Exploring Sayram

A short 20-minute drive from Shymkent brings you to Sayram.

The entryway into Sayram is marked by an arch, with the town’s name displayed in both Cyrillic and Arabic. It’s believed that as far back as the 7th century, the site of modern Sayram was once the bustling trade city of Isfijab.

The heart of Sayram lies at the crossing of two streets that were once named Lenin and Communist. This intersection is an ideal starting point to explore the town’s many attractions, which are surprisingly plentiful for such a compact place. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the area, finding certain landmarks on your own may prove challenging. Sayram is a charming, vibrant place where traditional neighborhoods, or mahallas, sprawl out from a lively central bazaar, dotted with numerous sacred mausoleums. To help guide your journey, we’ve prepared a Google map marking some of the main sights, and we hope it proves helpful.

A quick glance at the map reveals the ancient city layout: a circular earthwork at the center, indicating the old shahristan, with four roads extending outwards.

For centuries, Isfijab had four gates: the Chimkent Gate to the west, the Bazaar Gate to the south, the Karamurt Gate to the east, and the Bildarbaza Gate to the north. Today, the northern gate has been “recreated” as a drive-through archway of silicate bricks, and we’ll begin our tour there.

From this viewpoint, you can easily make out the remaining shahristan defence wall.

The area is lively, with bustling streets and numerous small shops selling every imaginable good.

Soon you will reach the very centre of shahristan with bazaar at its centre as it used to be for many centuries before. The area is boiling with life.

Then from the central intersection, let’s head west towards the location of the former Chimkent Gate. Not far from here lies Sayram’s most treasured site, the Mausoleum of Karashash Ana, the mother of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. While her burial place dates back to the 12th century, the current mausoleum was built in the 19th century, replacing the ruins of an earlier medieval structure.

Just about 100-150 meters beyond the Mausoleum of Karashash Ana, past the old gate’s line and within the cemetery grounds, you’ll find another ancient mausoleum: Mirali Baba. Constructed in the 19th century, this mausoleum replaced an earlier 15th-century structure that once stood over the burial site of Mirali Baba, a prominent local figure who lived here in the 11th-12th centuries.

As you walk toward this mausoleum, near the former gate, you’ll encounter the Friday Mosque. While not the only mosque in Sayram, it is the largest. Historically, the Friday Mosque stood prominently at the main intersection but was destroyed in 1928—not by human hands, but by an earthquake.

Next, let’s head south to the Bazaar Gate. Along the way, you’ll pass by a monument dedicated to World War II. If you follow the path along the earthen wall —the remains of a cliff edge where the wall once stood on this side—you’ll find a small mausoleum perched on the edge. Unfortunately, no historical information is available about this mausoleum.

Now, let’s explore eastward from the center. After walking about 200 steps, take a right turn, and you’ll arrive at the Minaret of Khizr Payghambar. This minaret was once part of a mosque that no longer stands, and it has sustained significant damage from earthquakes over the years. Khizr, or Khidr, is a mythical figure in Islamic lore, said to have been a mentor to Moses (known as the Prophet Musa in Islam).

The minaret is modest in scale, standing at only 10.5 meters tall and with a base diameter of 2.5 meters that tapers toward the top. You can climb up to the minaret, but the view is quite limited, showing only the canopy over the archaeological remains of the old mosque, which collapsed in the earthquake of 1928, and a nearby school playground.

Taking a narrow alleyway further east brings you to the Karamurt Gate. Beyond these eastern gates stands another mosque along the street, named after Maryam-Ana, or Mother Mary—a name that notably evokes Christian roots (the «Mosque of Saint Mary!»). Adjacent to it, a second set of wooden gates, dating from the early 20th century by their appearance, leads to a small, quiet cemetery, where Maryam-Ana herself is likely laid to rest.

Returning to Amir Temur Street, head right for about 200 meters, where you’ll see the Mausoleum of Khoja Salih (also known as Talig) on your left. Following recent restoration, the mausoleum bears little resemblance to its appearance in the 1970s.

Going further east at Amir Temur street 204 you’ll encounter anothet mausoleum. Visitors find at the entrance written: “I am a traveling force. And only here I receive people who are looking for me!− Kydyr Ata.” 

This monument is one of the most detailed and beautiful buildings in Sayram and is framed by a small rose garden. It was built in the 18th century with burnt bricks and the mausoleum’s exterior walls are covered in glazed tiles constituting geometric patterns. The building has a outline of 6.44×6.30m and a height of 7.15m. During the times the building has been repaired three times. The last renovation occurred in 2010 financed by ex-Senate deputy Omirbek Baigel’di. But just seven years later, the dome of the mausoleum was damaged by heavy snow and rain. A temporary roof is protecting the Mausoleum from rain and ice since 2017 now.

Returning to the familiar center, we head north toward the Bilbarbaza Gate. Beyond these gates, just outside, lies a vast cemetery stretching along the left side of the road. At the corner, you’ll find the Ak-Ata-Baba Mausoleum (dedicated to the «White Grandfather»), built in 1995 over a medieval grave. The true name of the White Grandfather was Shihab ad-Din Isfidjabi, a revered mentor of Ahmad Yasawi, guiding the future saint in scholarly pursuits.

About two hundred meters further along this old cemetery is the grandest mausoleum in Sayram, dedicated to Abdel Aziz Baba. This cemetery is extensive, housing several mausoleums. The main building has two additional structures, each capped with its own dome. In the central building, a prayer area is set aside, while the side chambers house the tombs. One chamber is said to be the resting place of Seyit Khodjakhan Ata, while the other is dedicated to Abd al-Aziz Baba, a standard-bearer of an Arab army sent in 766 to protect newly converted Muslims in Mawarannahr from non-believers. Known as «Balagerdan» or «Bane of Evil,» he was respected as a protective figure.

If you continue further north, you’ll arrive at the central square of the «new city,» where the Regional Museum and the Uzbek Regional Drama Theater are located, established (according to the inscriptions here) in 2003.

Further northwest lies the Mausoleum of Ibrahim Ata, father of Ahmad Yasawi. Some minibuses from Shymkent even pass by this revered site. The mausoleum, adorned in beautiful detail, is surrounded by vendors selling souvenirs and brochures about Sayram. From the hill on which the mausoleum sits, you can view the outskirts of both Sayram and modern Shymkent.

The Ibrahim Ata Mausoleum itself is medieval, likely dating to the 16th or 17th century, possibly even earlier, and has retained its historic form with minimal renovation. Strangely, the entrance is on the side rather than through the main portal.

Though photos may give the impression that the sacred sites of Sayram are empty and forgotten, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Pilgrims abound here—individuals, families, groups. A common scene unfolds as a car stops, the driver steps out, reads a brief prayer at the mausoleum or its gate, palms raised, and continues on. These shrines are woven into the everyday lives of locals, yet there is a clear presence of devoted pilgrims. Sayram, Turkestan, and Otrar together form the Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem of Kazakhstan’s «Small Hajj.»