Top 9 Things to do in Taraz, Kazakhstan

According to the most popular version, Aisha-Bibi was the daughter of the well-known 11th century scholar and poet Khakim-Ata Suleiman Bakyrgani. After her father's death, Aisha was brought up by Sheikh Aikhodzha (Zangi-Ata). When the governor of Taraz Karakhan Mukhammed (for whom Karakhan Mausoleum in Taraz was built) asked for the young beauty's hand, her stepfather rejected the suitor, because Karakhan was not a descendant of the prophet (sayyid), as Aisha was. She then outwitted her hard-hearted stepfather by pretending to lead an army for jihad against the idolaters (Kara-Khitans). Secretly however, she rode towards Taraz. Unfortunately, Karakhan never met his young bride; she died of snakebite at Assa River. Mourning the death of the girl, Karakhan erected the mausoleum of fairytale beauty at this place. A friend and fellow traveler of Aisha named Babadzhi-Khatun became the custodian of the grave. When she died, she was buried within 20 steps from Aisha, and a mausoleum was erected over her grave as well. All legends follow the same general plot: A girl disobeys her parents out of love for her a noble in Taraz and dies by entering a body of water near the city.[4] The legend emphasizes the belief in Central Asia of obedience to elders as the highest value. The site has been venerated since the Middle Ages. Local women from the Taraz Oasis still pray for children and a happy family. It is customary for newlyweds in Taraz to have their union blessed by the dead lovers. Their ritual reenacts the myth. After the ceremony the wedding party retraces Karakhan's journey from Taraz to the site of his fiancée's death. The journey begins at Karakhan Mausoleum in Taraz and ends at the Aisha Bibi, at each location the bride and groom venerate the dead lovers and ask for their blessing.Russian archeologist V. V. Bartold was the first scientist to record the and study the ruins in 1893.[5] The Soviet Union built a protective glass shell to preserve the monument (c 1960) and used it for the education of students in Taraz and tourism. In 2002, the Republic of Kazakhstan paid Nishan Rameto to restore the Aisha Bibi and built the park infrastructure around it.[3] It is a national monument and is listed by UNESCO.

At present the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography under the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan is carrying out archeological diggings in the area of the complex. In future it is planned to establish a museum complex in the framework of the National program "Cultural Heritage". The latest data of archeological research let us identify Akyrtas as a medieval town Kasribas on the Great Silk Road.. Most specialists believe that Akyrtas was built by order of the Arabic general Kuteiba. The tourists are impressed by the grandiosity of the architectural monument and the size of the block stones used for its construction. The foundation of the Palace Complex is four meters deep. Numerous legends try to explain the purpose of the construction and the reasons for why it was not finished. By its size the complex can be compared with ancient Egyptian pyramids. Apparently, frequent raids and internal wars left Akyrtas unfinished and put anend to the former might of the City of Taraz.

It is located in Zhambul district near Aisha-bibi mausoleum, is also a unique architectural monument of the 11th -12th centuries. It is famous for its original 16- ribbed umbrella-type dome of dual curvature. In fact, the ribbed umbrella-type dome does not have any direct analogues in modern architecture of Central Asia. The epigraphic frieze on the portal of the mausoleum brought us the name of a woman buried there. According to the legend the was Aisha’s nurse-maid and was accompanying her on the tragic trip. After Aisha’s death she kept fire on the grave of her favorite foster child. Both mausoleums are not just architectural objects, but also a place of pilgrimage as they are considered to be sacred in the Muslim world.

It is one of the most ancient religious places, built on the right bank of the Talas river in the south-eastern part of the city of Taraz, on the hill, rising above the neighborhood. Tekturmas is considered to be a burial place of Saint Sultan-Makhmud-Khan. The formation of the complex started in the seventh-eleventh centuries, before penetration of Islam. The mausoleum, built in the period of Islam in 1935, was ruined. At present a mausoleum of medieval type was restored in its place. Nearby there is a mausoleum built on the grave of the great Kazakh hero Mambet. Down from the hill there is a beautiful view of the city of Taraz. The impression is increased by the river Talas, running nearby, which gave the name to the ancient town. In the 10th-13th centuries in this place there was a stone bridge, and the caravans crossed it on their was through Taraz. The architectural complex is an object of pilgrimage.

It was built in the end of the 19th century by a citizen of the city of Aulie-Ata on the territory of modern Taraz. In this construction, concepts of architectural composition and principles of heating systems of oriental medieval baths were applied which illicit great interest among tourists and visitors. Until 1950s, the bathhouse was in use. At present, it is reconstructed and serves as a monument of architecture.