For a taste of the bazaar atmosphere for which Taraz used to be celebrated, have a wander round busy Shakhristan Market, across the road from the now boarded-up Green Market. Cheap Chinese clothes and shoes predominate but there's a small food section towards the east end, and a couple of inexpensive cafes.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Aysha-Bibi & Babazha-Katun Mausoleums
10.37 MILES
In Aysha-Bibi village, 16km west of Taraz, are the tombs of two 11th- or 12th-century women, legendary protagonists of a local Romeo and Juliet tale. The…
0.91 MILES
The pride and joy of what is one of Kazakhstan's best local museums is the domed rear building housing an unusually impressive collection of balbals …
0.48 MILES
A wooded park on Ybyraev, 700m east of Dostyk alany, is a reconstruction of this small but important medieval mausoleum. It houses cloth-covered…
0.39 MILES
The reconstructed Dauitbek Mausoleum, built for a 13th-century Mongol viceroy, is said to have been built lopsided in revenge for the man’s infamous…
0.4 MILES
This is a modern reconstruction of the 9th- to-12th-century mosque in which Aulie-Ata, a revered Karakhanid potentate, is believed to have prayed, but you…
Nearby Kazakhstan attractions
0.39 MILES
The reconstructed Dauitbek Mausoleum, built for a 13th-century Mongol viceroy, is said to have been built lopsided in revenge for the man’s infamous…
2. Reconstructed Medieval Mosque
0.4 MILES
This is a modern reconstruction of the 9th- to-12th-century mosque in which Aulie-Ata, a revered Karakhanid potentate, is believed to have prayed, but you…
0.48 MILES
A wooded park on Ybyraev, 700m east of Dostyk alany, is a reconstruction of this small but important medieval mausoleum. It houses cloth-covered…
0.91 MILES
The pride and joy of what is one of Kazakhstan's best local museums is the domed rear building housing an unusually impressive collection of balbals …
7. Aysha-Bibi & Babazha-Katun Mausoleums
10.37 MILES
In Aysha-Bibi village, 16km west of Taraz, are the tombs of two 11th- or 12th-century women, legendary protagonists of a local Romeo and Juliet tale. The…
21.14 MILES
Lovers of mysterious, remote ruins should venture out to Akyrtas – Kazakhstan's Stonehenge – on the steppe 6km south of Aksholak village. What you'll find…