City of Zhankent

2.  Geographical location: The
site of ancient settlement of
Zhankent is 20km from
Kazalinsk, on right river bank of
Syr-Darya.
 Type of the monument:
Settlement
 Cultural/ethnical
membership: Kangyuy, Oguz,
Kypchak, Kazakh

4.  The ancient settlement has
subdirect shape in the size of
375х225m
• There is a citadel in the size
100х100m and height of 7-8 meters in a
northwest corner. The topography of ruins
shows the direction of the main street
Connecting
the gares in
east and
western
walls.
Intra-quarter
small streets
depart from
this.

5. Currently Zhankent preserved sites of more than 40 towers. As the archaeological excavations
show, a tower located at the gates differs by extreme durability which allowed to reflect the
attacks of enemies. According to experts, the citadel could be the location of military garrisons.
Interestingly that the lower internal floor is faced by strong brickwork which was widespread in
the Central Asia.

7.  Zhankent (Yangikent) was not only capital and
residence of Oguz governors but also the largest
shopping centre in lower reaches of Syr-Darya. It is
explained by its geographical position – it settled down
in the original corridor connecting steppes of the
Central Kazakhstan with Central Asia and the Near East,
on the one hand, by Khoresm, Priaralem, Caucasus, and
the Mediterranean – on the other side. The city was the
centre of overland and river trade: vessels, loaded with
grain and bread came downwards across Syr-Darya
from the Central Asian cities to these lands according
to ibn-Haukal. In XVII-XVIII centuries it was a residence
of the Kazakh khans. Also Zhankent had close
connections with Khoresm. Colonists lived in a city from
Khoresm, and there is an opinion that the city existing
long before Oguz and in X century has been built up
from the zero point and was fortified by Khorezm
builders.

8.  Writings about Zhankent as about a city of Oguz and then of Kipchaks for the first time are seen in historical
sources of the Central Asian, Arabian and Persian historians and travelers in 10-11 centuries. Throughout 6
centuries we can find the data on a city in historical sources of the Persian and Arabian historians and
travelers. A site of ancient settlement of Zhankent (Yangikent) was the largest fortified political and shopping
centre in the lower currents of Syr-Darya. Proseprity was reached by the city due to transit trade and its
location on a brisk trading line of the Silk Road. The city has existed about seventeen centuries. Zhankent, as
well as other cities of the bottom current of Syr-Darya, became the additional centre of Oguz and Seldzhuk
statehood, and one of the centres of ethnogenesis of Kazakhs. Zhenkent has been destroyed in the beginning
of 13 centuries by mongolo-tatar conquerors. In the second half of 13 centuries it has been built up again and
with revival of trading ways as before it began to play an important role by connecting the cities of Priaralye,
cities of Central Asia, the Middle East, East and the Western Europe. In 18 century the city has fallen into
decay. The population had to leave a city and Zhankent was never built up again. For today, this is a unique
large monument of an epoch of the Middle Ages in lower currents of Syr-Darya which is being explored by
archeologists. The ancient settlement has some remained fortifications made of mudbrick blocks. Being
located on one of the important parts of the Silk Road, a city certainly played the important role being a link on
the Great Silk Road. The archaeological monument “Zhankent ancient settlement” is under state protection.
The site of ancient settlement of Zhankent can be recorded into the list under criterion 3 as being the
certificate of cultural tradition and mutual relation of nomadic and settled cultures during Middle Ages epoch
on the Great silk Road.

11.  Geographical location: The
site of ancient settlement
of Sygnak is located 20km
to the north-west of
Tyumen-aryk railway
station, 1.5km to the right
of Turkestan – Kzyl-Orda
modern line
 Type of the monument:
settlement
 Dating: VI-XIV-XIX

12. The medieval cities of Kazakhstan
are usually composed of three
parts: the citadel, which is the
administrative center of the city,
Shahristan, home to affluent
residents of the city and Rabad,
inhabited by the population of the
lower social level. But this
settlement Syganak consists of
two parts: Shakhristan and Rabad
adjacent to Shahristan on three
sides.

13. Shahristan is located in the south-eastern part of the settlement and is represented by
the ruins of a once mighty fortress in an irregular pentagonal shape with a side length:
north - 275 meters north-west - 175 m, south-west - 180 m south - 175 m south East 320
m. Entrance to the fort is located in the north end of the south-east shaft and is 20-meter
long with corridor like passage. Preserved shaft height is of 6-7 m, but judging by shape,
the original height has reached up to 10-12 m. A shaft perimeter was reinforced by 15
towers, the remains of which still dominate the shaft up to 1 m. The internal part of
Shakhristan is almost on entire depth is filled by cultural stratum. In the whole area of
Shakhristan one can find a large number of surface materials in the form of brick,
unglazed and glazed ceramics, mainly, late medieval period. On three sides, except the
south-east, adjacent to Shahristan is Rabad. Most of its length is 650 meters and width of
250-400 m. Rabad is surrounded by earthen wall, preserved to the present time, height
0.7-1.5 m. It’s the most built-up part is the area of the west and the north. In these places
the largest number of mounds of various shapes and sizes were remained - the remnants
of medieval buildings.

15.  The largest room (9,8 х
9,8 m) is prayer room

16.  Mihrab –(opening in the
western wall of the prayer
hall of the mosque, where
one can tilt the head, turn
to God of Muslims) is
situated at the southern
wall of the center. It
corresponds to the Mihrab
of H.A. Yasaui.

17. Room, after the Mihrab on the south side of the wall, is
particularly decorated in compare to other rooms. The walls are
plastered with a red alabaster. The solution is well preserved. On
the south wall remained a rhomb, painted in blue and white color.
This rhomb regarding its color is exactly like the rhomb in the
prayer hall, in the mausoleum of H.A. Yasaui. This is evidenced by
the construction at the end of XVIII - early XIX century on the
banks of the Syr Darya (Zholdasbaev, 2010). Archaeological
research in the region, on the area of 100-150 km showed, that
mosque-madrassas were opened in every medieval town.

18. In the settlement of Syganak
the main platform was built
of baked bricks, the towers
on the sides are made of
rammed clay construction.
The main platform is
extended forward by 4.5
meters. Preserved height of
the platform is 1.7 meters.
The remarkable issue is that
in the architecture of the gate
at that moment in front of
the gate the vertical supports
for hanging bridge were not
found as observed in other
cities