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{{For|the villages in Iran|Taraz, Iran (disambiguation){{!}}Taraz, Iran}}
{{Coord|42|54|N|71|22|E|region:KZ_type:city|display=title}}

{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Taraz
|native_name = Тараз
|image_skyline = Taraz.jpg
|image_flag =
|image_seal=Seal Taraz.png
|image_map =
|map_caption =
|pushpin_map            = Kazakhstan
|pushpin_label_position =bottom
|pushpin_mapsize        = 280
|pushpin_map_caption    =Location in Kazakhstan
|coordinates      = {{coord|42|54|N|71|22|E|region:KZ|display=inline}}
|subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|subdivision_name = [[Kazakhstan]]
|subdivision_type1=[[Regions of Kazakhstan|Region]]
|subdivision_name1=[[Jambyl Region]]
|established_title = Founded
|established_date = 568
|government_type =
|leader_title = Akim <small>([[mayor]])</small>
|leader_name = [[Nurzhan Kalenderov]]
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 187.8
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_land_sq_mi =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_urban_sq_mi =
|area_metro_km2 =
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|elevation_footnotes=
|elevation_m = 610
|elevation_ft =
|population_total = 406,262
|population_as_of=2009
|population_footnotes =
|population_density_km2 =auto
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_urban =
|population_metro =
|postal_code_type = [[Postal code]]
|postal_code = 080001 - 080019
|area_code = +7 7262
|registration_plate = H, 08
|website = {{URL|http://www.gorakim.kz/}}
|footnotes =
 |timezone=
|utc_offset = +6
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}}
'''Taraz''' ({{lang-kz|Тараз}}) (known to Europeans as [[Talas]]) is a city and the [[administrative center]] of [[Jambyl Region]] in [[Kazakhstan]], located on the [[Talas River|Talas (Taraz) River]] in the south of the country near the border with [[Kyrgyzstan]]. It had a population of 330,100 (1999 Census), up 9% from 1989, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, after [[Astana]] and [[Turkistan (city)|Turkistan]].

One of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan and in [[Transoxania]], build and populated by the ancient [[Sogdians]], Taraz celebrated its official 2000th anniversary (recognized by UNESCO) in 2001, dating from a fortress built in the area by a [[Xiongnu]]  [[Chanyu]] named [[Zhizhi Chanyu|Zhizhi]] and was a site of the [[Battle of Zhizhi]] in 36 BCE.<ref>[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001177/117760E.pdf ''General Conference30th Session, Paris 1999'']. unesco.org.</ref> The city was first recorded under the name "Talas" in 568 CE by [[Menander Protector]]. The medieval city of Talas was a major trade centre along the [[Silk Road]]. Talas was later described by [[Xuanzang]], who passed Talas in 629 and later wrote: ''Traveling westward from the Thousand Springs 140 or 150 [[Li (unit)|li]], we come to the city of Daluosi. The city is 8 or 9 [[Li (unit)|li]] in diameter; and was settled by [[Five Barbarians|Hu]] ("foreign, non-Oriental") merchants from various nations. The products and the climate are about the same as [[Suyab]]''.<ref>Ji, Xianlin (1985). ''Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty''. Xi'an: Shaanxi People's Press. p. 27</ref> 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 [[China|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 [[papermaking|introduction of paper]] to the west, via the Arab capture of Chinese paper makers.

==History==

===Overview===
Numerous archaeological finds and monuments in the foothills of Karatau and in Talas-Assin oasis show the antiquity of settlements in the [[Talas River]] valley, supporting Taraz's claim to being the most ancient city in Kazakhstan. The history of the city is composed of several historical periods, interrupted by destruction and depopulation. The first reference historically recorded city linked with Taraz and the basis for the claim of 2000-year-old history is the fortress of [[Battle of Zhizhi|Zhizhi]] that briefly existed at the site of modern-day Taraz in the 1st century BCE.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} A city known as "Taraz" (or "Talas"{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}) is then recorded in the 6th century CE<ref name="Pospelov">Pospelov, p.&nbsp;29</ref> (568 CE{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}) and is known to have existed until its decline in the 13th century.<ref name="Pospelov" />  The third historical period begins with the establishment of a [[Khanate of Kokand|Kokand]] fortress at the end of the 18th century, which in 1864 was named '''Auliye-Ata''' (from the [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] words meaning ''saint'' and ''father'').<ref name="Pospelov" /> In 1936, the city was renamed '''Mirzoyan''' (Russian: {{lang|ru|Мирзоя́н}}), after [[Levon Mirzoyan]].<ref name="Pospelov" /> After Mirzoyan's arrest in 1938, the city was renamed '''Dzhambul''' (Russian: {{lang|ru|Джамбу́л}}), after the Kazakh traditional folksinger [[Jambyl Jabayev]] (''Dzhambul Dzhabayev'').<ref name="Pospelov" /> In 1993, the spelling of the city's name was officially changed to '''Jambyl'''/'''Dzhambyl''' (Kazakh: {{lang|kk|Жамбыл}}, ''Jambıl''), and in 1997 the city was renamed Taraz.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

