The center of Suzak district of South Kazakhstan region is located 70 km from Sholakkorgan, on the northern slope of Karatau. Chronological period: X-XVIII centuries.The city was the first capital of the Kazakh Khanate. In 1465-1469, the horde of Kerey and Zhanibek was founded in this city. The name of the city of Suzak is first mentioned in written sources in connection with the visit of the Armenian king Getum to the great Mongol khan Monke in the middle of the XIII century.The maximum prosperity of the city was in the XV-XVII centuries. It corresponds to the period of prosperity of the Kazakh khanates. Suzak is important because it is located at the junction of the road from the steppes of Deshti Kipchak to Turkestan and Otrar, Sauran and Sairam, to the cities around the western Aral Sea, to the major centers of Shu and Talas. It became the main center of free exchange of peoples, connecting the steppe region with the south, which was engaged in agriculture.During the Dzungar invasion, Sozak became one of the largest fortresses. He provided food and weapons to the Kazakh army, which withstood the destructive attacks of the Dzungars. The fact that Sozak was a large city is even mentioned in Russian writings.The results of research conducted by the archeological expedition of the South Kazakhstan region revealed that the surviving part of the town consists of a citadel and a shahristan. The city's citadel was also located on a hill to the west of the hill. Traces of the surrounding walls indicate that the place was a gate. Rabads, where black people live, are left under modern housing.
Reference: Kazakhstan sacred objects
of whole national importance. – Astana: Foliant, 2017. –151-152 pp.
