Тараз: Двухтысячелетняя история города на Великом Шелковом пути.

Taraz ( ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It had a population of 330,100 as of the 1999 census, up 9% from 1989, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the country, after Astana and Turkistan. The current population of Taraz city is 428,000 (April 2023). One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan and in Transoxania, built and populated by the ancient Sogdians, Taraz celebrated its official 2,000th anniversary (recognized by UNESCO) in 2001, dating from a fortress built in the area by a Xiongnu Chanyu named Zhizhi, and was a site of the Battle of Zhizhi in 36 BCE. The city was first recorded under the name "Talas" in 568 CE by Menander Protector. The medieval city of Talas was a major trade centre along the Silk Road. Talas was later described by Buddhist monk and traveller Xuanzang, who passed Talas in 629 and later wrote: "Traveling westward from the Thousand Springs 140 or 150 li, we come to the city of Daluosi. The city is 8 or 9 li in diameter; and was settled by Hu ("foreign, barbarian, non Chinese") merchants from various nations. The products and the climate are about the same as Suyab." The Talas alphabet, a variant of the Turkic "runiform" Orkhon script, is named for the town. Talas secured a place in history by virtue of the Battle of Talas (751 CE), which was fought between forces of the Chinese Tang dynasty and those of the Arab Abbasid Caliphate. The battle took place somewhere along the Talas River in the Talas valley. One of its indirect outcomes was the introduction of paper to the West, via the Arab capture of Chinese paper makers.

Numerous archaeological finds and monuments in the foothills of Karatau and in Talas Assin oasis show the antiquity of settlements in the Talas River valley, supporting Taraz's claim to being the most ancient city in Kazakhstan. The history of the city is composed of several historical periods, interrupted by destruction and depopulation. The first reference historically recorded city linked with Taraz and the basis for the claim of 2000 year old history is the fortress of Zhizhi that briefly existed at the site of modern day Taraz in the 1st century BCE. A city known as "Taraz" (or "Talas") is then recorded in the 6th century CE (568 CE) and is known to have existed until its decline in the 13th century. The city started to assume its present form when Colonel Chernyev's detachment took over the Aulie Ata fortress and annexed it to the Russian Empire, starting in 1864. Taraz was greatly improved by the Semirechensky railway that passed through the town in 1917.

The discovery of chest ornaments, bronze statues of kings and remnants of ceramic products in separate parts of the Talas river valley are the evidence of the existence of the life in Taraz region in the bronze epoch. According to the archaeological excavation and available written sources, tribal unions of Saka Scythians had been formed in this territory by the 7th 8th centuries B. C.

Hanshu, 70 from 1st century, talk about the fortress constructed on Talas River by Zhizhi Chanyu, a prince of Hun (Ch. Xiongnu, Hsiung nu, etc.). The fortress is believed to have been at the site of modern Taraz.

