The city of Turkistan is one of the most ancient Kazakh cities. Its name is associated with a number of significant political events in the history of medieval Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which were recorded in written sources. The history of Turkistan is closely connected with two medieval cities of Southern Kazakhstan – Shaugar (Shoytobe) and Yasy (Kultebe). In certain historical periods, these cities served as administrative and economic centers of the Turkistan oasis. According to researchers, Shaugar was the main city of the oasis first, and then Yasy.
Written sources of the 9th-10th centuries indicate that in the region where the city and district of Turkistan are now located, there was a center called Shaugar. In the 6th-11th centuries, it was considered the main city of this region, subordinating smaller cities, settlements, as well as the future regional center – Yasy.
According to the data of Arab geographers of the 10th century, Shaugar was a day’s journey from the city of Keder in the Otrar region. It is described as «A fortified city with a mosque near the market square.» The History of Kazakhstan says that Shaugar was located on the site of Shoytobe, 8 kilometers east of Turkistan. The name «Shaugar» is translated from the Sogdian language as «Black Mountain», which is confirmed by its location at the foot of Karatau, being an additional argument in favor of identifying Shoytobe as Shaugar.
The settlement of Shaugar-Shoytobe is located 7 kilometers south of the city of Turkistan. Its geographical coordinates are: 4314.451’N, 06817.622’E, altitude above sea level – 220 meters. The settlement stretches from west to east for 400×275 meters, and its total area, including the rabad (suburb), is 8.1 hectares.
Archaeological research at this site was carried out in 1974 by the South Kazakhstan Archaeological Expedition (K.M. Akishev), in 1986 the research was continued by the expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR (K.M. Baipakov). In 1990, during excavations under the leadership of L.B. Erzakovich, the territory of the citadel was discovered on an area of 700 m2. Later, in the period 1996-2018, the research was conducted by the Turkestan Archaeological Expedition (E.A. Smagulov, M.K. Tuyakbaev).
The settlement of Shaugar-Shoytobe was included in the «Chronicle of Historical and Cultural Monuments» of Southern Kazakhstan in 1994 No. 604 and was taken under state protection. The total protected area is 15.2 hectares.
Talgat Oserov, archaeologist of the National historical-cultural Museum-Reserve «Azret Sultan».
