User:Ayana Kenzhebayeva/Akyrtas

 Country: Kazakhstan 

 Region: Zhambyl region,district named after T.Ryskulov 

 First mention: 1222 year 

Akyrtas (Kazakh: Akyrtas) is a palace complex of the 8th — 9th centuries built in the Zhambyl Regionof Kazakhstan 45 km from the city of Taraz, a historical and cultural monument of republican significance.

For the first time, Akyrtas is mentioned in the diary of a Taoist monk Chang Chun, who in 1222 went from China through Sairam to Samarkand, to Genghis Khan's camp. Here is what is reported in his diary: “On the road we came across a stone settlement: the stones are completely red; there are traces of an ancient military camp. In the west there are large mounds of mounds located as stars in the Bear. ”

The history of the study of Akyrtas began in 1861, but so far there is no consensus on the question of who built it. Among the various theories of the appointment of Akyrtas is a Buddhist or Nestorian monastery, an Arab palace.

The Kazakhstan academician Karl Baypakov believed that the dating of various parts of the complex belongs to a very long period: from the 5th — 3rd centuries. BC e. to the XIV century. n e. The first version concerning the appointment of Akyrtas was launched in the middle of the XIX century. According to the Russian scholar Peter Lerkh, Akyrtas was a Buddhist monastery. In 1894, the complex was visited by the famous orientalist Vasily Barthold. He discovered on one of the stones an image of a fish and came to the conclusion that it was a monastery of Nestorian Christians who, during the times of church schism in Russia, fled to Central Asia. The third version appeared almost a century later. German scientist Burchard Brentyz suggested that Akyrtas is the residence of the Arab governor in Central Asia Kuteib ibn Muslim. Another version can be considered the work of Taraz journalist Amantai Aizakhmetov, who suggested that the site of ancient settlement Chigil, according to historians, founded by Alexander the Great near Taraz, is nothing more than Akyrtas.

The latest data obtained as a result of archaeological research allow identifying Akyrtas with the medieval city of Kasribas, located on the Silk Road. Most scientists believe that Akyrtas was built on the orders of the chief organizer of the conquest of the Arabs in Central Asia, the Arab commander Kuteiba ibn Muslim in 714-715. It was not completed due to the fact that Kuteiba was accused of separatist sentiment and executed.

In July 2014, eight archaeological monuments of Kazakhstan, including Akyrtas, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the “Objects of the Great Silk Road in the Chang'an-Tian-Shan Corridor”.

Description
The largest objects in the walls of Akyrtas are the palace complex with dimensions of 205 × 185 m, built of massive processed blocks of red sandstone, and a citadel with dimensions of 40 × 25 m and walls 3–3.5 m high. To the east of the palace there was a garden with an area of ​​250 × 250 m, surrounded by a wall; to the north is a residential quarter. In the center of the settlement were the main square and havuz - an artificial reservoir. Other Akyrtas facilities include a caravanserai, a religious building (possibly, a mosque from the early Islamic period), manor houses, workshops, a quarry, an observation tower, and a water supply system. On the territory of the settlement there are several mounds of the Sak era. The city walls had four entrances: one on the north side, and three on the south.

Other facts

 * In the post-Soviet years, an assumption was made about the connection of the palace complex of Akyrtas with the Egyptian pyramids of Giza. However, it was not supported by the scientific community.
 * The settlement Akyrtas is popular with esoteric lovers.
 * Akyrtas is open to visitors, but since 2016, the entrance to the mound has been paid.