Archaeologists in the Turkistan Region have uncovered parts of a medieval city, remnants of an ancient dwelling, and other artifacts that may be over 1,500 years old, reports infohub.kz.
According to the TV channel "24KZ", near the highway close to the village of Birlik, scientists discovered an ancient settlement. There they found the remains of an ancient dwelling, pottery fragments, iron tools, and sandals (a type of ancient stove) dating back to the Kazakh Khanate era. Additionally, researchers found parts of the medieval city such as the citadel, shahristan, and rabad.
The area was scanned using drones and GIS technologies. From the air, specialists were able to spot terrain features that are not always visible to the naked eye. These technologies helped identify promising areas for study.
"This settlement has been known in archaeological literature since 1962, since the time of Nikolai Pavlovich Podushkin's discovery. He took measurements, partially studied the site, and dated it to the 8th-12th centuries. Our current research shows that the city was inhabited in ancient times, during the Kangju period. It flourished during the Karakhanid and Golden Horde eras," said Dosbol Baigunakov, a professor at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
The deeper archaeologists dug, the further back in time they went. In one excavation, they found remains of living quarters, sandals, pottery, and iron tools. Another excavation revealed the defensive system of the citadel.
"The width of the defensive wall reaches about one meter. We also discovered the citadel tower itself. These findings give us insight into the city's defensive system of that period," said student Kozhakhmet Kadyrkulov.
But one of the main mysteries remains unanswered. Archaeologists speculate that a khan's palace may have been located here. The findings should also help determine the city's role in the region. The discovered items will be sent for laboratory analysis to establish their exact age and origin.
Archaeologists plan to return to the site next year. They say the Southern Karatau remains one of the least studied areas of the region, as most research so far has focused on Otyrar and Turkistan.