Turkistan Region

Turkistan Region Түркістан облысы (Kazakh)
Region
From the top, Sayram-Ugam National Park, Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve
Coat of arms
Map of Kazakhstan, location of Turkistan Region highlighted
Coordinates: 43°00′N068°30′E / 43.000°N 68.500°E / 43.000; 68.500
Country	Kazakhstan
Capital	Turkistan
Government
•  Akim	Nuralkhan Kusherov [1]
Area [2]
• Total	117,249 km2 (45,270 sq mi)
Population  (2013-02-01) [3]
• Total	2,685,009
• Density	23/km2 (59/sq mi)
GDP [4]
• Total	KZT 3,517.3 billion US$ 7.618 billion (2022)
• Per capita	KZT 1,671,800 US$ 3,621 (2022)
Time zone	UTC+5
• Summer (DST)	UTC+5 (not observed)
Postal codes	160000
Area codes	+7 (725)
ISO 3166 code	KZ-YUZ
Vehicle registration	13, X
Districts	11
Cities	8
Townships	13
Villages	932
HDI (2022)	0.785 [5] high · 6th
Website	www.ontustik.gov.kz

Turkistan Region, ^[a] formerly South Kazakhstan Region ^[b] from 1992 to 2018 and Chimkent Region ^[c] from 1963 to 1991, is the southernmost region of Kazakhstan. It had a population of 2,088,510 as of 2022; 2,469,367 (2009 Census results); ^[6] 1,978,339 (1999 Census results). ^[6] Its capital is Turkistan, formerly Shymkent until 2018. Other cities in Turkistan include Sayram, Kentau, Arys, Shardara, Zhetisai, Saryagash, and Lenger. This region and Atyrau Region are Kazakhstan's two smallest regions; both are about 117,300 square kilometers in area. Turkistan Region borders the neighboring country of Uzbekistan (and is also very near the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent), as well as three other Kazakhstan regions: Karaganda Region (to the north), Kyzylorda Region (to the west), and Jambyl Region (to the east). The Syr Darya passes through the region, on its way to the Aral Sea. An oil pipeline runs from Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan to Omsk, Russia (where it connects with a larger, Siberian pipeline) through South Kazakhstan. Oil, lead and zinc are refined in Shymkent.

The Region was created as South Kazakhstan Oblast in Kazakh SSR of Soviet Union. Between 1962 and 1992 it was named Chimkent Oblast. The administrative center of the Region was Shymkent. On 19 June 2018 Shymkent was taken out of the Region and subordinated directly to the government of Kazakhstan, the administrative center moved to Turkistan, and the Region renamed Turkistan Region. ^[7]

Administrative divisions

As of 2013, the region was administratively divided into eleven districts and the cities of Shymkent, Arys, Kentau, and Turkistan. ^[8]

1. Baydibek District, with the administrative center in the selo of Shayan;
2. Kazygurt District, the selo of Kazygurt;
3. Maktaaral District, the town of Zhetisay;
4. Ordabasy District, the selo of Temirlan;
5. Otyrar District, the selo of Shauldir;
6. Saryagash District, the town of Saryagash;
7. Sayram District, the selo of Aksukent;
8. Shardara District, the town of Shardara;
9. Sozak District, the selo of Sholakkorgan;
10. Tole Bi District, the town of Lenger;
11. Tulkibas District, the selo of Turar Ryskulov.

Archaeology

• Excavations of the Kul-Tobe settlement near the village of Saryaryk on the terrace of the Arys River ( 42°29′32″N68°57′45″E / 42.49222°N 68.96250°E / 42.49222; 68.96250 ) on the territory of the South Kazakhstan region in 2006, made by Kazakh archaeologists led by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor A. N. Podushkin, according to some statements, allow to identify the culture of Kangju with the peoples of the Scythian circle. ^[9] Ceramics (large jugs or persimmons) and weapons (arrowheads, knives, bows and daggers) were found in three graves of nomad warriors who lived about two thousand years ago. 13 epigraphic monuments were found on ceramic bricks-tables — two almost complete texts and eleven fragments. ^[10] Writing after decryption is defined as alphabetic, lowercase, Aramaic, which also includes ideograms. It marks one of the eastern dialects of the proto-Iranian language. Paleographic and linguistic analysis of the Kultobin script showed that it dates from the II — beginning of the III century AD, that is, more than a century older than the so-called "Old Sogdian letters". ^[11]
• Excavations of the Tutta Cave, the oldest cave in the country, located in the Turkestan region on the territory of the Syrdarya–Turkestan State Regional Natural Park, it was discovered in the middle of the last century, but excavations began in 2017. The cave is being explored as part of a European Union project, and archaeologists from Germany, Greece, and Spain are involved. Household items of primitive man, who presumably lived during the Stone Age, have been found. ^[12]

Notes

1. Kazakh: Түркістан облысы, romanized: Türkıstan oblysy, pronounced [tʉrkɘ̥sˈtɑnˌwobɫəˈsə] ; Russian: Туркестанская область, romanized: Turkestanskaya oblast
2. Kazakh: Оңтүстік Қазақстан облысы, romanized: Oñtüstık Qazaqstan oblysy, pronounced [ˌwoŋtʉ̥sˈtɘkqɑzɑqˈstɑnˌwobɫəˈsə] ; Russian: Южно-Казахстанская область, romanized: Yuzhno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast
3. Kazakh: Шымкент облысы, romanized: Şymkent oblysy, pronounced [ʃəmˈkʲentˌwobɫəˈsə] ; Russian: Чимкентская область, romanized: Chimkentskaya oblast

References

1. "Kazakh President appoints new governor of Turkistan region". inform.kz. 6 January 2025.
2. Official site – General Information Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
3. Agency of statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Численность населения Республики Казахстан по областям с началa 2013 года до 1 февраля 2013 года (russisch; Excel-Datei; 55 kB).
4. DOSM. "Department of Statistics Kazakhstan". stat.gov.kz. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
5. "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org.
6. "Население Республики Казахстан" [Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan] (in Russian). Департамент социальной и демографической статистики. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
7. "Публичное подписание Указа "О некоторых вопросах административно-территориального устройства Республики Казахстан"" (in Russian). President of Kazakhstan. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
8. "Akimats of the region's cities and districts". The official portal of akimat of South Kazakhstan Region. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
9. "Археологи раскопали уникальные артефакты в городище Культобе". tengrinews.kz. 26 July 2014.
10. "Казахстанские археологи вскрыли могилы воинов-номадов". tengrinews.kz. 21 July 2012.
11. "Из истории открытия, дешифровки и интерпретации культобинского (кангюйского) письма". pandia.ru.
12. "Уникальную находку обнаружили археологи в Туркестанской области". www.zakon.kz. 6 July 2022.

• National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition.

External links

Media related to Turkistan Region at Wikimedia Commons

• Official regional website