===Prehistoric times===
Discovery of [[caves]] and ancient campsites during the investigation of the eastern part of the Talas-Assinsky Oasis, in the Karatau Ranges spur has confirmed Bernshtam's opinion (expressed in 1903) that the Talas Valley was settled before the 1st century BC: "It is doubtless that the continuation of valley's research will give older testimonies of man's stay."  {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}  Remnants of material culture that were found during excavation of Taraz speak about the lifestyle in this territory to the [[Neolithic]] period.  {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} <!--- This is incoherent.  Not even a sentence.  Delete?  the scholar's statement, that the settlement of the given place began earlier, that it had been mentioned in the written sources of the 2nd century B.C.; that is from the [[Paleolithic]] period.  -->

===Antiquity===
The discovery of [[chest]] ornaments, [[bronze]] statues of kings and remnants of [[ceramic]] products in separate parts of the Talas river valley are the evidence of the existence of the life in Taraz region in the bronze epoch.  According to the archaeological excavation and available written sources, tribal unions of Saka Scythians had been formed in this territory by the 7th-8th centuries B.C. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

[[Hanshu]], 70 from 1st-century, talk about the fortress constructed on Talas River by [[Zhizhi Chanyu]], a prince of [[Hun]] (Ch. [[Xiongnu]], [[Hsiung-nu]], etc.).  The fortress is believed to have been at the site of modern Taraz.

===Medieval Taraz===

====Early references====
The opinion was expressed in 1903 by the authors of the book [[Turkistan]] {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} that ancient Taraz (then known as Talas) was situated under modern Taraz.  However scarcity of information, inaccuracy of descriptions, and weakness of geography made it impossible to know the location until 1936.  Professor [[Wilhelm Barthold]]'s research established that the location of ancient Taraz was under the Green Bazaar.  Further research and archaeological excavations, which were made by an expedition of The USSR Academy of Science in 1938 under the supervision of A. Bernshtam and G.  Patsevich to the depth 2–6 meters, made it possible to reconstruct the appearance and cultural – economic importance of ancient Taraz.  The latest archaeological data has considerably expanded ideas about Taraz.

The year of Taraz's foundation is generally accepted as 568 A.D., the date of the first written record {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}  according to the Greek sources. At that time the Great [[Silk Road]] ran across Southern Kazakhstan. It played a major role in trade and cultural exchange between China, India, [[Byzantium]], and [[Persia]].  Taraz developed as a fortified tradecraft city on this massive transcontinental artery. Comparatively gentle [[climate]], [[fertile soil]] and rich pastures attracted many stock-breeder and farmers. In the 60-s of the 6th century the territory of the [[First Turkic Kaganate]] section included Taraz. The [[Sogdiana|Sogdian]] merchants, who controlled the Central Asian section of the caravan route, were interested in easier access to [[Byzantium]], and initiated trade negotiations first with the [[Persia]]ns, and then with Byzantium. In response, Byzantium sent ambassadors to the [[Turkic Kaganate]], and in the 568 the embassy led by Zemarchus and Maniach to the [[Muhan Khan]] arrived in Taraz at the court of Istemi [[Yabgu]].  The Persian ambassador also appeared at the court of the Turkic Kagan at the same time, but [[Istemi]] [[Yabgu]] allied with Byzantium.

