Small Streets and Large Streets

We have been poring over images of the city as well as looking at maps, using Google Earth to get a greater sense of the way this city of Taraz is organized and perhaps developed over the many years (thousands) that it has existed. Destroyed by invading armies and rebuilt time and time again, you see the city for what it is and perhaps what it was by walking.

Fruit trees and Houses. Every street is full of fruit trees. 

At first look you see that the city itself is comprised of many large tree lined streets and avenues that are well organized. Behind many of these large streets are smaller lanes and alleys that seem much older than these larger streets. Here you find bumpy, dusty roads and an occasional paved road some no more narrow than a car or some even much too small for a car to pass.

These smaller roads lead you into crossing directions that remind you that this city was built many years before the car. Here you can find old houses, fruit trees dropping their fruit, and the new rich are building multiple storied houses. Some of the most grand buildings can be seen in these little lanes next to some of the most beautiful old buildings. Large gates and walls are built in front of these "new rich" houses to tell you that there is money here but don't come in!

A friend told me once that in the old days there were very few gates and walls in the city of Taraz. When the fall of the Soviet Union happened the walls came.

In some of these neighborhoods you can see Uzbek houses and neighborhoods known as Mahala. Here you see an occasional Mosque and if you listen at the right time of day you can hear the call to prayer.

A Soviet Apartment (Kruschovki) and a small market advertising the sale of tap beer

Taraz is a multi-cultural city. Kazakhs are the biggest population but there are many different families that have been here for centuries and call this city home.