Kyzylzhar

Kyzylzhar stands on the Ishim River, where the Kazakh steppe meets the southern edge of the West Siberian plain. The name refers to a red bank above the river. A Russian fortress built here became Petropavlovsk, an important place of exchange between the steppe and the towns of Russia.

In 1752 the fortress of Saint Peter was founded on the right bank of the Ishim as a principal post of the new fortified line. Soldiers and Cossacks built the stronghold, which also held military supplies. Trade with Kazakh neighbours developed in the following years and gained importance during the 1760s. Merchants travelling between Russia and Central Asia used the settlement, giving the former frontier fort a commercial role alongside its military purpose.