Ancient Otrar is a city located in the endless southern steppe off the banks of the Syr Darya. For travelers who come here for the first time, a magnificent picture opens up - the Syrdarya and a huge hill - the remains of ancient Otrar. The city is more than 2 thousand years old, its history is steeped in secrets and legends.
Is the legendary Otrar library a myth?
The first Kazakhstani cities arose mainly where the Great Silk Road ran. First, caravanserais were built - places of rest for travelers. And if there were a lot of them, cities arose around these caravanserais. Trade and crafts developed, an oriental bazaar, the heart of any medieval city, began to function. Among the popular goods of that time were silk, jade, lapis lazuli, spices and many others. Among the specific and expensive orders were books. They were of great value as they were written entirely by hand. People who were thirsty for knowledge ordered books from all over the world to merchants and were ready to wait for their expensive order for years.
According to legend, Otrar was one of the few cities in the Middle East that had a library. Legends say that the Otrar book depository, founded by Abu-Nasyr al-Farabi, consisted of at least 33 thousand volumes, from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to medieval books of the European, Arab and Chinese worlds. Over the centuries, the Otrar library has been able to collect unique copies of the Kipchak chronicles covered with ram skins, Arab dastans, Indian vaults decorated with fish scales, inhalis of Muslims, the Gospels of Christians … scientific and fiction books, poems and recipes for medicines, religious books and descriptions of travels made in antiquity … In terms of importance, the Otrar library was second only to the Alexandria library.
There are many legends about the library. According to one of them, the library is hidden deep underground. One day a hunter chased a fox that disappeared into a hole. He was about to start digging a hole, and suddenly a papyrus scroll was in his hands. And the hole turned out to be a way into a cave, where in the reflections of light the horseman managed to make out large deposits of ancient books. However, at this time, the fox suddenly jumped out from the other side, and the hunter again rushed after her. And after that I could not find that place. According to another legend, a seven-year-old boy will find the Otrar library. But he hasn't been born yet.
There are also absolutely fantastic legends. They are associated with a man named Hisamuddin, a seer who knew and foresaw what events awaited Otrar. Khisamuddin allegedly drew all this information from one of the books of the Otrar library, to which none of the mortals, except him, were allowed to touch. This book consisted of only a few pages, and each one described the events of a whole decade … Otrar lived comfortably until the pages of the magic book ended, and then disasters immediately fell on the flourishing city, which no one expected and for which no one had time to prepare … According to the same legends, the Otrar library was completely burned down during the Mongol invasion.
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Was this library really? This question has been of concern to archaeologists and historians for many years. Excavations in Otrar began in 1969. And for almost half a century, no remnants of the former great library have been found. Nothing - neither the foundation of the building, nor scraps of papyri or cuneiforms, nor an underground secret vault that could preserve everything … Moreover, there is no information about the library in any written source known to science. Modern historians are inclined to believe that the legends about the Otrar library are just a myth. Moreover, a modern myth, which, in their opinion, was born at the end of the last century to awaken interest in Otrar and ancient history.
The city of Otrar is not the birthplace of the great philosopher Abu-Nasyr al-Farabi
In 870, in the Kazakh open spaces, where "the Arys river flows into the Syr Darya", the greatest philosopher, the second teacher after Aristotle, Abu-Nasyr al-Farabi, was born. To say that he was born in Otrar is not entirely correct, since he hails from the small settlement of Vesidzh, which is located in the Farab district. That is, the great philosopher was born not far from Otrar, and not in the city itself.
Only the date of death of the great teacher is known for certain, all other dates are approximate. Abu-Nasyr received his first education in Otrar, and then studied and worked in Shash, Samarkand, Bukhara, and finally, at the age of 40, he got to Baghdad. At that time, this city was considered a Mecca for intellectuals, a cultural and scientific center of the Arab Caliphate. Here the great philosopher got acquainted with the books of Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Indian philosophy. Al-Farabi is considered the founder of eastern peripatetism (a direction based on the teachings of Aristotle). An outstanding philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, al-Farabi also influenced his contemporaries. His works influenced the work of Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and many other representatives of the Muslim Renaissance. He spoke 70 languages, and he wrote about 160 philosophical treatises.
How many scientists were al-Farabi?
