Abstract
The presented article is an analysis of archaeological materials of medieval cities located on the Mangystau peninsula from a historical and topographic point of view. A comprehensive study of medieval urban culture in the western region of Kazakhstan is one of the most pressing problems of national history. Within the framework of this issue, the Mangystau Peninsula is a promising region with a large number of monuments of historical and cultural heritage. The article provides a brief analysis of the emergence of urban centers and features of urbanization processes in the Middle Ages, in particular, changes in the topography of cities, the emergence of new structural elements. It is widely known that trade, including international trade, had a great influence on the formation and existence of medieval cities in the history of mankind. Since the X century, as a result of the development of local, regional and International Trade, cities began to form in the region. The life of the city, its well-being and prosperity were directly related to trade. Archaeological studies conducted in recent years have proven that the level of development of cities in the region is not inferior to the cities of medieval Central Asia. For example, the central part of Kyzylkala consisted of Shahristan with a fortress and dense infrastructure. The territory of rabad and houses was adjacent to Shahristan. In addition, on the territory where developed irrigation systems were created, the townspeople also had fields for processing. The article discusses information about the medieval cities of the region and written sources that determine their location in different ways. An attempt was made to systematize the medieval cities of the North-East Caspian historical and geographical microdistrict.