Silk Roads: Volga-Caspian Corridor

Description

The exact historical itineraries of the Silk Roads on the territory of modern Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries were never static. Certain cities, towns, caravanserais and trade stations were gaining and losing importance in the different periods of time due to different internal and external reasons. However, today we can identify several main sections of the most intensive trade activities on the Silk Roads that were taking place between several major centres of urban cultural tradition. One of these sections is the so-called “Volga-Caspian Corridor” the components of which are situated on the territory of Atyrau, Mangistau and West-Kazakhstan Regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Volga-Caspian Corridor of the Silk Roads is located on the historical routes following the cost of the Caspian Sea from the Aral Sea Region on the south-east the Volga River Valley on the north-west through the Ustyurt Plateau, Mangyshlak Peninsula and Ural River Valley.

This corridor of the Silk Roads includes three further component cultural sites:

1. Ancient Settlement of Kyzylkala;
2. Ancient Settlement of Saraychik;
3. Ancient Settlement of Zhayik.

Ancient Settlement of Kyzylkala (X-XIII centuries)

The component is located 18 km south-west from the village of Shetpe on the territory of the Mangystau District of the Mangistau Region. The total area of the ancient settlement is equal to 50 ha. The city was founded on the northern branch of the Silk Roads. Initially, it was used as the centre of trade by local nomadic populations and merchants coming from Central Asia, Volga River Valley and the Caucasus. In this regard, the city and its crafting and agricultural industry were probably formed around a smaller caravansary.

The site is represented by the central fortification and rabat with its numerous individual houses and the necropolis. The fortification has the square form, 13 towers in total, and walls of the 1,2-2 m in width. The main gate with two supporting towers was situated in the central part of the northwestern wall. The small areas of the mass distribution of the archaeological materials (ceramic fragments, fired bricks and animal bones) around the fortress correspond to the remains of the rabad. The necropolis is situated near the ancient settlement and has a square of 2 ha.

Chronologically the site existed during a relatively short period of time until the XIII century. The excavation works haven’t shown any traces of the remains of the Golden Horde. Apparently, after the XIII century, the caravan routes along the board of the Caspian Sea were not passing through this area. The first scientific studies of the sites were started in 1978 and were continued in the middle of 2000s by local archaeologists.

Ancient Settlement of Saraychik (XIII-XVI centuries)

The component is located on right side of the Ural River near and on the territory of the modern village of Saraychik in the Makhambet District of Atyrau Region. It is located along the Ural River on 1,5 km. The first studies of the site were made in 1948 and continued in 1990s and 2000s as part of the official programme “Cultural Heritage”.

The territory of the ancient settlement stands on the flat area of 100 ha and was limited by the walls from the southern and northern sides. The southern part of the site is covered by the modern constructions of the village of Saraychik, while its north-western part was destroyed by the flow of the Ural River, which had no barrier between it and the site.

The ancient settlement of Saraychik was founded in the middle of the XIII century by Batu Khan (1227-1256) as a transit point on the corridor of the Silk Roads connecting the cities of Saraychik and Urgench on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. The city was also an important political centre historically connected with the rule of the Jochi Dynasty, adoption of Islam as the official religion of the state of Golden Horde. Saraychik is also considered as an important spiritual centre of the Golden Horde as the place of entombment several khans and other historical figures including Mengu-Timur (1266-1281), Toktay (1280-1312), Zhanibek (1342-1357), Berdibek (1357-1359), as well as Kazakh khan Kasim (1511-1518). After the collapse of the Golden Horde Saraychik became the centre of Mangyt Yurt which progressively transformed into the state of Nogai Horde in the middle of the XVI century. Around 1580 Saraychik was taken and destroyed by the Cossack troops. Soon after it, the city was rebuilt, but it was the beginning of its progressive and irreversible desolation.

The excavations of the site revealed the residential districts of the ordinary population represented by houses made of mud-bricks, as well as such objects as ceramic fragments, and products made of the Syrian glass, Chinese porcelain, Khorezm bowls, bronze jugs and dishes from Iran.

