Turkestan

Turkestan stands among the oldest cities in Kazakhstan, where every square meter holds layers of history. Founded in 490 AD, it flourished in the 12th century as a fortified city, surrounded by strong defensive walls, and served as an administrative hub for dynasties like the Khwarezmshahs, Mongols, Timurids, and Shaybanids. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Turkestan was the capital of the Kazakh Khanate, positioned at the crossroads of nomadic and sedentary cultures and trade routes. The city hosted grand enthronement ceremonies for Khans, attended by dignitaries from neighboring states. Turkestan’s renown reached far beyond the region.

The city’s fame owes much to Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a dervish, Sufi preacher, and poet who lived here. Above his modest tomb—a pilgrimage site where three visits equaled a pilgrimage to Mecca—a magnificent mausoleum was erected by Timur (Tamerlane) over 230 years after Yasawi’s passing. This mausoleum transformed Turkestan into a revered site in the Muslim world.

The ancient settlement of Kultobe marks the beginning of Turkestan’s history, serving as a cultural, religious, and trading center on the Great Silk Road. Located just 300 meters from the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, Kultobe reveals the city’s evolution across four distinct historical periods, as unearthed by archaeologists across a 30-hectare area:

• 1st–5th centuries: the Kangju period, marked by a unique ancient citadel and fortress complex.
• 7th–9th centuries: the early medieval period, featuring residential and public buildings surrounded by fortified walls.
• 10th–12th centuries: the height of the city’s medieval culture, during which Khoja Ahmed Yasawi lived and preached.
• 16th–19th centuries: the Kazakh Khanate period.

Turkestan has become a pilgrimage destination. It is said that for Muslims, three journeys to Turkestan are equivalent to one lesser pilgrimage (Umrah) to Mecca. Among the city’s numerous mausoleums, two stand out: the Mausoleum of Arystan Bab, a Sufi saint and preacher, and the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a philosopher, thinker, and poet. Both figures were instrumental in spreading Islam among Central Asian Turkic peoples. The Yasawi Mausoleum, Kazakhstan’s most prominent architectural landmark, was the country’s first site to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Located within the Hazrat Sultan historical and cultural reserve, this mausoleum was commissioned by Timur, who personally oversaw its design and intricate decorative details. Historians believe Timur’s motivations were less religious than political; he intended to consolidate his influence over nomadic tribes and affirm that this northern frontier was also under his rule.

Timur’s death in 1405 halted the mausoleum’s construction, and the building was never fully completed. Tilework only covers part of the structure, and medieval scaffolding still clings to the southern portal, a visible reminder of the unfinished work. Local tradition holds that a pilgrimage to Turkestan should first pass through the Mausoleum of Arystan Bab, built over the grave of Yasawi’s teacher. According to legend, Arystan Bab, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, lived for 500 years to impart the Prophet’s wisdom to Yasawi.

For centuries, the mausoleum served as a residence for Kazakh Khans, hosting gatherings of nobility and diplomatic meetings. Today, it houses part of the Hazrat Sultan Museum’s collection. In the grand hall of the complex—the Kazandyk—stands a vast ceremonial cauldron cast from an alloy of seven metals at Timur’s command. Once stored in the Hermitage for several decades, this remarkable artifact was returned to the mausoleum in 1988.