Shymkent
Shymkent is “the best city in the CIS”, the members of the International Assembly of Capitals and Major Cities decided in 2011. Until 1992, the city had a consonant name - Chimkent, which in translation from the Turkic language means “green city”, Chim / Shym “meadow” or “turf”, and Kent “city”. One of the first written mentions of the city is found in the book “Zafar Nama” (Book of Victories) Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi, 1425.
Shymkent is more than eight centuries old. According to official sources, settlements in this territory were formed in 11-12 centuries AD, as a result a city was formed. At the beginning of the 13th century, Shymkent was captured by the troops of Genghis Khan and was annexed to the lands of the conqueror.
In the 16th century, the city was part of the Kazakh Khanate, and in the 17th century it became a welcome trophy of the Dzungar conquerors. Numerous raids, battles and internecine wars undermined the life of the population of the city, however, despite this, Shymkent managed to remain an area with developed agriculture, horticulture and crafts.
From the end of the 18th to the middle of the 19th century, Shymkent was the main apple of discord between the Kokand and Bukhara khanates. In the struggle for the Shymkent lands, he defeated Kokand and from 1810 to 1864 the city was a military camp with a large number of troops and the residence of the governor of Khan. In 1864, Shymkent was recaptured from the Kokand Khanate by Russian troops, after which the city became part of the Russian Empire.
During the Soviet era, Shymkent flourished. A large number of factories, plants and manufacturing enterprises were built in the city, which made it possible to achieve a stable economic growth. And today Shymkent is the industrial center of Kazakhstan.
If we talk about the cultural and historical heritage of the city, then I must say that not many monuments have been preserved. Miraculously, those who survived after so many wars — the ancient mausoleum Mazar Abdul-Aziz-Baba and the minaret of the destroyed Basalhakat mosque — remind of medieval times. These two architectural monuments attract much attention of tourists and guests of Shymkent precisely because they are the smallest particle left after the death of the great states that once owned the city.
Learn more about the founding of Shymkent, its complex history and development can be in the museum of local lore, which presents a large collection of unique exhibits found during archaeological excavations in the city.