Talas Province (
Kyrgyz:
Талас областы) is a
province (
oblast) of
Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is
Talas. It is bordered on the west and north by
Jambyl Province of Kazakhstan, on the east by
Chui Province, on the south by
Jalal-Abad Province and on the southwest by a finger of
Uzbekistan. It is basically a U-shaped valley open to the west. The northern border is defined by the
Kyrgyz Ala-Too, which also form the southern border of Chuy Province. At the eastern end, the
Talas Ala-Too Range splits off and marks the southern border. The
Talas River flows through the center of the valley. The main highway (A361) enters from the east over the Ötmök Pass (closed in winter) and goes down the valley to
Taraz in Kazakhstan. Near the mouth of the valley at
Kyzyl-Adyr, one road goes north toward Taraz and the other south over the Kara-Buura Pass to Jalal-Abad Province. Before independence most trade links were with Taraz. The historic
Battle of Talas occurred here.