Draft:Bozoq

Bozok is an ancient settlement and an archaeological monument included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of National Significance of the Republic.

Literature

It is located 5 km southwest of the city of Astana, on the eastern bank of the Buzukty River, within the left valley of the Yesil River.

Medieval housing models

The Bozok settlement was first mentioned in 1816 in the travel notes of Ivan Shangin, an officer of the Tsarist army and a mining engineer, who conducted an expedition from Siberia to Northern and Central Kazakhstan. In 1928, Leonid Semyonov, the director of the Akmola Regional Museum of Local History, visited the site; however, he noted that he was unable to obtain concrete information from the local population.

In 2019, the Bozok settlement was included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of national significance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Stages of development

Early medieval period

From the 7th century onward, the Bozok area began to be developed by Turkic tribes. During this period, a fortified center consisting of three courtyards was constructed, each designed with dimensions of approximately 65 × 55 meters. The defensive ditches measured 3–5 meters in width and 2–3 meters in depth. The fortification walls were built from mud bricks and have been preserved to a height of about one meter to this day.

Kipchak period

In the 10th century, Bozok was reoccupied and developed as a residence for the khagan. Residential buildings and a watchtower made of mud brick were constructed within the settlement. The eastern part was designated for agriculture and gardening. The irrigation system was based on the use of natural lakes and spring floodwaters.

According to academician Kemal Akishev, Bozok served as the military-administrative residence of a Kipchak khagan. The settlement was located at a key junction of the Silk Road, linking China and Europe, as well as Siberia with the southern cities of Kazakhstan, such as Taraz, Sauran, Syganak, and Talhiz

Golden Horde period

After the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, the settlement was temporarily abandoned. Later, during the period of the Jochid Ulus (13th–14th centuries), Bozoq experienced a revival and transformed into a religious and memorial center. Archaeological findings at the site include five mausoleums dedicated to the nobility of the Nura–Yesil region, two brick kilns, and other cult-related structures.

Links

During archaeological excavations, the grave of a female warrior, approximately 40 years old, was discovered. She had been buried in a wooden coffin, dressed in ornate clothing, and adorned with a necklace made of semi-precious stones, silver earrings, and bracelets. Placed near her head was a bokka—a traditional Mongol-era headdress made of birch bark, covered with silk and decorated with pearls. Items found in the grave included an iron spear, a dagger, a silver bowl, and a bronze mirror, all of which indicate her high social status.

Location

Semi-subterranean dwellings dating to the 13th–14th centuries were discovered in the northern part of the settlement. These houses consisted of 2 to 4 rooms (with a total area of 17–20 m²) connected by elongated corridors. Inside, there were hearths, P-shaped sleeping platforms (säki), and wall niches. The roofs were covered with reeds and plastered with clay. Excavations revealed ceramics, iron objects, grinding stones, and beads.

Cultural significance

Bozoq is a significant archaeological site that spans the period from the 7th to the 16th–17th centuries, representing a cultural crossroads from the early Turkic tribes to the Kipchaks. From the 14th century onward, it developed into a religious center. Today, Bozoq is considered the best-studied medieval monument in the field of steppe archaeology in Kazakhstan.

Its materials serve as an important foundation for studying ethnogenesis, social structure, economy, and the history of material culture. The mausoleums and cultic structures provide valuable insights into the processes of the spread of Islam across the steppes of Saryarka.

Museum-Reserve "Bozoq"

The Bozoq State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve was established in 2019. It operates under the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is dedicated to the preservation, research, and public presentation of the archaeological, ethnographic, and architectural monuments of Bozoq.

The main areas of activity of the museum include:

conducting archaeological research and excavations;
ethnographic documentation;
organizing exhibitions and expositions;
publishing scientific works;
holding seminars, round tables, and international conferences.

