Zhambyl, Kazakhstan · Asia
Taraz sits on the route: 20 minutes from Sarykemer.
Taraz is a city located in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan. With a population of 358,153, it is an important destination in Asia.
On a road trip, Taraz sits in Kazakhstan. It's in the Asia/Almaty time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Taraz to your route.
Taraz (Kazakh: Тараз ; also historically known as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It had a population of 330,100 as of the 1999 census, up 9% from 1989, making it one of theRead more
fastest-growing cities in the country, after Astana and Turkistan. The current population of Taraz is 428,000 (April 2023).
One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan and in Transoxania, built and populated by the ancient Sogdians, Taraz celebrated its official 2,000th anniversary (recognized by UNESCO) in 2001, dating from a fortress built in the area by a Xiongnu Chanyu named Zhizhi, and was a site of the Battle of Zhizhi in 36 BCE. The city was first recorded under the name "Talas" in 568 CE by Menander Protector. The medieval city of Talas was a major trade center along the Silk Road. It was later described by the Buddhist monk and traveler Xuanzang, who passed Talas in 629 and later wrote: "Traveling westward from the Thousand Springs 140 or 150 li, we come to the city of Daluosi. The city is 8 or 9 li in diameter; and was settled by Hu ("foreign, barbarian, non-Chinese") merchants from various nations. The products and the climate are about the same as Suyab." The Talas alphabet, a variant of the Turkic "runiform" Orkhon script, is named for the town.
Talas secured a place in history by virtue of the Battle of Talas (751 CE), which was fought between forces of the Chinese Tang dynasty and those of the Arab Abbasid Caliphate. The battle took place somewhere along the Talas River in the Talas valley. One of its indirect outcomes was the introduction of paper to the West, via the Arab capture of Chinese papermakers.
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Taraz is located in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan, Asia. The coordinates are 42.8980 latitude, 71.3733 longitude.
Taraz has a population of approximately 358,153 people, making it a city in Kazakhstan.
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