Akyrtas – monument of the Talas Valley
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.1.163.172Keywords:
archaeology, Аkyrtas, architecture, historiography, localization, farsakh, city, caravanserai, ibn Khordadbeh, Qudāma ibn JaʿfarAbstract
Not far from the city of Taraz there is an unfinished rectangular structure made of red stone blocks, long ago called Akyrtas by the locals. For two centuries, this site has attracted the attention of specialists of various fields, such as historians, archaeologists, architects, local historians, journalists etc., who unanimously recognize its monumental nature and the lack of analogies in science. Despite a long and rich history of study, there is no consensus on the dating or purpose of the site. The fact that Akyrtas was not completed and never functioned complicates its dating, as there are almost no artifacts to provide an exact construction date. Researchers have offered various interpretations of this monument: as a Buddhist monastery, a caravanserai, a Christian Nestorian monastery, a palace-fortress of a feudal lord, a trading center and transit point, the residence of the Arab commander Qutayba ibn Muslim, or the residence of the Karluk Khagan. The dating also varies, ranging from the VIII to the XIV centuries. This article analyzes the studies of Akyrtas conducted by scientists at different times, considers the identification of Akyrtas with the city mentioned in Arab sources as Kasribas, and suggests its own hypothesis regarding the time of construction of this structure.
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