Otyrar city was founded in the 1st century AD

One of the largest cities in Central Asia, now the settlement in Otrar district of South Kazakhstan region. The largest settlement Otrar oasis known as Tarband, Turarband, Turar and Farabi. The settlement Kuyruktobe, Kok-Mardan Altyntobe Mardan-Quick also adjacent to the oasis’s territory. Prosperity of Otrar oasis was during the period from 1st to 13th century AD. The city was inhabited before the beginning of the 19th century. The mints of Karakhanid dynasty was in Otrar (Parab). In the beginning of the 13th century, the Otrar city became part of Khorezm state. There is a possibility that Otrar was the center of Farabi, on copper dirhams Khoresmshah Ala ad-Din Muhammad made in Otrar in 1210–11, the stands «Parab», and in his own minted 1216–1218, — «Otrar», which placed before the word balad (meaning «city» and «country, region»). In the two hundred thousandth Otrar growing up in the place where the river Aris merged with the Syr Darya, settled scientists, sages, skilled musicians, fortune tellers and jewelers. The city had a large madrasah, marketplace, shop, blacksmith shop, milling Khan (the place where drank wine), sauna, mosques, shops nearby. Kair Khan, the uncle of Khoresmshah from maternal line, was a head of the city during the Mongol invasion. According to historical records, after execution of Genghis Khan’s ambassadors, in 1219 the city was besieged by the Mongol armies under the leadership of the eldest son of the conqueror, Jochi. The siege lasted seven months. Famine started in the city and dissatisfaction of refusal to negotiate with the Mongols, one night one of the inhabitants of the city opened the gates to the Mongols. Mongols after capturing the city destroyed the majority of the population. The rest of them taken into slavery, the city was burned and destroyed. Traitor named Karaj, opened the city gates, was executed personally by Jochi. In the 15th century, the town was rebuilt. In January 1405 in Otrar Tamerlan died in the beginning of his campaign to China. Otrar — the birthplace of many scientists such as Al-Farabi the outstanding medieval mathematician and philosopher, Abbas Zhauhari (with al-Khwarizmi participated in the drafting of astronomical tables), astronomer and mathematician and Ishaq Al-Farabithea, linguist and geographer. In Otrar lived and preached a famous Sufi Arystan Bab, near the mausoleum of settlement Arystan Baba (Arslan-Bab). A famous Sufi Arystan Bab lived and peached in Otrar. The mausoleum of Arystan Bab (Arslan Bab) located near the settlement.