KAZMUSEUM.KZ -
Ulytau in the time of Al-Farabi
Сәрсенбі, 10 Маусым 2026 03:06
KAZMUSEUM.KZ - In 1991, a camel expedition retraced one of the key routes across Central Kazakhstan, traveling 1,300 km from the ruins of the ancient city of Otyrar to the historic center of the Turkic world, Ulytau. Organized by a group of young researchers and enthusiasts, the expedition was driven not only by an academic interest in reconstructing historical routes, but also by a desire to engage directly with the lived geography of the steppe and to reassess the role of Central Kazakhstan in transcontinental exchange. At the same time, it was conceived as a contribution to the UNESCO programme “The Silk Road: Path of Dialogue,” linking local initiative with a broader international effort to study and reinterpret the heritage of the Silk Road.
Against this background, it is important to consider the historical foundations of the Silk Road itself.
What is the “Silk Road,” when did it emerge, and where did it run?
It is said that everything began in 138 BCE, when an embassy caravan departed from the imperial capital of the Han dynasty to deliver Chinese silk to the countries of the West. This marked the beginning of the functioning of a diplomatic and trade transport artery known as the “Great Silk Road,” which, for the first time in human history, connected the peoples of the East and the West through peaceful relations.
However, it should not be forgotten that the Silk Road was also a route of wars, invasions, and bloody battles; that many cities and states disappeared from the forefront of history; and that this road facilitated the slave trade.
Trade routes were not always open to caravan movement. At times they flourished, at times they declined, or alternative routes were established. In such cases, the cities—once “hotspots”—that were bypassed by caravans lost their “source of sustenance.” Their populations decreased, and craftsmen, scholars, and poets departed. Gradually, such cities fell into decline.
In the 6th–13th centuries, the “Turkic section” of the Silk Road became particularly active. It passed through Semirechye and Southern Kazakhstan. This led to the emergence and subsequent economic flourishing of such cities as Taraz, Sayram, and Otrar.
The “Turkic section” of the Silk Road was connected not only with regions located along the route, but also with more distant territories. One such region was the land of the Kipchaks. According to historians, there were two main routes. One ran through eastern Central Kazakhstan along the Nura River; the other was the route we refer to as the “Sarysu” or “Copper” route.
It is well known that the Great Silk Road was preceded by individual segments—relatively short routes, the so-called “Lapis Lazuli Routes,” which connected Central Asia with the Mediterranean and India, and the “Jade Routes,” linking Eastern Turkestan with China. These names were evidently associated with the principal commodities transported along these routes.
Proceeding from this, we may, in turn, assume that our route (the Sarysu route) could be referred to as the “Copper Route.” Archaeological evidence and primary sources indicate that in the Zhezkazgan region, during the Bronze Age and later periods, there existed a major metallurgical center, whose products were exported in the form of semi-finished materials.
Therefore, the “Copper Route” emerged long before the Common Era, predating the Great Silk Road.
Later, in the Middle Ages, during the time of the great Al-Farabi, intercontinental trade routes functioned within the Desht-i-Kipchak. Caravans from Central Asia and other regions penetrated the steppe expanses of the Kipchaks. The nomads themselves supplied goods to the markets of Iran, China, and India, including copper, gold, iron, and horses, which were valued for their endurance and suitability for warfare.
Nomads, closely connected to natural and climatic conditions, were able to identify the most convenient routes across the Betpak-Dala desert. Of these two roads, the one most frequently mentioned in medieval written sources was the “Sarysu” route. It was also the more convenient. Numerous winter camps were located along this road.
The inhabited nature of the lands along this route was noted by the academician and archaeologist Alkey Margulan, who repeatedly crossed the Betpak-Dala desert along the paths of ancient nomadic migrations. Based on archaeological data and written sources, he wrote: “…ancient caravan routes from south to north in most cases passed through inhabited areas located in oases and in the valleys of steppe rivers. One of such inhabited areas in antiquity was the settlements in the oases of Zhetykonur.”
