashgari and others lived and worked here; it was where Balasaguni wrote his encyclopaedic work ‘Kutadgu Bilik’ – ‘The Book of Moral Edification’.

Balasagun was a significant economic, political and cultural medieval centre on the Great Silk Road. Archaeological excavations carried out here have lasted at least a decade. Much has been uncovered over this time: a palace complex with a square and eastern bath house, water-carrying and sewerage systems, residential and agricultural buildings and centres of craftsmanship, where ceramic crockery and tools have been discovered. A unique archaeological find of more than 500 bronze coins was made here.

Kulan is a complex of different-sized monuments situated on the territory of the village of Kulan and its environs, in the T. Ryskulov region of Zhambyl Province.

Kulan was first mentioned in the 7^th century manuscripts of Chinese pilgrim Siuan-Tszian. In the 8^th to the 10^th centuries it was recorded by Arab writers describing the towns situated along the Great Silk Road. The Arab geographer al-Makdisi wrote that Kulan was a fortified city with a mosque and was situated on the main Taraz road. A range of renowned historical events have been linked with Kulan. In 740AD, for example, the last West-Turkic Kagan, Ashina Syn was killed there.

As for the layout of the city, the shakhristan, citadel and traces of the unfortified rabad on the eastern side remain. The outside of the city was surrounded by a moat, preserved to a depth of approximately 1m and a width of 15m. An agricultural district, 12-15km² in size, was attached to the settlement and surrounded by an embankment. The citadel was situated in the north-west corner, and nowadays looks like a tall rectangular hill with a small flat area on top. All of the corners were fortified with towers, currently recognisable as raised mounds. Archaeological investigations revealed three cultural layers: from the 7^th-8^th centuries, 9^th-10^th centuries and 11^th-12^th centuries. During these works at Kulan, a unique palace belonging to a Karluk governor was discovered, with a particularly interesting architectural design. Until this point the principal findings resulting from local excavations had been of carved or flat terracotta, yet the finds at Kulan were air-dried bricks with various patterns. The remains at the ancient settlement of Kulan testify to that fact that the medieval city was a centre of craftsmanship and trade on the Great Silk Road. Archaeological investigations of the settlement’s ‘temple complex’ (in 2006) led to the collection of a rich and interesting variety of ceramics: cooking pots, jugs, mugs, urns, candleholders and small tables.