Tour to Turkestan from Shymkent

Route: Shymkent - Sairam - Arystan-bab - Turkestan Shymkent

Ispidzhab was considered the starting point on Kazakh sector of the Silk Road. There the merchants from Bukhara, Merv and Samarkand had their own caravanserais. The city was populated mainly by handicraftsmen. The tower of "Bazalak Ata" Mosque - a minaret dating back to the 12th century. Two mausoleums connected with the name of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, cult structures constructed after Dzungar invasion are the historical landmarks of the city.

Objects to visit:

• The Mausoleums of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's parents Karashash ana (XVIII century), Ibrahim ata (XIII-XIX centuries)
• Medieval minaret of Khizr (XIII-XIX centuries)

• As the legend says, by order of Tamerlane, the construction of a mosque began over the grave of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (1338-1405). All attempts to build the walls failed, a strong storm demolished them, according to another version, the appearance of a green bull that destroyed everything. The saint who appeared in a dream to Timur said that first it was necessary to build a mausoleum over the grave of Saint Arystan Bab, and then over the grave of Khoja Akhmed Yasavi. Timur did it. Therefore, the pilgrims first visit the mausoleum of the teacher Arystan Bab, and then the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.

• Turkestan (Iasi) was known as the spiritual and political center of the Turkic-speaking people and was the capital of the Kazakh Khanate. Turkestan was founded more than 1,500 years ago. Pilgrims say three trips to Turkestan equal small hajj to Mecca.

• The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassavi - an unsurpassed masterpiece of medieval architecture and the amazing complex of palaces and temples. The building consists of 30 rooms and halls. Its central hall is a closed-down residence of the Kazakh khans, now there is a specific museum – pantheon open for public. The pearl of this museum is "Tai Kazan", the largest in the entire eastern Muslim world - a bowl for water.
• Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassavi;
• Medieval bath;
• Hilvet, where the great saint lived;
• Hamam;
• Friday Mosque;
• Mausoleum of the great granddaughter of Timur Rabia - Sultan Begim;