However, Abu-Nasir is not the only al-Farabi who was born near Otrar. Another great scientist-geographer and linguist Abu-Ishaq al-Farabi comes from the ancient city. History has left little information about him. But it is known that he was originally from Otrar, was a contemporary of Abu-Nasyr, and he also went to Arab countries for knowledge. His works and manuscripts are kept in the libraries of Weimar, Paris, London, Fez, Cairo and other large cities. The largest work - "Divan al-adab" ("Literary collection"), where the scientist comprehensively systematized the issues of literature and language, was accidentally discovered by Egyptian scientists - Dr. Ahmad Mukhtar Omar and Ibrahim Anis. During the Second World War they worked at the Library of Alexandria. Scientists have studied the treatise, highly appreciated its content and republished in 4 volumes.
There were also other al-Farabi scholars. Kauam ad-Din al-Farabi al-Itqani at-Turkestani, for example, who served as imam in Otrar and was invited to Baghdad for a high position of judge. Another remarkable scientist Ismail bin Hammad al-Jauhari al-Farabi was also born and lived in Otrar, then in search of knowledge he moved to Arab countries. At one time he was recognized as one of the best experts in the Arabic language. And a certain Abdullah al-Farabi al-Azdi even wrote the “History of the Scientists of Andalusia”, which is kept in the library of Ataturk University to this day. In total, historians say, they know about no less than 13 different scientists of "al-Farabi".
Otrar became the homeland of the great astronomer and mathematician Abbas Zhauhari. And even though there is no word "al-Farabi" in his name, he glorified Farab no less than his contemporaries. He participated with al-Khwarizmi in the compilation of astronomical tables, wrote comments and proofs to the works of Euclid. Legends are attributed to Otrar and the birth of a Sufi - Arystan Baba, the teacher of Kozhi Akhmet Yassaui, to whom the great Timur would later build a mausoleum near Otrar. This land was so fertile!
Otrar had its own sewerage system
Otrar gave the world many scientists. And it is quite true that some of the scientific discoveries were implemented in practice, brought into the everyday life of ordinary Otrar residents.
Archaeologists say that in Otrar there was a huge palace in the middle of the shakhristan, around it there were mosques, caravanserais. But not only! It had its own irrigation system to irrigate the fields and water pipes running through the entire city. Moreover, the Otrar civilization was so developed that archaeologists found toilets in the houses of the townspeople! And a unique ancient sewage system. There is no information about the existence of toilets in any other Kazakh city.
The truth about the Otrar catastrophe, or how Otrar fell
At the beginning of the XIII century, the city of Otrar became part of the state of Khorezm. During the Mongol invasion, the city was ruled by Cairo Khan, the maternal uncle of the Khorezmshah. According to historical data, after the townspeople executed the ambassadors of Genghis Khan, the city was besieged by Mongol troops in 1219. The siege lasted six months, however, despite the outbreak of severe famine, the inhabitants did not surrender and fought truly heroically. One night, a traitor opened the gate and let the invaders in.
The Mongols who broke into Otrar destroyed most of the townspeople, and those who survived were made slaves. The city itself was burned and destroyed. However, a traitor named Karadzha, who opened the city gates, also faced an unenviable fate - he was personally executed by Jochi.
Medieval historians wrote that after the murder of the ambassadors, sparks of revenge spread across the steppe, which drowned the Muslim world in blood. The scale of the description of the Otrar tragedy is amazing.
The only surprising thing is that during the excavations at the site of the settlement, experts did not find any traces of fire and destruction. Not a single trace! Moreover, after the Mongol invasion, it quickly recovered and was rebuilt in the 15th century. The city survived the Mongol invasion and even became one of the largest cities of the Kazakh Khanate.
Centuries later, Otrar was overtaken by a new misfortune - having survived the Mongol invasion, the city was unable to survive the Dzungarian one. From the middle of the 17th century, the devastating raids of the Dzungars began in Kazakhstan. Sairam, Turkestan and many other urban centers were destroyed. In the 80s of the 17th century, the glorious Otrar ceased to exist after the siege, pogrom and destruction by the troops of the Dzungarian Khan Galdan. The Dzungars destroyed the irrigation system of the city, and after their departure, a few residents, having returned, could not restore it. Otrar is completely empty.
However, there is another version of the fall of Otrar. Its fate could be decided by nature: at the end of the 17th century, the Syr Darya changed its course, the irrigation system was disrupted, and the Otrar oasis dried up, leaving only a dozen settlements in the middle of the desert and the sacred grave of Arystan Bab.
So, it was not the Mongol invasion that became truly catastrophic for Otrar, but the invasion of the Dzungars and the change in the course of the Syr Darya, which ultimately destroyed the city.
