Gems Worth the Journey: Turkestan

Oct 17, 20194 min read

Attraction: Turkestan

Where: Southern Kazakhstan

Day trip from: Shymkent, Kazakhstan / Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Trip length: 1 Day

If you're not into crowds but are seeking serious Silk Road vibes and impressive architecture then this is the place for you. Patterned tiles, yurts and camels included. You're welcome.

Turkestan, once named Yasi on the ancient Silk Road, is still a city of sacred importance in Kazakhstan. Confusingly, it sounds as if it's a country of its own and when you tell people you've been there you might find that some mix this up with Turkmenistan. Very different places. If anything, this just adds to the mystique of a Central Asian journey though, right?

Though the last caravans of nomadic peoples trudged through the sands long ago, Turkestan's charm remains and is well worth soaking up on your Central Asian adventure. The main sites are all conveniently located in a complex not too far from the city centre and bus stations so this is a perfect day trip from Taraz and Shymkent, Kazakhstan or even Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This is a destination that'll score you obscure traveller points and give you a fancy go-to "when I was on the Silk Road..." dinner party anecdote for years to come. Gloating aside though, you'll be glad you travelled the extra distance to see this magical destination. It really is a gem worth the journey and a place of enormous significance for Kazakhstan's heritage. Sounds great Liv, but what is there to see exactly?

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

This UNESCO World Heritage Site within the citadel of ancient Yasi was the highlight of my visit. The Timurid period mausoleum was first built to commemorate the great 12th century Islamic poet and Sufi leader Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in 1389 under the rule of Timur. Technically, it isn't yet completed but hey; it's still pretty fancy thanks to what was experimental architecture for its time.

It was the way the turquoise domes seemed to glow in the sunlight that got me excited as I approached the building. Then once up close, the geometric patterns and mosaics had me transfixed for the best part of an hour. Inside you'll be asked to leave your bag with a security guard in the entrance and I found that there were limitations on photography. Don't let this put you off however, I was glad to put my bag down in the heat and some photos are permitted - but as this is a place of worship be sure to ask first! The first thing you'll see is an enormous bronze chalice inscribed with passages from the Qur'an in the central room then leading away to the other parts of the building are tiny winding corridors. The mausoleum itself is small and tranquil and the mosque just as peaceful. Some pilgrims were praying so I kept a respectful distance but if you speak Kazakh or Russian you'll probably find that visiting pilgrims will be more than happy to talk to you about their visit as foreign tourists are still a rarity both here an in Kazakhstan in general.

Just a stone's throw away from the mausoleum are several other historical sites such as the underground mosque and ancient bathhouse as well as the new Turkestan Mosque in the distance and the museum, which was unfortunately closed when I visited. There were a couple of yurts set up alongside two camels and a tourist police booth. These booths aren't there to make people feel uneasy - I asked the officers if I could approach the camels and they were more than happy to introduce them to me. I'm unsure why they were there exactly as nobody was offering rides but they seemed well cared for and added a comic element to the scene.

Visiting Turkestan and walking around the sites is free but there are entry fees if you want to explore inside the mausoleum: 200 Tenge for locals and 500 Tenge for foreigners.

Recommendations:

This is a religious site and a place of cultural heritage so I’d encourage travellers to carry a shawl or head scarf with them and dress modestly. In the end I found out that my head scarf wasn’t necessary but the gesture was appreciated.
Take cash as card payments generally aren’t accepted and ideally have small denominations to hand.
When I visited Turkestan in July 2019 some new developments were under construction, a tourist centre and new museum will be opening soon. I recommend heading there sooner rather than later to get a real feel for having the place to yourself, that being said I’ll be interested to know what it’s like when the developments are completed - let me know!
There are plenty of places to grab food and drinks from nearby and at both bus stations but still ensure you have plenty of water as they're all a bit of a walk from the mausoleum.

Directions:

From Shymkent take a marshrutka from Samal bus station to Merey bus station in Turkestan. Finding a marshrutka is easy, follow the bellowing of impatient drivers wanting to leave, the minibuses depart regularly once full.
The 2.5 hour drive from Shymkent to Turkestan will probably cost you around 600 KZT but have some extra change in case you want to use the facilities at either bus station.
Once in Turkestan, it takes about half an hour to walk to the complex but taking a taxi from the bus station should be cheap and quick if there isn’t too much traffic. This option comes recommended if you visit in the height of summer as I did.
Once you reach the museum it is extremely easy to navigate the rest of the complex so there’s no real need to have a taxi waiting for you. Drivers often offer to wait for you which is helpful but not all that necessary in my opinion. Alternatively I recommend just giving them a time to collect you later if you would like the reassurance of a ride back.

I also saw a lot of connections to and from Uzbekistan so if you’re in Tashkent then a day trip to Turkestan may be viable. You may find that just one day isn’t enough if you’re travelling from across the border and back in a day however.