The main areas of the museum's activity include the following:

An open-air national park is being developed on the basis of archaeological excavations. Through the reconstruction of monuments, historical and cultural heritage sites are being brought back to life within a space that encompasses periods from the Eneolithic era to the Modern Age.

Special attention is given to museum pedagogy and the promotion of steppe civilization heritage through digitalization, historical reconstruction, and international cooperation. In 2019, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the museum and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), aimed at developing infrastructure and scientific projects.

Historical data

Bozoq, believed to have existed as early as the 7th century, was considered the residence of a local ruler. Its peak of development coincides with the 10th–11th centuries, a period when the Kipchaks gained significant influence among the local Turkic tribes. By the early 11th century, the entire Kazakh steppe came to be referred to as the Kipchak State. The earliest known reference to the location of the city appears in the 1816 notes of I. Shangin, an officer and geodesist of the Tsarist army.

The Bozoq site covers an area of 30 hectares and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Buzukty, on the southwestern outskirts of the city of Astana. The settlement is situated near the point where the Nura River flows in close proximity to the Yesil River—only 40 kilometers separate the two at this location. This area was strategically favorable for economic activities, military and strategic preparations, and monitoring caravan routes.

This medieval settlement, dating to the 10th–11th centuries, functioned as an administrative and trade center of the region, as well as a military residence of Kipchak rulers along the Silk Road. It also served as a religious and ritual site, providing geographical orientation for travelers and trade caravans in the sparsely populated steppe.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the site came to be regarded as sacred and was transformed into a burial ground for the nobility. Bozoq gained spiritual significance in the lives of the people. Among Muslims, it was considered a holy place where people came to worship, commemorate ancestors, host ritual feasts, and hold national games and competitions. It also became a resting and overnight stop for travelers and caravans.

Bozoq was strategically located at the crossroads of major caravan routes: from north to south along the Yesil–Nura–Korgalzhyn–Sarysu–Syr Darya corridor, and from east to west connecting Mongolia, the Altai region, Khazaria, Bulgaria, and Rus. The site has been documented via satellite imagery.

Bozoq was discovered in 1998 by K. Akishev, and the subsequent archaeological excavations were carried out under his supervision.

City character

The city consists of three parts. Its central area is a rounded rectangular quarter, where the elevated central section contains remnants of a minaret and the foundations of 3–4 mausoleums. All of these structures were built from fired bricks. Based on archaeological research conducted by lecturers and archaeologists from the Department of World History and Archaeology at the Eurasian National University, it has been established that the bricks were fired on-site, with clay prepared from local marshes. Water was sourced from a nearby lake and supplied using specially designed systems.

Irrigation tools discovered on the outskirts of the settlement suggest that the inhabitants engaged in agriculture. Fertile lands and irrigated farming enabled the residents of Bozoq to produce grain, which they used for their own needs and sold to people in distant areas, including passing caravans.

In his writings, President Nursultan Nazarbayev noted:

“...The medieval city of Bozoq can be considered the original ancestor of Akmola, and its ultimate heir is the modern capital of Kazakhstan — the city of Astana.”

There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the toponym "Bozoq". According to one version, "Bozoq" is a Turkic-Oghuz term meaning “breaking” or “piercing arrow,” or alternatively “boz oq” — “white arrow.” The word *boz* itself carries multiple meanings, including “virgin land,” “untilled soil,” or “feather grass.”

The settlement is not only evidence of the presence of sedentary tribes in the Kazakh steppes, but also a testament to the deep historical roots of the modern state's capital — Astana.

Today, the Bozoq settlement is included in the *Sacred Map of Kazakhstan* under the category “Archaeological and Architectural Monuments.”

Sources

Literature

Хабдулина М. К., Гаврилов Д. А. Бозок — средневековое городище на реке Ишим (Центральный Казахстан). — Алматы: Институт археологии имени А. Х. Маргулана, 2023. — Т. XX. — 360 с. — (Материалы и исследования по археологии Казахстана). — 300 экз. — ISBN 978-601-7106-82-9