Aksumbe (Akbikesh), the guard tower

Located on the edge of the high mountain spur of the northern slopes of Karatau, located south of the village of Aksumbe (Sozak district, South Kazakhstan region). The name of the tower and the village comes from the name of the Aksumbe River, which originates from the springs of Karatau. In the same place, on the south-western outskirts of the village, there is the medieval settlement of Aksumbe.

The guard tower is a round conical earthenware structure installed on a stone foundation with a diameter of about 12 m. It is built of large mud bricks and the height of the preserved part is 9 m. The entrance to the "body" of the tower is arranged through an archway located on the southern side of the monument. There are two window openings in the tower where the staircase made of mud brick leads. The guard tower and the settlement were first examined and described by A.Kh. Margulan in 1946. Analyzing the data of written sources and local legends, he came to the conclusion that the construction of the tower of Aksumbe should be attributed to the XIII century. Sharaf al-Din Ali Yezdi in "Zafar-nama" has detailed information about this sacred site, which says that Aksumbe is a tower (mil), built on top of Mount Karadzhik (Karatau) for the guard, who watches Desht-i Kypchak from there. Description of the tower dates back to 1376 and is associated with the search in the mountains of Karatau detachment of Timur Adilshah, who was caught in the same year in Aksumbe and there was executed.

Despite the fact that the Aksumbe guard tower is known in medieval written sources, it is called Akbikesh by the locals and is identified with the tomb of a girl, which is a lot of legends. According to one of them, the construction of Akbikesh is the grave of a girl who died heroically in the battle with the enemies for the independence of their own people, which is confirmed in the notes of A.Kh. Margulan. He pointed out that the construction of the tower is linked to the local legend with the invasion of Dzungars. On the other hand, Akbikesh is a victim of love who has finished her life in response to her father's refusal to marry her beloved man. As a sign of the tragedy, the failed groom erected this building on her grave.

In 2007, archaeological work was carried out in the settlement of Aksumbe and the Akbikesh Tower. Lifting material from the XII-XIII centuries was obtained from the tower and inside the stairwell. The analysis of archaeological finds from the excavations of the settlement made it possible to determine the chronological framework of the limits of the X-XII centuries. However, life at this site continued in the Mongolian time. Moreover, the dwellings in this period go beyond the main manor and are located next to each other. Obviously, it was promoted by the fact that the very life on the settlement ceased in the first half of the XIII century. Undoubtedly, the active habitation of the settlement in the XII-XIII centuries associated with the maintenance of the guard tower. Then the question arises about the time of erection of the guard tower and its direct purpose in the defense system of a particular city center. The report of Sharaf al-Din Ali Yezdi on the construction of the tower for the observation of Desht-i Kypchak and the analysis of the topography of the area adjacent to this fortification object lead to the idea that Sygnak was such a city centre. A caravan trail runs from Aksumbe directly through Karatau, without going back to the main road to Sygnak, bypassing the mountain massif.

For a long time Sygnak was an object of claim of Khorezmshahs of Astyz, Tekesh, Mohammed. The struggle for this city ends under Muhammed - on the eve of the Mongol conquest, when the entire line of the cultural strip on the Syr Darya below Sauran passes into the hands of Khorezm. Probably, the time of construction of the Aksumbe Tower dates back to the period of Muhammed's reign - the beginning of the XIII century, of course, who was preparing for the Mongol invasion and chose the tactics of strengthening the garrisons of the country instead of the general battle. This is confirmed by such similar constructions on the Syr Darya as Begim ana Tower and Saraman-Kosa, located near the ruins of Jankent. It is a city that defended the northern borders of Khorezm, where such constructions are becoming mandatory in the fortification of the state.

The Aksumbe-Akbikesh Guard Tower is a monument of architecture of local importance. The site of pilgrimage and religious tourism.