Overview

Turkestan

Kazakhstan

Turkestan city (Yasy) was well-known as a mental-political center of the Turk people in the large region Desht-i-Kipchak (Kipchak Steppe) and was the ancient capital of Kazakh Khans. Today Turkestan is 15000 years old. Sheikh Khodja Akhmed Yassaui – a poet, philosopher and spiritually mentor of the Turk people lived in this city. Khodja Akhmed Yassaui Mausoleum built by order of Tamerlan in 16 century is a masterpiece of Middle age architecture. It represents unique complex of palaces and temples, where decoration elegancy, patterned vaulted ceilings, colorful majolica mosaic are amazed. There is a popular belief that the way to Turkestan must run through Arystan-Bab Mausoleum which was built on the grave of Akhmad Yassaui mentor, a famous religious mystic lived in 12 century. The earliest part of the mausoleum is related to the epoch of Timurids.