In 751, the Battle of Talas was fought nearby between armies of the Abbasid Caliphate and Tibet against the Tang dynasty.

Its economy has traditionally been oriented towards the ancient city of Taraz (formerly named Talas and Dzhambul) in present day Kazakhstan.

The Talas valley has suffered severely from the imposition of rigid border controls by Kazakhstan following the demise of the Soviet Union, as transport and trade links to the rest of Kyrgyzstan are now constrained by the mountains separating it from the Chüy Valley and Bishkek.

Manas, the mythical Kyrgyz national hero, is said to have been born in the Ala Too mountains in Talas oblast.

However, the inscription on its richly decorated facade dedicates it to "...the most glorious of women Kenizek-Khatun, the daughter of the Emir Abuka".