Unfortunately, it is not illustrated in the written sources of that time what Taraz looked like but it is said to have been a big city {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who passed through Taraz in 630 came to the Ta-lo-se having travelled 8 or 9 ''li''. (according to the Chinese measures this equals 576m) in this city alternately. Due to written sources and archaeological investigation it is known from the 1st BC to 5th AD [[Kangui]] ([[Kangar|Kanglu]]) tribes lived in the Talas River Valley.  Similarity between the excavated materials of Taraz and the Kurgans of the [[Gynskyi]] and [[Usunskyi]]-[[Kanguiskyi]] tribes show the introduction of Turkic language.   Mongolian features and elements appear in the settled culture of local mainly European population.  According to A. N. Bernshtam's statement it was a period of ethnogenesis for Central Asia's modern Turkic populations{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} <!--- Such theories of ethnogenesis are a highly suspect strand of Soviet historiography --> Taraz was joined to the Western Turk Khanate. It felt, like other cities of the region, the influence of Sogdian culture.
[[File:Ancient Taraz Kazakhstan.jpg|thumb|Ancient Taraz]]

The evidence suggests that in Taraz, as other cities in Southern Kazakhstan, Turks were the major ethnic element of the population in 4th-13th centuries, together with [[Sart]]s, Arabs and Persians {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}.  Written sources of Paleo-Anthropological material collected from Kurgans in Southern Kazakhstan show the existence of close ties between Taraz and the [[Kypchaks]], [[Karluks|Qarluq]] populations of nearby valleys.  As a result of an internecine struggle amongst Turkish tribal leaders at the beginning of the 8th century the Turkish tribe in the Ili River Valley was divided into two branches: Yellow and Black. The Black(Kara) Turkish owned the Talas River Valley and made Taraz their capital in the middle of the 7th century.  In 751 in the Talas River region, upstream from the modern city of Taraz, an army comprising Tang Dynasty troops from China and Kara Turkish mercenaries fought an army from the Abbasid Caliphate.  Despite winning the battle, the Caliphate forces withdrew from the region. In 766 the Kara-Turkish tribes were defeated by Qarlugs from the northwest. Later, nearly all the tribes of the former Western Turk Khanate were conquered.

The development of Taraz as a city arose as the result of the development and strengthening of political and economic ties linked to trade along the Silk Road. As a major halt, it flourished amidst a comparatively gentle [[climate]], [[fertile soil]] and rich pastures, which attracted many stockbreeders and farmers.  The struggle between Persia and Byzantium for control of the route forced both sides to look for allies. Byzantium sent ambassadors to the Western Turk Khanate, and Zemarkha Kililyskyi arrived in Taraz in 568.  Simultaneously the Persians sent their ambassador to the Turks, but Istemi Khan was on the side of Byzantium.

====Islamic and Persian period====
[[File:Aisha bibi.png|thumb|The restored mausoleum of [[Ayshah Bibi]] near Taraz]]

This is the site of the "[[Battle of Talas]]"—first and the last military face-off between the Muslim Arab forces and the Chinese imperial troops in AD 750-51.  After the [[Muslim conquest of Transoxiana|Arab conquest of Central Asia]] in the 7th century and 8th century, the Persian [[Samanids]] occupied a major part of Central Asia in the 9th century. By this time Taraz, developing little by little had been a rich city-state typical of Central Asia with a large population and vast agricultural zone. In the late 9th century the Samanids extended their rule into the Steppes and captured Taraz (893), then one of the headquarters of the Karluk kaghan. A large church was transformed into a mosque, and according to one source, the "amir of Taraz" embraced Islam.<ref name="sinor">{{citation|last = Golden|first = Peter. B.|chapter = Chapter 13 - The Karakhanids and Early Islam|year = 1990|title = The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia|editor-last = Sinor|editor-first = Denis|pages = 343–370 |publisher = Cambridge University Press|isbn = 0 521 24304 1}}</ref> The Islamization of Central Asia was due in significant part to the activities of the Samanids, and in Taraz, other pre-existing religions such as [[Mazdaism]], [[Christianity]], [[Buddhism]], and [[Tengrism]] were gradually replaced.

