Troitsk

Troitsk stands on the Uy River at the edge of the Kazakh steppe. Founded as a fortress on the Russian frontier, it became a meeting place for merchants and pastoral people travelling between the steppe and the towns beyond the Urals. Its location on a caravan route gave the fortified post a commercial role alongside its military one.

The fortress was founded in 1743 as part of the Uy fortified line. Trade with Kazakhs of the Middle Zhuz and with Asian merchants developed at the post, and by 1750 a customs office supervised exchange there. Kazakh leaders and Russian officials both had an interest in opening frontier markets. What began as a defensive stronghold thus grew into a place where livestock and other goods could pass between the steppe and the Russian market.