Байпаков, К.М. Средневековая Городская Культура Южного Казахстана и Семиречья, VI-начало XIII в. Алма-Ата: Наука, 1986, 256с.
Baipakov, K. M. Srednevekovaa Gorodskaa Kulʹtura Uznogo Kazahstana i Semirecʹa, VI – Nachalo XIII v. Almaty: Nauka, 1986, 256pp.
ABSTRACT
Medieval Urban Culture in Southern Kazakhstan and Semirechye (Sixth Century – Beginning of Eighth Century)
Средневековая Городская Культура Южного Казахстана и Семиречья, VI-начало XIII в.
By using archaeological means, the academic work researches typology of the urban settlements in Southern Kazakhstan and the South-West and North-East parts of Semirechye, analyses the structure of the cities, and highlights the construction and development of the city quarters. Based on archaeological excavation findings at the sites of some urban settlements, the book analyses the social structure and development of the cities along with the urban culture, craftsmanship, and trade.
There are black and white photographs of excavation sites, drawings of material culture items, as well as maps and lay-outs of the urban settlements, quarters and separate buildings inserted throughout the book.
The author argues that there is an increasing interest in the cities of the East, in light of the large scale archaeological excavations. He highlights the extant research on the region, and sets the tasks for the present research.
The author gives descriptions of the geographic locations and the climatic system of the regions. He looks at the location of the mediaeval cities in Southern Kazakhstan and the South-West and North-East parts of Semirechye, as mentioned in the written historical sources.
The author then proceeds to describe the structure of the cities, the demography, the political situation and the culture.
He discusses at the end the process of transition which prompted the nomadic people to settle into urban living. This phenomenon led to growth of urban centres and the assimilation of Sogdians with Turks. Simultaneously, new rural settlements emerged known as tortkuli, where the nomads also settled.
Shamsiddin Kamoliddin
Translated by Ivan Leonidov