However scarcity of information, inaccuracy of descriptions, and weakness of geography made it impossible to know the location until 1936. Professor Wilhelm Barthold's research established that the location of ancient Taraz was under the Green Bazaar. Further research and archaeological excavations, which were made by an expedition of The USSR Academy of Science in 1938 under the supervision of A. Bernshtam and G. Patsevich to the depth 2–6 meters, made it possible to reconstruct the appearance and cultural – economic importance of ancient Taraz. The latest archaeological data have considerably expanded ideas about Taraz. At that time the Great Silk Road ran across Southern Kazakhstan. It played a major role in trade and cultural exchange between China, India, Byzantium, and Persia. Taraz developed as a fortified tradecraft city on this massive transcontinental artery. Comparatively gentle climate, fertile soil and rich pastures attracted many stock breeder and farmers. In the 60 s of the 6th century the territory of the First Turkic Kaganate section included Taraz. The Sogdian merchants, who controlled the Central Asian section of the caravan route, were interested in easier access to Byzantium, and initiated trade negotiations first with the Persians, and then with Byzantium. In response, Byzantium sent ambassadors to the Turkic Kaganate, and in the 568 the embassy led by Zemarchus and Maniach to the Muhan Khan arrived in Taraz at the court of Istemi Yabgu. The Persian ambassador also appeared at the court of the Turkic Kagan at the same time, but Istemi Yabgu allied with Byzantium. Unfortunately, it is not illustrated in the written sources of that time what Taraz looked like but it is said to have been a big city. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who passed through Taraz in 630 came to the Ta lo se and noticed that the perimeter of the wall is 8 to 9 li(according to the Chinese measures one tang li is about 453 meters) in this city alternately. Due to written sources and archaeological investigation it is known from the 1st BC to 5th AD Kangui (Kanglu) tribes lived in the Talas River Valley. Similarity between the excavated materials of Taraz and the Kurgans of the Gynskyi and Usunskyi Kanguiskyi tribes show the introduction of Turkic language. Taraz was joined to the Western Turk Khanate. It felt, like other cities of the region, the influence of Sogdian culture. Written sources of Paleo Anthropological material collected from Kurgans in Southern Kazakhstan show the existence of close ties between Taraz and the Kypchaks, Qarluq populations of nearby valleys. As a result of an internecine struggle amongst Turkish tribal leaders at the beginning of the 8th century the Turkish tribe in the Ili River Valley was divided into two branches: Yellow and Black. The black (kara) Turkish owned the Talas River Valley and made Taraz their capital in the middle of the 7th century. In 751 in the Talas River region, upstream from the modern city of Taraz, an army comprising Tang Dynasty troops from China and Kara Turkish mercenaries fought an army from the Abbasid Caliphate. Despite winning the battle, the Caliphate forces withdrew from the region. In 766 the Kara Turkish tribes were defeated by Qarlugs from the northwest. Later, nearly all the tribes of the former Western Turk Khanate were conquered. The development of Taraz as a city arose as the result of the development and strengthening of political and economic ties linked to trade along the Silk Road. As a major halt, it flourished amidst a comparatively gentle climate, fertile soil and rich pastures, which attracted many stockbreeders and farmers. The struggle between Persia and Byzantium for control of the route forced both sides to look for allies. Byzantium sent ambassadors to the Western Turk Khanate, and Zemarkha Kililyskyi arrived in Taraz in 568. Simultaneously the Persians sent their ambassador to the Turks, but Istemi Khan was on the side of Byzantium.

This is the site of the "Battle of Talas"—first and the last military face off between the Muslim Arab forces and the Chinese imperial troops in AD 750–51. After the Arab conquest of Central Asia in the 7th century and 8th century, the Persian Samanids occupied a major part of Central Asia in the 9th century. By this time Taraz, developing little by little had been a rich city state typical of Central Asia with a large population and vast agricultural zone. In the late 9th century the Samanids extended their rule into the Steppes and captured Taraz (893), then one of the headquarters of the Karluk kaghan. A large church was transformed into a mosque, and according to one source, the "Amir of Taraz" embraced Islam. The Islamization of Central Asia was due in significant part to the activities of the Samanids, and in Taraz, other pre existing religions such as Mazdaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Tengrism were gradually replaced.

The Persian Samanids however were defeated by the Turkic Karakhanids who were a confederation of Karluks, Chigils, Yaghmas and other tribes. The Karakhanids were the first Turkic groups to have converted to Islam en masse, to Almalyk." Steady internecine war in Central Asia interfered with the trade with distant countries, and the opening of the sea route from the Western European countries to India stopped the trade on the ancient silk road and led to the decline of the cities on this road.

