Shymkent (Kazakh: Шымкент, Şymkent; pronounced [ʃɯmˈkʲent] ⓘ) is a city in southern Kazakhstan, located near the border with Uzbekistan.

Historically, Shymkent was part of the Silk Road, playing a crucial role in regional trade and cultural exchange.

Today, it is known for its vibrant local culture, historical sites, and growing economy, driven by industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and trade.

Shymkent's economy has been expanding in recent years, with infrastructure improvements and a focus on modernizing its urban landscape.

The city's diverse population, which includes Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and other ethnic groups, reflects its historical role as a crossroads of cultures.

After Kazakhstan gained independence, the spelling was changed to Shymkent in 1993 as part of the government's campaign to apply Kazakh names to cities.

Chimkent was founded in the twelfth century[6] as a caravanserai to protect a nearby Silk Road trade town, Sayram, 10 km to the east.

At the same time, there is a hypothesis about its earlier establishment based on the burials found during archaeological excavations that, according to experts, date back to the 5th – 6th centuries.

Its name links to the famous traveler Xuan Jiang, who mentioned it in his notes about Isfijab - Sairam.

Indigenous people of Chimkent relate the time of its establishment to the 12th century, referring to the grave of St. Baba Dervish, a contemporary of Khoja Ahmet Yasawi."

The city produced spare parts for tanks, shells, metal, lead for bullets, optical instruments and other products.

Trees like oak, elm, poplar, karagach, cannan maple, willow, chestnut, acacia, ailanthus, thuja, pine, spruce grow in the city.

This construction is part of then-President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev's promotion of the development of Shymkent as the "third Kazakhstani megalopolis".

[24] It supplied a major part of the USSR's metals needs, copper as well as lead and others, including three-quarters of all bullets fired by the Red Army.

[23] The city also has industries producing refined zinc, processed karakul pelts, textiles, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals.

As for light industry, enterprises include "Voskhod" (garments from woolen and semi-woolen fabrics: suits, coats, jackets, etc.

In the last 3 years, as part of the Industrial and Innovative Development Programme, 24 enterprises were opened in Shymkent, and 1,300 permanent jobs were created.

To date investments worth 64 billion tenge have been attracted, 72 projects have been launched, more than 4,000 people have been employed.

In February 2021, it was announced that authorities in Shymkent are planning for 123 investment projects worth over 1.36 trillion tenge (US$3.3 billion) to be launched over the next 5 years.

The Bus service uses modern Yutong CNG buses to reach close to every corner of the city and also decrease the air pollution of the region.

Major roads passing through Shymkent include M32 (to Aktobe, Oral and Samara) and A2 (Tashkent and Almaty).

But after it became a town of the Syrdarya region in 1867, the "New City" gradually emerged - an area that has a rectangular-quarter street layout.

It was limited to Nikolaevskaya (now Kazybek-bi), Stepnaya (Kunaev Boulevard), Sadovaya (Tauke Khan Avenue) and Meshchanskaya (now Turkestan) streets.

Ordabasy Square In the 19th century, the eastern border of the city passed here, and there were also fortified gates leading to Sayram and Taraz.

The top of the monument is crowned by the figure of a young woman, symbolizing Mother Earth, who releases seven swallows into the sky.

Valuable trees (mainly oaks) planted here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and still grow in the park.

An art gallery and a public swimming pool are located in the northern part of Abay Park.

The park offers a Singing fountain, a 50 metres high flagpole, pavilions, playgrounds and the monument named Altyn Shanyraq.

Initially, the building was built of mud brick, but due to flooding by the river, it collapsed over time.

In the late period of the Soviet Union, a plan was created to preserve the Old City as an open-air museum with special requirements for newly erected buildings to combine the historical and modern architectural style.