Kostobe

Kostobe – a site of an ancient city from the VI–XII centuries included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Republican Significance.

Location

It is located on the east side of the village of Sarykemer in Bayzak District, Zhambyl Region, on the right bank of the Talas River.

Research, historical data

It was first studied by A.N. Bernshtein in 1938. In 1985–87, the Taraz archaeological expedition of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, led by K.M. Baypakov, carried out excavations.

According to the 10th‑century historian Nershahidi, the city of Jamukhat was founded in the VI century by settlers from Bukhara, and was named after the Bukhara ruler Jamuk. The Arab geographer al‑Maqdisi also mentioned Jamukhat among the cities of the Isfijab region, describing it as “the Great (city). The district is surrounded by walls. There is a mosque with a dome, markets in the rabat.”

Researchers have identified Jamukhat as comparable to Kostobe, one of the major cities of the Talas region.

Physical description

The central part of the city of Kostobe is flat. Its size is 420 × 450 m. At one time the city was surrounded by a high wall. The preserved walls reach a height of 3 m. The towers at the corners of the walls were 16–18 m high. The city had four gates. Currently only the parts of the gates that have become detached from the walls have been preserved. During the excavations, the location of a palace in Kostobe was identified. The palace walls were made of raw brick, with only one wall built of stone. The palace consisted of more than 20 rooms. Its central hall measured 9.5 × 8.2 m, the ceremonial hall measured 8 × 14 m, and in some rooms the places of hearths have been preserved. Excavations uncovered ceramic vessels and bone objects. Among the found items were also bracelets and belt buckles. The belt buckles are engraved with images of a horseman and a goat.

The citadel area is 150x150 m. Large cemeteries are at the city's origin. Within a radius of 5 km many small fortifications are densely located. During archaeological excavations at the city site, the place of a fire-worshipers temple from the 8‑9th century was found. Most of the buildings are adorned with decorative panels. Their ornaments are similar to those of the cities Varkhasha, Afrasiab. This itself indicates that the cities of the Talas region, located on the Great Silk Road, had close cultural ties with Central Asia.

Status

In 2014 the Kostobe settlement was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List under the title “Silk Road Monuments: Tien Shan Corridor”.

In 2017 Kostobe was entered into the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Republican Significance.