Taraz is mentioned again in 1513 with the coming of the Kazakh tribes. The once famous medieval city and former capital had become a simple settlement, then it was forgotten, as well as its ancient name. By the 16th century the city's territory had been absorbed into the Kazakh Khanate. The archaeological excavation shows Kazakh nomads were involved in the rebirth of Taraz with cultural links connecting the ancient medieval city with the culture of Kazakh people. The confirmation of it is the names of artificial channels stretched from the city. Under the Kazakh Khans in ancient Taraz there was just a small settlement, the inhabitants of which were engaged in craft, agriculture and cattle breeding. In 1723 the Talas Valley, as well as the major part of southern Kazakhstan were invaded by Dzungars who owned it nearly until 1755.

After the Dzungars were eliminated by Qing China in 1755, their entire territory, including Talas area, was annexed by the Qing, Qing soldiers patrolled the area once a year. Kazakh people were expelled from the area if they were captured pasturing inside the area. As a result of the Dzungars' destruction the area became a No man's land, Qing China had to deal with consistent cross border immigration of Kazakh people. In 1766, the Qianlong Emperor ordered to accommodate Kazakh people in Talas area within the border and settled them properly. The area was promptly populated by Kazakhs. In fact, all of Xinjiang was populated by Kazakhs during the period as the aboriginal western Mongols were eliminated by the Qing in earlier years.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the upper part of the Talas River Valley was again invaded by newcomers. This time it was the Qipchaq soldiers of the Khanate of Kokand. They built a few small fortresses for guarding the border and the caravan route mainly on the ancient cities ruins. Due to the comparatively advantageous position of the fortress which was built on the ruins of ancient Taraz a new town began quickly to grow around it. At first it was named Namangan i Kochek ("little Namangan"), as the first settlements were from the Persian populated city Namangan, now in Uzbekistan and uzbekified. In 1856 it was renamed Aulie Ata, in the honor of Karakhan the founder of Karakhanid dynasty. Mullahs, using a legend about the mausoleum of Karakhan in 12th built a new mausoleum with minarets, which had nothing in common with the older one. This new mausoleum preserved the ancient name, "Aulie Ata" ("holy father"). The town took the same name. By this time the city had become a considerable trade craft center. Annually, a large spring fair was held there. The products of craftsman and agriculture were changed for the things of cattle breeders. Large consignments of livestock bought at the fair were sent to Tashkent and Fergana through the Karrabul Pass in the Talas Alatau. The caravan way passed through the city to the north through Akmolinsk (Astana) and Petropavlovsk (Petropavl), to Omsk.

In 1864, Aulie Ata surrendered after a short siege by Russian forces led by General Mikhail Grigorievich Cherniaev. Soon the line of Russian fortifications across the steppe was connected through Chimkent with the Syr Darya line. The whole part of this land was included in the Russian state. A new Russian quarter was added to old Aulie Ata. Its streets were lined with pyramidal poplars, and new houses were built with brick. By that time there were 2,000 3,000 families with houses, shops, mansions, and small adobe houses of the poor. At first it was ruled by a military administration, later in 1867 it became the center of an Uyezd occupying nearly all of the territory of the modern Jambyl Region of Kazakhstan and Talas Region of Kyrgyzstan. The city continued to play a great role in the livestock trade and in breeding. There appeared some small industrial undertakings, including wine making. In 1876 the first school of a European type was opened by a Russian priest. At that time there were 11,700 inhabitants in the town – besides Russians and Ukrainians there were a lot of Uzbeks; Kazakhs were nearly absent, as they led a nomadic way of life. A full description of the city at the beginning of the 20th century is given in Russian. The population consisted of Russians, Uzbeks and Kazakhs. Ethnic composition of the city according to 1897 census: In 2001, Taraz also entered into a sister city relationship with Muncie, Indiana. On November 12, 2011, a gunman "described by officials as a jihadist" killed at least eight people, including five police officers and himself, in Taraz.

Taraz has a cold semi arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with strong continental influences. It has a mean January temperature of and a mean July temperature of .

Taraz is hosting the football team FC Taraz that plays in the Kazakhstan Premier League. Woman Grand Master in chess Bibisara Assaubayeva, the 2021 World Champion in Women's Blitz Chess, is a native of Taraz.