Zhetysu

Zhetysu, also known historically as Semirechye or the “Seven Rivers,” is a region in southeastern Kazakhstan situated between the Ili and Kyzylkum deserts and the mountains of the eastern Tian Shan. The name derives from Kazakh, meaning “seven rivers,” referring to the Ili, Chu, Ili‑Maral, Sayqın, Ysyk‑aýyl, Nura, and Uzes rivers that collectively flow through the area. Today the area spans parts of the Almaty, Jambyl (now Jambyl), and Turkistan regions.

Historically, Zhetysu was a crossroads of nomadic tribes, Silk Road merchants, and Russian imperial expansion. In the mid‑19th century, the Russian Empire established military posts along the Ili River to secure its southern frontier. The 1864 Treaty of Aksu granted Russia a military and administrative foothold while the Kazakh Khanate remained nominally independent. By 1880 the region was formally incorporated into the Russian Empire as the Ili Pokrovsky Oblast, later renamed Semirechye Governorate.

Governance in the 20th century saw rapid change. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Soviet authority was consolidated, and in 1928 the region became part of the Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic. During Soviet times, Zhetysu experienced significant agricultural development, with vast irrigation projects transforming former steppe and desert into productive farmland. The region also became an industrial hub, notably producing textiles, machinery, and metallurgy.

After Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, the former Semirechye Province was divided among several administrative regions. Zhetysu remains an important agricultural corridor, producing grain, cotton, and fruit, leveraging its relatively fertile soils and extensive irrigation systems. The region also hosts numerous cultural and historic sites, including Buddhist archaeological ruins in the Ili valley and the 19th‑century Russian fortresses. Today, its strategic position continues to contribute to Kazakhstan’s economic development and cross‑border relations with China, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.