The basin of the lower course of the Sarysu River, being the most suitable place for winter camps of nomads in the western part of Saryarka, was the most convenient for crossing the Betpak-Dala desert.
A description of the route along the Sarysu River in the early Middle Ages is found in the work of Al-Gardizi Zayn al-Akhbar. He writes: “As for the route to the Kimaks, from Farab one goes to Yangikent. On the way from Yangikent to the land of the Kimaks, one encounters a river, crosses it, and arrives in the sands. The Turks call this place Uyukman. Then the route continues to Mount Kendir-Tagy (Ulydag).”
Alkey Margulan, analyzing this account by Al-Gardizi, identifies the river mentioned in the text with the Sarysu River and the Kengir River, Mount Kendir-Tagy with Mount Ulydag (Ulytau), the Asus River with the Ishim River, and the sands of Uyukman with the Zhetykonur sands.
This caravan route passes through nearly all the settlements known to us. In the lower reaches of the Sarysu River, a well-known settlement was the town of Belen-Ana, mentioned in descriptions of the route of Emir Timur’s troops to Ulytau. The next settlement along this road was the town of Bolgan-Ana, located at the confluence of the Kengir River with the Sarysu River.
Above the Bolgan-Ana settlement, the caravan route may have followed the Kengir River or the Zhezdy River. In the area of the present-day city of Zhezkazgan, there were settlements of miners and metallurgists, including Milykuduk, Yelukuduk, Aynakol, and Sorkuduk. Further upstream, in the direction of Ulytau, several mining settlements have been identified, including Taldysai and Balkan.
To the east, on the Kengir River, further upstream, is located the feudal castle Shotkara, situated only 7 km from the mausoleum of Jochi Khan. Near the mausoleum of Jochi Khan there is the unfortified settlement of Orda-Bazar. Further, at the confluence of the Sary-Kengir and Kara-Kengir rivers, is located the settlement of Kelintam, and above this settlement is the site of Khan-Ordas y.
To the north of the upper reaches of the Kara-Kengir River, in the Arganty Mountains, are located the Karaton fortification and the mint of Abulkhair Khan, Khanshatyr. On the shore of Lake Barakkol is situated the settlement of Barak. To the north of Zhezkazgan, on the bank of the Zhezdy River, are located the settlement sites and fortified settlements of Baskamyr and Ayakkamyr. In the Ulytau Mountains are located the settlement sites of Nogerbek-Darasy and the feudal castle Aibas-Darasy.
In 1991, the participants of the expedition “Otyrar–Ulytau,” traveling on twelve camels and led by the author of this article, covered a distance of 1,300 km along the Sarysu route as an experiment. The aim of the expedition was to draw the attention of the public of the Republic and beyond to the role of the nomads of Central Kazakhstan in trade along the Great Silk Road.
The experiment demonstrated the practicality of this route for travelers and caravans, as the presence of the water arteries of the Sarysu, Zhezdy, and Kengir rivers provided sustenance for both animals and people. It is no coincidence that, even in ancient times, early humans followed these routes, as it was and remains a principal migration corridor for wild animals such as the saiga, kulan, and roe deer, as well as for migratory birds.
Thus, like blood pulsating through veins and flowing into a great artery, century after century along the Sarysu River, across the dry steppes, the movement of wild animals and human flows did not cease. Caravans, travelers, scholars, and the warriors of restless khans passed along these routes.
As many centuries ago, so today the Shymkent–Zhezkazgan highway remains popular among traders of the twenty-first century.
This initiative did not end with the 1991 expedition. From 1999 to 2003, it continued under the title “Altai–Danube,” expanding both its geographical scope and research dimensions. The participants covered nearly 6,000 kilometers by camel, traveling from the Altai region of Russia to the Danube River in Hungary, thereby extending the exploration of historical routes far beyond Central Kazakhstan.
Bakhtiyar Kozhakhmetov, local historian