====The Karakhanids====
The Persian Samanids however were defeated by the Turkic Karakhanids who were a confederation of [[Karluks]], [[Chigils]], [[Yagma|Yaghmas]] and other tribes.  The [[Karakhanids]] were the first Turkic groups to have converted to Islam en masse,<ref name="sinor"/> and from the 10th to 12th century Taraz was ruled by the [[Kara-Khanid Khanate]] as a Muslim state. By the 10th century Taraz had acquired the distinctive features of Central Asian city {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}. Ancient Taraz reached the climax of its development in 11th-12th century under the Karakhanids. Instead of more or less centralized state like the Samanids, Karakhanid Central Asia was divided into many small fiefdoms or [[appanage]]s. Taraz became an important centre. The political independence of Taraz and autonomy of the circle{{clarify|date=February 2016}} promoted their development. The power of the city under one of the rulers, Tugan-Khan, was so great that he independently waged a military campaign against Samarkand and temporarily captured it. [[Kashgar]] was invaded and it was under the Taraz's power during 15 months. Certainly, this political power was the result of the economic importance of the city. In the [[Karakhanid]] Era the main part of Taraz, the Shahristan and Arg, did not grow beyond their sizes in the previous Qarluq-Samanid Era. The Arg lost its main significance in the city's life. The Shahristan became the heart of economic and cultural life of the city. It was there that all the military, administrative, cultural and other establishments that governed life in the medieval [[feudal]] city-state took place. At this time in the city and its countryside the [[mausoleums]] of Aisha-Bibi and Karakhan were built. Taraz had an underground water system made of terracotta pipes, paved streets, and sewage collection. Of great interest is the Taraz Banya, which was multiple-domed building built from fired brick. In due course under the influence of internecine wars the Karakhanids lost their power and in the end of the 12th century the city was taken by the Kara-Khitans. In 1210 Kara-Khitans were defeated by [[Khwarazmshah]] Mohammed.

====Mongols====
Karakhanid rule did not last long because in 1220 nearly all Central Asia and the territory of modern Kazakhstan were invaded by [[Mongols]].  There were no written documents about Taraz's growth under the Mongols after they razed it to the ground. Remnants of fire found during the excavation show that the city was burnt. Probably the town was renamed as Yany ('New'); while mentioning it, European and Arabic sources write "The city Yany, named Taraz before the conquest." Archaeological finds show that the once-lively city under the Mongolian yoke lost its previous significance and independence.  The blooming of settled life in Taraz ended and decline began.  Under the Chagatayids (descendants of Chagatai Khan) coins were minted in Taraz until 1334. The Tsareviches, who, as Vasa of 14th century states, "burnt the Golden Horde, destroyed Taraz and other cities, and killed the population. They took everything they could take, and burnt the rest.  There was a mention of the city again in 1345 in the road guide book as a city laid on the trade route from Maw'ara un-nahr<ref>Arabic for "that which is beyond the riiver [= the [[Oxus]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>")</ref> to Almalyk." {{ref}}
Steady internecine war in Central Asia interfered with the trade with distant countries, and the opening of the sea route from the Western European countries to India stopped the trade on the ancient silk road and led to the decline of the cities on this road.

====Kazakh rule====
Lost in time, Taraz is mentioned again in 1513 with the coming of the Kazakh tribes.  The once famous medieval city and former capital had become a simple settlement, then it was forgotten, as well as its ancient name.  By the 16th century the city's territory had been absorbed into the [[Kazakh Khanate]].  The archaeological excavation shows Kazakh nomads were involved in the rebirth of Taraz with cultural links connecting the ancient medieval city with the culture of Kazakh people {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}.  The confirmation of it is the names of artificial channels stretched from the city.  Under the Kazakh Khans in ancient Taraz there was just a small settlement, the inhabitants of which were engaged in craft, [[agriculture]] and cattle breeding.  In 1723 the Talas Valley, as well as the major part of southern Kazakhstan were invaded by [[Dzungars]] who owned it nearly until 1755.

====Qing rule====
After [[Dzungars]] was eliminated by [[Qing China]] in 1755, its entire territory, including Talas area, was annexed by [[Qing]]. [[Qing]] soldiers patrol the area once a year.<ref>http://www.xjass.com/ls/content/2010-04/06/content_142540.htm</ref> Kazakh people were expelled from the area if they were captured pasturing inside the area.<ref>http://www.qinghistory.cn/qsyj/ztyj/bjmz/2004-05-18/25182.shtml</ref>

As a result of [[Dzungars]] destruction the area became a [[No man's land]], [[Qing China]] had to deal with consistent cross-border immigration of Kazakh people. In 1766, [[Qianlong Emperor]] ordered to accommodate Kazakh people in Talas area within the border and settled them properly.<ref>《清高宗实录》卷759</ref> The area was promptly populated by Kazakh. In fact, the entire [[Xinjiang]] was populated by Kazakh during the period as the aboriginal western Mongols of [[Dzungars]] were eliminated by [[Qing]] in earlier years.

