Karaganda is city and administrative centre of Karaganda oblast of Kazakhstan. Karaganda city is situated at the centre of the important Karaganda coal basin. Karaganda is the second largest city in the republic and derives its name from the cara-gana bush, which grows abundantly in the surrounding steppe.

History of the city

The first settlement appeared in 1856, and small-scale coal mining began in 1857 to supply a nearby copper smelter. Mining ceased in Karaganda in the 1920s but expanded quickly after 1931 following completion of a railway link and a decree that the Karaganda basin was to be developed as a major coal-mining area to supply industry in the Urals. Karaganda was made a city in 1934 and Karaganda oblast centre in 1936. By 1939 Karaganda population had swollen to 166,000. Forced labour was extensively used in Karaganda development.

Karaganda importance increased during World War II, when the Germans occupied the Donets basin and the Parkhomenko coalmining machinery works was among those evacuated to Karaganda Kazakhstan. Coal mining and the production of coal-mining machinery still dominate in Karaganda’s industry, but there are also major iron and steel works, utilizing ore from Karazhal and Lisakovsk. In addition, there are large cement plants and also food and other light industries. By 1972 the concentration of industry in Karaganda Kazakhstan had reduced water supplies in a region already semiarid and necessitated the construction of the Irtysh-Karaganda Canal, dedicated in that year.

Administrative location

Karaganda Kazakhstan city consists of several dozen settlements scattered over an area of approximately 300 square miles (800 square km), but there are two main areas, the Old and New towns. The Old Town grew up in a haphazard fashion in the early years and includes more than 20 pit settlements. The New Town, to the south, begun in 1934 and was designed as the cultural and administrative centre of Karaganda. It has wide streets, parks and such monumental buildings as the Miners’ Palace of Culture.

There are several institutions of higher education, including a university (1972) and medical and polytechnic institutes in Karaganda Kazakhstan. There are also a number of research and design institutes, a museum, theatres, a television centre and a botanical garden in Karaganda Kazakhstan.

Caspian Sea washes the western part of Kazaklhstan. The name of the Sea is connected with the Caspii tribes who had settled shores from time immemorial. It had had such names as Girkanskoye, Khazarskoye, Khvalynskoye. The first mentions about Caspian Sea and its tribes were in the works of Gerodot. The document about the Russian navigators’ visit of Caspian Sea and theirs boating is dated back to IX-X centuries. At the beginning of XVIII century Peter-I had begun the constant research of the Caspian Sea (expeditions of Bekovich-Cherkasky A. and others). Then Soimonov I.F., Ivashinsev N.A., Pallas P.S., Gmelin S.G., Karelin G.S., and others researched the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea is stretched from north to south to 1200km; the medium width is 320km, the length of the shore line is about 7000km (6000km of which in the territory of Russia and other countries). The area of waterland is 371000sqkm; the sea level is lower than ocean’s level to 28,5 (1971). The max depth is 1025m (in the southern part); the Kazakhstan part is not deep, the depth of the north Caspii is about 15-20m. The largest gulfs are: Komsomolets, Mangyshlaksky (Magystau), Kenderli, Kazakhsky, Kara-Bogas-Gol, etc. The total territory of the 50 islands is about 350sqkm. The rivers Volga, Ural and Emba flow into the Caspian Sea from the north side. By the bottom relief and hydrological features we can distinguish the Northern, the Middle and the Southern Caspii.

At the bottom of the Caspian Sea there are deposits of oil and gas.

The Caspian Sea crosses some climate zones: in the northern part – the continental, on the western – the temperate-warm, in the south-western – wet-subtropical, on the east – dry-steppe zone. The northern part differentiates by the sudden changeability of the air temperature and insufficiency of atmospheric precipitation. In the northern and middle parts in October-April the wind blows from the east, in May-September the monsoon wind blows from the north-western part to the south, on the eastern middle parts, in the north-western and north parts there are such winds the speed of which exceeds 24m/s. Average temperature of July and August is +24+26’C, the absolute maximum is +44’C on the east. In winter months the temperature changes from –10’C in the north and to –12’C in the south. About 200mm of atmospheric precipitation fall over the Sea. Average value of evaporation is 1000mm per year. Average temperature of the water surface is +24+26’C in summer, in the southern part is +29’C. Average temperature of the water in the north is –0,5’C in winter, in the middle part from –3’C to –7’C, and in the south –8-10’C. In the north the water surface freezes from November to March, the ice is 2m thick. Average water salty is 12,7-12,8%, on the eastern coast is 13,2%, in the closest parts of Volga and Ural mouth is 0,1-0,2%. The sea level sometimes rises to 2-2,5m and falls to 2m. The total season fluctuation is about 30cm. It is known, that the lowest sea level was in VII-XI centuries (to 2-4m lower than nowadays). The last falling of the sea level continued from 1929 to 1057. The falling of the sea level is the result of dry climate, and the building of the largest hydrotechnic and irrigation buildings on the river. Flora and fauna of the Caspian Sea are comparatively poor. More than 500 kinds of plants, 854 kinds of fishes and animals, some kinds of aquatic birds dwell here. There are large populated areas near the Caspian Sea such as: Guriev, Shevchenko, Eraliev, Balykshy, Ganushkino, etc and important economic regions.

