History lessons

For the 9th class. Aulie-Ata stands on the Talas where the river leaves the valley for the plain, 35 km north-north-west of us. It grew around the mausoleum of a Kara-Khanid ruler whom the local Muslims call Aulie-Ata, "holy father". The Kokand khans built a fortress there in the 1850s; the Russians took it in 1864, one of the Talas forts, and made it the seat of an uezd that included our whole valley.

Some Russian and Soviet scholars thought old Taraz lay under its mound. Our historians put Taraz at Talas. Discuss in class: why does it matter to people which town was Taraz?

In Soviet times it was an industrial town of 130 thousand. Today, after 1992, it is a much smaller place. But it kept its name all the time. It was never renamed. Remember this when you study the other towns.