Turkistan

Population:164,746 (2019)
Area:196 km²

Overview

Turkistan is an old Silk Road town in the south of Kazakhstan, gathered around the great unfinished mausoleum of the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.

Travel

Turkistan is the heart of Kazakhstan's Islamic heritage: a town on the southern steppe whose blue-domed mausoleum has drawn pilgrims for centuries. A day is enough for the mausoleum and the walled old town around it, and a second day adds the shrine of Arystan Bab and the ruins of Otrar. The town lies on the railway across the south and has its own airport, so it joins a trip from Almaty by a flight or an overnight train.

The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

The mausoleum was built on Timur's orders at the end of the fourteenth century over the tomb of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, and its turquoise dome and great brick portal, left unfinished, rise above the walled old town. Inside, the halls around the tomb keep a huge bronze cauldron cast for the mausoleum. The building is a World Heritage site, listed by UNESCO as one of the largest and best-preserved buildings of Timur's age.

A Place of Pilgrimage

Yasawi was a Sufi poet and teacher of the twelfth century whose verses in Turkic spread his teaching across the steppe, and his tomb has made Turkistan a place of pilgrimage ever since. Families come from across Kazakhstan and Central Asia, and visitors dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and move quietly in the halls around the tomb.

Arystan Bab and Otrar

By custom, pilgrims visit the shrine of Arystan Bab, remembered as Yasawi's teacher, before they come to Turkistan. It stands near the ruins of Otrar, a Silk Road city on the plain of the Syr Darya, where the mounds of its streets and walls lie open to walkers, a short drive from Turkistan.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Yasawi mausoleum unfinished?

Because its builder died. Timur ordered the mausoleum at the end of the fourteenth century, and when he died in 1405 the work stopped: the main portal was never faced with tiles, and traces of the builders' scaffolding still show in its bare brick. The unfinished front is part of what makes the building remarkable, since it shows how such a monument was made.

How do I get to Turkistan?

By train on the railway across southern Kazakhstan, by air to the town's airport, or by road from Shymkent, the nearest large city. From Almaty it is an overnight train or a short flight, which makes Turkistan an easy addition to a trip in the south.

Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.