===From Auliye-Ata to Modern Taraz===

====A Kokand fortress====
In the beginning of the 19th century, the upper part of the Talas River Valley was again invaded by newcomers. This time it was the [[Qipchaq]] soldiers of the [[Khanate of Kokand]]. They built a few small fortresses for guarding the border and the caravan route mainly on the ancient cities ruins. Due to the comparatively advantageous position of the fortress which was built on the ruins of ancient Taraz a new town began quickly to grow around it. At first it was named Namangan-i Kochek ("little Namangan"), as the first settlements were from the Uzbek city [[Namangan]]. In 1856 it was renamed Aulie-Ata, in the honor of Karakhan the founder of Karakhanid dynasty. [[Mullah]]s, using a legend about the mausoleum of Karakhan in 12th built a new mausoleum with minarets, which had nothing in common with the older one. This new mausoleum preserved the ancient name, "Aulie-Ata" ("holy father"). The town took the same name. By this time the city had become a considerable trade craft center.  Annually, a large spring fair was held there. The products of craftsman and agriculture were changed for the things of cattle-breeders. Large consignments of livestock bought at the fair were sent to [[Tashkent]] and [[Fergana]] through the [[Karrabul Pass]] in the Talas-Alatau. The caravan way passed through the city to the north-through [[Astana|Akmolinsk]] (Astana) and [[Petropavl]]ovsk (Petropavl), to [[Omsk]].

====Russian rule====
In 1864 Aulie-Ata surrendered after a short siege by Russian forces led by General [[Mikhail Grigorievich Cherniaev]].  Soon the line of Russian fortifications across the steppe was connected through [[Chimkent]] with the Syr-Darya line.  The whole part of this land was included in the Russian state. A new Russian quarter was added to old Aulie-Ata.  Its streets were lined with pyramidal poplars, and new houses were built with brick.  By that time there were 2,000-3,000 families with houses, shops, mansions, and small [[adobe]] houses of the poor.  At first it was ruled by a military administration, later in 1867 it became the center of an ''[[Uyezd]]'' occupying nearly all of the territory of the modern [[Jambyl Region]] of Kazakhstan and [[Talas Region]] of [[Kyrgyzstan]]. The city continued to play a great role in the livestock trade and in breeding.  There appeared some small industrial undertakings, including wine-making. In 1876 the first school of a European type was opened by a Russian priest. At that time there were 11,700 inhabitants in the town -  besides Russians and [[Ukrainians]] there were a lot of [[Uzbeks]]; Kazakhs were nearly absent, as they led a nomadic way of life.  A full description of the city at the beginning of the 20th century is given in Russian. It is mentioned that Aulie-Ata had a large market fair and some transport offices. {{citation needed|date=March 2014}}

The population consisted of Russians, Uzbeks and Kazakhs.<ref name="demoscope.ru">http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=884</ref>

Ethnic composition of the city according to 1897 census:<ref name="demoscope.ru"/>
*total - 11,722
*[[Uzbeks]] - 8,460 (72.1%)
*[[Russians]] (including [[Belarusians]]) - 1,366 (11.6%)
*[[Kazakhs|Kirgiz Kaysak]] - 589 (5%)
*[[Sart]] (Tajik and Uzbek settlers from the [[Zarafshan]] oases) - 386 (3.2%)
*[[Tatars]] - 266 (2.2%)
*[[Tajik people|Tajik]] ([[Persian language|Persian]] speaking merchants from the [[Fergana]] oases - 379 (3.2%)

There were 3 churches, 2 mosques, a post telegraph office, a city urban school, a hospital, a military hospital, factories and plants, 1791 apartment houses, 1905 [?] inhabitants {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}. The organization of public services was on a low level, houses were mainly built of adobe.