Taraz
Taraz
Taraz – the Historical Center of Kazakhstan

At the beginning of our era on the fertile lands, irrigated by the river, there sprang up the large trade-and-handicraft town Taraz. Up to the XIIth century it was the economic, cultural and political centre of medieval state of Karakhanidz. In 1220 Taraz was conquered by the hordes of Chingiz-Khan and was razed to the ground. At the end of XVIIIth century near the ruins of Taraz the Kokands built the fortress. At the beginning of XIXth century, not far from it, on the spot of ancient Taraz there took place the rapid development of the city named as Aulie-Ata (“ holy aged man”). Its first settlers were Uzbeks, those who came from Namangan.

The population of the town was occupied with handicraft and trade. Here at the spring fair there took place the exchange of hand-made goods and production of agriculture, with which there were occupied the settled inhabitants of oasis, to the products of animal-husbandry of Kazakhs-normads.

In 1864 Aulie-Ata entered the structure of Russia and was occupied with Russian forces. Through its territory there lay the route from Tashkent to Vernyi and Pishpek. The town was settled with Russian officials and service men. In the Russian part of the town there were about 2 dozens of small industrial enterprises on primary processing of raw materials produced by agriculture, mainly, wool-washing and tanning industries. At the beginning of XIXth century there existed one municipal and two parish schools and one Russian-Kazakh school. In the town there were more than 20 mosques and 3 chirches.
In 1938 the town was renamed to Dzhambul after the name of the Kazakh poet Dzhambul Dzhabayev.
On January 8, 1997 by the Decree of the President of Kazakhstan N.A.Nazarbayev the immemorial name – Taraz was given back to the town.

In the town itself there were located caravan-sarais, workshops of craftsmen, stores of merchants.
Taraz achieved its violent growth in X-XIIth centuries, the testimony of which is the forked network of water pipes made of clay pipes, remains of architectural structures, pavements and paved streets, numerous hand-mades of skilful masters, which were found during excavations. The presence in the town of bath-house is referred to that time. The bath-house had inside fresco murals.
Taraz, Monuments

In the town there have been preserved two mausoleums reminding about ancient Taraz. One of them is Aulie-Ata of Karakhan which was built in XIth century above the grave of one of the rulers of Karakhanids’ dynasty. It presents portal-and-dome structure. Inside the mausoleum the walls are made of brick of Katakhanids’ period. There have been preserved the stepped gravestone.

The second small mausoleum of XIIIth century – Sha-Mansur was built above the grave of one of the viceroys of Mongol Khans who had been killed in 1262. It may be judged by the inscriptions preserved on the stone plate inside the mausoleum.

According to the reports of Arab historian-geographer Makdisi, at the end of Xth century Taraz represented the large fortified town with numerous gardens and densely populated.

Invasion of Tatars-Mongols at the beginning of XIIIth century was one of the reasons of Taraz’s downfall.

After the great geographical discoveries of XIVth century the ancient caravan route lost its importance and this fact brought the commercial towns standing on this way (including Taraz) to final downfall.
There are two memorials located 18 km from Taraz which present particular interest for the scientists-researchers and tourists. They are situated not far from each other.

The first is mausoleum of Babadzha-hatun, which was built in XIth century, and it has the marquee dome of unique construction.

The second is mausoleum of Aisha-Bibi which dates from the XIIth century.
It is the only in Kazakhstan unique memorial, entirely faced with carved terracotta with the richest ornamentation in the form of tiles with 60 kinds of patterns, cornices and styled inscriptions. Capitals and columns from terracotta blocks are covered as the entire wall with the thinest paintings, which present the richest composition of motives of folk ornament. On one of the corner towers of mausoleum there preserved the lines from the old distich: “Autumn… Clouds… The Earth is beautiful”.

In 1963 the Akatau settlement got the status of the town. The unique warming up oil pipeline is installed here. The galleries of rock carvings of the epoch of nomads (X-II cent. B.C.) were found on a great lumps in the heart of peninsula, also necropolis with overgrave structures decorated by composite ornament were found here. Two old underground mosques built thousands years ago were found near the Ungazy mountain. The most interesting of these mosques is Shahbagota mosque, because Islam banned to portray people or theirs parts of bodies, nevertheless in the walls of this mosque with the flowers of lotus the portrayal of man’s palm is portrayed.
The population of this town is 175000 people. It is one of the perspective towns of the South-West Kazakhstan, built in 1960s of XX century on Mangyshlak peninsula. It is the center of oil and gas industry and the Caspian seaport. The only nuclear power station of the country is built not far from town with distilling installation. The interesting places: underground mosques (X-XIIc.), necropolis (IX-XIXc.) in the territory of which there are many stone statues, Beket-Ata necropol, mausoleums, excavations of Kuskuduk (the ancient settlement in the territory of Kazakhstan), the territory of the ancient town Kzyl-Kalda (X-XIIc.), the town Fort-Shevchenko (building was began in XVIIIc.), Karagie hollow is to 132m lower of the ocean’s level and the 3d deep hollow in the world, Mangystau desert, Caspian Sea.

According to history the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan was set on the place of the ancient settlement Almaty, which dates from the III century BC. In 1854 it was developed as a frontier fort at the border of the Russian Empire. For the first time the city has been named Vernyi, later Alma-Ata and now – Almaty.

Artifacts, including ones from the Issyk burial-place, a burial-place of a young warrior, located about 70 km far from Almaty. The number of golden handicrafts found there exceeds 4 thousand units, which are exhibited at the Golden Hall of the Central Museum of the Republic.