Death of Tamerlane, or how Otrar influenced the course of world history
More than 600 years ago, in February 1405, a man of about seventy years old died in Otrar. For that time - very elderly, many did not live to this age. The death was expected, but still unexpected for many … It literally changed the political situation in half of Asia. And, quite possibly, she saved the then young Chinese Ming dynasty from death. The deceased were Amir Timur (Temur), Tamerlane, "Iron Lame", "Guragan son-in-law". The most powerful conqueror since Genghis Khan. Creator of a huge empire. A commander who knew no defeat.
We will never know the cause of Timur's death. There is a version that when crossing the Syr Darya he fell into the water and caught a cold. There is a version that he just fell off his horse … Anyway, Tamerlane died in Otrar, and the powerful empire of Timur collapsed with him. Already 95 years after the death of the "Iron Lame", his descendants lost Maverannahr. And only one descendant - Zakhiriddin Muhammad Babur, who lost his homeland - managed to take possession of new lands and in 1526 founded the mighty empire of the Great Mughals in India. This is how our city went down in history again and was able to literally change the geopolitical situation in Eurasia.
Is Genghis Khan's treasure in Otrar?
Otrar is of interest not only to historians and archaeologists. There are also many treasure hunters here. Shepherds passing by the settlement often ask travelers: "Well, have you found gold?" And after making sure that they are not yet, smiling, they leave, taking the herd of domestic animals with them.
Otrar is of interest not only to historians and archaeologists. There are also many treasure hunters here. Shepherds passing by the settlement often ask travelers: "Well, have you found gold?" And after making sure that they are not yet, smiling, they leave, taking the herd of domestic animals with them.
There are legends among the local population that in the 30s of the last century (during dispossession) the local buy melted all its treasures into one ingot, and the resulting piece of gold (the size of the head of a ram-horse-camel) was buried … he's under that mound. The legend of the bai is doubtful, but many believe that the great Genghis Khan buried his treasure in South Kazakhstan. And why not Otrar?
But so far all searches for treasure hunters are in vain. Remains of ancient buildings, ceramics, utensils are found in Otrar. Last year, for example, archaeologists found part of the altar - made of ceramics in the form of a woman's face. This find is very interesting because it represents the pre-Muslim period of the city's development (Muslims are prohibited from portraying faces). Or not so long ago, a pink bowl was discovered here, painted with Arabic script. Each find is worth its weight in gold! But the gold itself - alas!
Archaeologists find many coins here, which suggests that Otrar had its own mint, Otrar money circulated throughout the East. But these coins are made mostly of copper. Excavations are ongoing and it is possible that big discoveries are yet to come.
Otrar was built on the site of Atlantis?
This version may seem completely fantastic, but it also deserves attention. It is believed that Otrar is about 2 thousand years old. However, there are scientists, including the professor of Moscow State University Valery Chudinov, who believe that Otrar is more ancient. And it was built on the ruins of an even earlier civilization - Atlantis.
In his opinion, a fairly developed civilization existed in Kazakhstan even before the Great Flood. Otrar was originally a port city and was located on the Caspian coast. But after the Great Flood occurred 30 thousand years ago, the city sank under water. And then on its ruins, which is a high hill, people rebuilt a new city.
The scientist confirms his version by mathematical calculations. The photographs from above show that Otrar was built on a trapezoidal hill. This hill is 18 meters high. Therefore, to create such a gigantic mound, millions of tons of soil would be required. And since the ancient inhabitants of Farab did not have any tools and skills for the construction of such large hills, then most likely, according to the Moscow scientist, they used an already existing mound, that is, the ruins of the ancient city of Atlantis.
Otrar - Kazakhstani Pompeii?
Interest in Otrar never faded away. Extensive excavations in the region began in the late 1960s. At one time - from 2001 to 2004 - there was even a joint project of UNESCO, Kazakhstan and Japan - "Conservation and preservation of the ancient city of Otrar". Since 2004, the state program "Revival of Ancient Otrar" has been in effect.
Well, after that, according to the plan of archaeologists and restoration specialists, Otrar will be turned into a medieval city-museum and should become a kind of Kazakhstani Pompeii.
However, everyone can visit Otrar even now. Most of the tours combine excursions to Otrar with a visit to Turkestan and the Arystan Baba mausoleum. The cost of vouchers is completely different and starts from 2 thousand tenge per person to 115 thousand. Individual excursions to Otrar and Turkestan are quite expensive. They start at $ 420.
You can also visit Otrar yourself - by your own car, the only "inconvenience" is that after that you need to get a long way from the highway along a dusty road to the settlement itself.
Author of the text: Madina Ashilova. Photo: Alibek Begalinov
