The monument is located 5 km to the south – west from Kokmardan village, on the left bank of Arys river. Geographical coordinates: 42Т444709 UTM 4732986. The straight distance of the monument to the ruins of Otrar is 20 km. 7 km from Shaulder village.
The archaeological excavation on the site was held in 1977, 1978, 1983 by the South Kazakhstan complex archaeological expedition (K.M.Baipakov, K.M.Baipakov).
The ruins of Kokmardan consist of two parts: the mound and land ridge. The central part of the mound is oval shaped. The height is 15 m, the total area is 3,5 ha. The highest point of the citadel 16 m. there is a flat land which total area is 25x25 m. The other part of the town is separated by the lower lands. The rabad is located around the central mound. There are rectangular shaped mounds in plan. The structures of the north-west and western part of the central mound are around 3 ha. The total area of rabad is roughly 4 ha. It links with the handmade damn which height is 1.5 m, upper layer is 1.5 m, and lower layer is 3 m with the central part of the town. Only eastern part of the damn transforms into the ramp. There were two round shaped minarets.