On archaeological exploration work carried out in the vicinity of the medieval settlement Zhankent in 2019 and 2022

Abstract

The article presents the results of new exploratory research conducted in the vicinity of the settlement of Zhankent. Since the Middle Ages, the monument has been under the constant attention of merchants, military travelers and statesmen. Medieval authors consider it as the residence of the Oghuz state. In the 18^th–19^th centuries, the main route of military topographic expeditions of tsarist Russia to Central Asia passed through Zhankent, and their reports contain information about the ruins of the city. Some military travelers even conducted small excavations. Among them, we can mention Lieutenant Colonel A. Maksheev, who left detailed information about toponyms and monuments near Zhankent. The surroundings of this monument were first archaeologically studied by the Khorezm archaeological and Ethnographic expedition led by S. Tolstov, and since 2005, the staff of the Kyzylorda University named after Korkyt Ata have conducted comprehensive research in cooperation with Russian and German scientists. In general, historical data indicates that in the 6^th–7^th centuries in the lower reaches of the Syrdarya there is a decline of the Zhetyasar culture. However, in the north-western part of the Zhetyasar tract, a group of Ordaza monuments is being formed (Sortobe 1–3 settlements) and on the eastern coast of the Aral Sea – the cities of Kesken-Kuyuk Kala, Kuyuk Kala and Zhankent, belonging to the culture of "swamp settlements". Exploration works in 2019 and 2022 in the Zhankent area show that there are still undiscovered monuments in this area. For example, as a result of archaeological research, the new cities of Karatobe and Asartobe and the trade routes connecting them were identified. Another purpose of the exploration was to search for the burial ground where the residents of Zhankent were buried.