During the first two decades following the Russian Revolution and the Civil War, Aulie-Ata remained a small town.  It was renamed  Mirzoyan (Russian: "Мирзоян") in 1936, after [[Levon Mirzoyan]] ([[:ru:Мирзоян, Левон Исаевич|Левон Исаевич Мирзоян]]), an ethnic Armenian [[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|head of the Communists of Kazakhstan]]. In 1938, after Mirzoyan lost power, the city was renamed '''Dzhambul''' (Russian: "Джамбул", Kazakh: "Жамбыл") after [[Zhambyl Zhabayev]], a Kazakh ''[[akyn]]'' (folk singer). Starting in the 1930s, Dzhambul, along with other places in Kazakhstan, became the destination for large numbers of the deported peoples who were subject to internal [[exile]].  Millions of Volga Germans, Chechens, Ukrainians, Koreans and other ethnic minorities, along with other marginalized subjects (former [[kulak]]s, members of the aristocracy, families of convicted "enemies of the people," etc.) were forced to relocate to Kazakhstan, many of whom settled in Dzhambul. Some were evacuated to Kazakhstan, and to Dzhambul, during [[Great Patriotic War|WWII]] from the areas that were, or were feared to come, under German occupation.  The city's population continued to grow throughout the 1960s and 1970s in spite of the end of exiles, due to an industrial spurt the city received during that time.  As a result, Dzhambul had a highly diverse population composed of multiple ethnic groups, the largest being the Russians, followed by the Kazakhs. Fast-paced industrialization brought many amenities of modern urban living to the city, previously largely unknown, such as typical Soviet apartment blocks as well as condo-style houses, now all supplied with electricity and running water; roads and public transport; several higher education institution; large public parks, department stores, etc.

Although chemical and construction industries made up the core of the city's economy, Dzhambul continued to function as an unofficial trade post with its proximity to the other Central Asian republics and a relatively mobile population.  The city was known in the area for its large bazaars with farmers selling agricultural produce from throughout the region.

====After independence====
Dzhambul, along with much of Kazakhstan, suffered a severe economic crisis in the early 1990s after the break-up of the Soviet Union, with many industries coming to an almost complete halt. The demographics of the city have changed drastically as well.  The city lost a significant portion of its population with the exodus of the various nationalities that once made up its diversity, notably the Volga Germans and the Jews, as well as many Russians and Ukrainians. This trend was partially off-set by the migration of Kazakhs from rural areas into the city.  The city's name was changed to its Kazakh spelling (Zhambyl) in the early 1992 and to Taraz (Тараз) in 1997.  The city's economy has experienced a partial revival in the early 2000s. The city has established a sister city relationship with [[Fresno, California]], United States according to [[Sister Cities International]].  In 2001, Taraz also entered into a sister city relationship with [[Muncie, Indiana]] facilitated by Interlink Resources, Inc. (www.interlinkresources.org).{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}}

==Geography==

===Climate===
The climate of Taraz is [[Continental climate|continental]] with a mean January temperature of {{convert|-5|°C}} and a mean July temperature of {{convert|26.5|°C}}.

{{Weather box
|location=Taraz
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan high C=0
|Feb high C=2
|Mar high C=11
|Apr high C = 20
|May high C = 28
|Jun high C = 32
|Jul high C = 35
|Aug high C = 32
|Sep high C = 27
|Oct high C = 19
|Nov high C = 9
|Dec high C = 1
|year high C = 
|Jan low C = -10
|Feb low C = -7
|Mar low C = -1
|Apr low C = 6
|May low C = 11
|Jun low C = 16
|Jul low C = 18
|Aug low C = 16
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 2
|Nov low C = -4
|Dec low C = -8
|year low C = 
|Jan precipitation mm = 25
|Feb precipitation mm = 27
|Mar precipitation mm = 30
|Apr precipitation mm = 35
|May precipitation mm = 25
|Jun precipitation mm = 10
|Jul precipitation mm = 5
|Aug precipitation mm = 5
|Sep precipitation mm = 5
|Oct precipitation mm = 15
|Nov precipitation mm = 25
|Dec precipitation mm = 35
|year precipitation mm = 
|source 1 = Svali.ru<ref name="svali.ru">{{cite web
| url = http://www.svali.ru/catalog~0~38341~index.htm | title = Svali.ru| accessdate = May 8, 2012
| publisher = | language = Russian}}</ref>
|date=May 2012
}}

==Sports==
Football: [[FC Taraz]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (''City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.'') Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.

==External links==
*[http://www.e-taraz.kz/  Тараз. Информационный сайт]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080430195357/http://www.zonakz.net/articles/1525  Что было в Тысячелетиях Тараза]
*[http://www.kroraina.com/ca/h_semirechje.html  Semirech'e]
*[http://taraz2000.tarazinfo.kz/hist_article.php?article=1  Тараз 2000 - Исторические очерки]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060309184630/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9062103  Qarakhanid Dynasty (Encyclopædia Britannica]

{{Jambyl Region}}
{{Cities of Kazakhstan}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in Jambyl Region]]
[[Category:Syr-Darya Oblast]]
[[Category:Populated places along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border crossings]]