p. 160: Other Major Cities [i.e. other than almaty and astana]:
Taraz and Kyzlorda are the two other cities in the south, and although they are primarily Kazakh, they have nothing in particular to recommend to them. Both have about a quarter of a million people. Taraz lies about 560 kilometres west of Almaty, and 200 kilometres east of Shymkent... Both cities have a venerable history, Taraz claiming to be over two thousand years old, but there is almost no evidence whatsoever of an interesting past.
