In the history of the Kazakh steppe, many hills and urban settlements have been studied. As evidence, we can talk about the early medieval city of Aktobe (Balasagun), which is located on the Shu River, belonging to the territory of the Zhambyl region. The article examines it within the framework of research conducted in the early medieval city of Aktobe (Balasagun), which was the center of the Karakhan state, the capital of the Karakhan era, which was of great importance in history. The fact that on our vast land there are ancient cities, inherited from our ancestors, possessing unique luxury, is already quite known to Kazakh society today. Really, by excavating and exploring the territories in which such historical complexes are located, we can obtain new data and information of great historical and archaeological significance, providing unique information about the society in which our ancestors lived. In history, there were scientists who hastily declared the city of Akbeshim located in Kyrgyzstan as the city of Balasagun. Such a controversial issue requires accurate data and consistent research. There are similarities and differences in the medieval cities along the Silk Road. The central part, consisting of castles and shakhristan, built by local townspeople, is of particular interest to archaeological researchers. The length of collapsed piles in the central part of cities here ranges from three kilometers to tens of kilometers or more. It describes the unique features of each city. Medieval cities were also divided into groups according to importance.