Ancient Settlement of Zhayik (XIII-XV centuries)

The component is located 12 km to the south from the city of Uralsk – the capital of the West-Kazakhstan Region. It appeared in the XII – beginning of XIV centuries during the period of the reign of Uzbek (1313-1339) and Zhanibek (1312-1357) khans of the Golden Horde. This period was characterized by the stability and prosperity of urban culture. Now, the ancient settlement of Zhayik is an important testimony of the urban culture of the period of Jochi khan.

The excavations that are taking place since the beginning of the 2000s revealed numerous medieval constructions made of mud-bricks. The comparison of the plans and construction techniques in Zhayik and the region of Volga River demonstrate its resemblance with the similar traditions of the regions of Khorezm (city of Urgench) and Syrdarya River Valley (cities of Otrar and Turkestan). One of the main factors of this resemblance is the constructions of the interior parts of the houses and the heating systems. Another demonstration of the interactions between the regions of Central Asia and Ural River Valley are the coins of the rulers of the Golden Horde of XIII-XIV centuries that were minted in Otrar, Samarkand and Bukhara.

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

Silk Roads – was the outstanding way of facilitating the integration, exchange and dialogue between such region as China on the east, the Mediterranean on the west, and Indian on the south-west and contributing to the common prosperity of human civilizations of the region during almost two thousand years. It starts to function during the II century BC and continue to create conditions for the intercontinental trade until the end of the XV century.

Chinese silk was one of the most valuable goods along the Silk Roads. However, there were many other goods traded along these roads: precious metals and stones, ceramics, perfumery, incense and spices, goods made of cotton and wool, glass, wine, amber, carpets and thoroughbred horses. This context of constant trade between the various civilizations existed during the centuries and supported by the system of caravanserais, trading centres, towns and fortresses, makes the Silk Roads one of the longest cultural routes in the history of humanity.

At the same time, the corridors of the Silk Roads transported not only the goods, but also religious beliefs (Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Zoroastrism and Manichaeism), scientific and technological achievements (paper, powder, magnetic compass and porcelain), engineering (for example the bridge buildings), medical and agricultural (for example the growing of cotton and grape vine) techniques and knowledge across the regions of Central Asia, Middle East, Mediterranean and West. The same road was also used by the diplomatic missions, establishing international contacts between different state and regions along the corridors of the Silk Roads.

Criterion (ii): The Volga-Caspian Corridor of the Silk Roads on the territory of Kazakhstan is a clear manifestation of the dynamic cultural interchange between the huge steppe region with its nomadic population and a few sedentary centres that were the transit points for the commerce along the Silk Roads. As the result of these interactions, after the Mongolian invasion, several nomadic states such as the Golden Horde transformed several urban centres on the territory Ural and Volga River Valleys into the political and spiritual centres. The archaeological heritage of the components of the present property clearly demonstrates this process.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The current state of proposed components of the Volga-Caspian Corridor of the Silk Roads requires particular attention to its authenticity and integrity. One of three proposed components is situated on the territory of the modern village, while another is situated in the proximity of the big modern city – the administrative capital of the South-Kazakhstan Region. In this regard, the major economic activities could represent a serious negative impact on their physical state. Another potential danger for the same sites is represented by their proximity to the big courses of big rivers that already started or could start the physical destruction of the sites.

In the future, preparation of the nomination dossier on the Volga-Caspian Corridor of the Silk Roads may also require the augmentation of the number of the national components to fully correspond to the factor of integrity of the property. Currently, the property includes three components situated on a very far distance from each others. Historical functioning of the Silk Roads along the Caspian Sea was based not only on three above-mentioned urban centres of commerce and intercultural exchange but also on the network of small caravansaries, stations and oases that could eventually became the new components of the property.

Comparison with other similar properties

The Serial Transnational World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads includes numerous participating state-parties, cultural corridors and component cultural heritage sites. All of them were historically contributing to the transmission of the economic, cultural and religious values across. However, the Volga-Caspian Corridor has one particularity that makes it special even in comparison to other corridors and series of components of the Silk Roads. It is the location of the property on the border of the nomadic and sedentary civilizations. The various forms of the intercultural exchange between these two very different worlds were much more intensive in comparison to other regions, where the interactions take place, for example, between two communities with the same economic practices. In conclusion, the property named “Silk Roads: Volga-Caspian Corridor” has a particular place among the other corridors of the Silk Roads.