{"id":1305357,"date":"2026-10-01T21:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?page_id=1305357"},"modified":"2026-10-02T10:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T10:09:39","slug":"turkistan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/asia\/kazakhstan\/turkistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkistan"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"parent":1302887,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"hw-hub-city","meta":{"footnotes":"","hw_hub_hero_eyebrow":"","hw_hub_hero_h1":"","hw_hub_hero_intro":"","hw_hub_hero_image":"","hw_hub_hero_overlay":"","hw_hub_hero_cta":"","hw_hub_why_title":"","hw_hub_why_body":"","hw_hub_why_link_label":"","hw_hub_why_link_url":"","hw_hub_why_cards":"","hw_hub_stats":"","hw_hub_countries_title":"","hw_hub_countries_intro":"","hw_hub_featured":"","hw_hub_regions":"","hw_hub_hostels_title":"","hw_hub_hostels_intro":"","hw_hub_hostels_cta_label":"","hw_hub_hostels_cta_url":"","hw_hub_hostels_source":"","hw_hub_hostels_location_type":"","hw_hub_hostels_location_id":"","hw_hub_hostels_currency":"","hw_hub_hostels_count":"","hw_hub_hostels_cache":"","hw_hub_hostels":"","hw_hub_when_title":"","hw_hub_when_intro":"","hw_hub_seasons":"","hw_hub_costs_title":"","hw_hub_costs_body":"","hw_hub_cost_rows":"","hw_hub_cost_note":"","hw_hub_money_reads":"","hw_hub_rail_title":"","hw_hub_rail_body":"","hw_hub_rail_link_label":"","hw_hub_rail_link_url":"","hw_hub_rail_image":"","hw_hub_routes":"","hw_hub_events_title":"","hw_hub_events_intro":"","hw_hub_events_source":"","hw_hub_events_continent":"","hw_hub_events_count":"","hw_hub_events_cache":"","hw_hub_events_cta_label":"","hw_hub_events_cta_url":"","hw_hub_events":"","hw_hub_events_pills":"","hw_hub_reads_intro":"","hw_hub_article_rows":"","hw_hub_show_read_time":"","hw_hub_all_title":"","hw_hub_all_body":"","hw_hub_all_cta":"","hw_hub_trips_title":"","hw_hub_trips_note":"","hw_hub_trips":"","hw_hub_faq_title":"","hw_hub_faq_note":"","hw_hub_faqs":"","hw_hub_cta_title":"","hw_hub_cta_body":"","hw_hub_cta_buttons":"","hw_hub_newsletter_title":"","hw_hub_newsletter_body":"","hw_hub_newsletter_shortcode":"","hw_hub_hub_term":"","hw_hub_scope_rows":"","hw_hub_country_hero_eyebrow":"","hw_hub_country_hero_h1":"","hw_hub_country_hero_intro":"","hw_hub_country_hero_image":"","hw_hub_country_hero_overlay":"","hw_hub_country_hero_cta":"","hw_hub_country_stats":"","hw_hub_country_intro_title":"","hw_hub_country_intro_body":"","hw_hub_country_facts":"","hw_hub_country_cities_title":"","hw_hub_country_cities_intro":"","hw_hub_country_cities_live":"","hw_hub_country_cities":"","hw_hub_country_trips_title":"","hw_hub_country_trips_intro":"","hw_hub_country_trip_types":"","hw_hub_country_do_title":"","hw_hub_country_do_body":"","hw_hub_country_do_points":"","hw_hub_country_do_tag":"","hw_hub_country_do_more":"","hw_hub_country_food_title":"","hw_hub_country_food_body":"","hw_hub_country_food_points":"","hw_hub_country_food_tag":"","hw_hub_country_food_more":"","hw_hub_country_nightlife_title":"","hw_hub_country_nightlife_body":"","hw_hub_country_nightlife_points":"","hw_hub_country_nightlife_tag":"","hw_hub_country_nightlife_more":"","hw_hub_country_transport_title":"","hw_hub_country_transport_body":"","hw_hub_country_transport_points":"","hw_hub_country_transport_tag":"","hw_hub_country_transport_more":"","hw_hub_country_money_title":"","hw_hub_country_money_body":"","hw_hub_country_money_points":"","hw_hub_country_money_tag":"","hw_hub_country_money_more":"","hw_hub_country_safety_title":"","hw_hub_country_safety_body":"","hw_hub_country_safety_points":"","hw_hub_country_safety_tag":"","hw_hub_country_safety_more":"","hw_hub_country_entry_title":"","hw_hub_country_entry_body":"","hw_hub_country_entry_points":"","hw_hub_country_entry_tag":"","hw_hub_country_entry_more":"","hw_hub_country_season_title":"","hw_hub_country_season_intro":"","hw_hub_country_season_note":"","hw_hub_country_season_rows":"","hw_hub_country_budget_title":"","hw_hub_country_budget_intro":"","hw_hub_country_budget_note":"","hw_hub_country_budget_rows":"","hw_hub_country_budget_currency":"","hw_hub_country_events_title":"","hw_hub_country_events_intro":"","hw_hub_country_events_source":"","hw_hub_country_events_country":"","hw_hub_country_events_count":"","hw_hub_country_events_cache":"","hw_hub_country_events_cta_label":"","hw_hub_country_events_cta_url":"","hw_hub_country_events":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_title":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_intro":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_cta_label":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_cta_url":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_source":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_location_type":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_location_id":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_currency":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_count":"","hw_hub_country_hostels_cache":"","hw_hub_country_hostels":"","hw_hub_country_faq_t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city guide","hw_hub_city_hero_h1":"Things To Do In Turkistan","hw_hub_city_hero_intro":"A Silk Road town built around the vast turquoise-domed mausoleum of the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Kazakhstan's holiest site, with ruined cities of the steppe nearby.","hw_hub_city_hero_image":"1305381","hw_hub_city_hero_overlay":"medium","hw_hub_city_hero_cta":"Where to stay | #areas\r\nWhat it costs | #money","hw_hub_city_live_stats":"1","hw_hub_city_stats":"14th c. | The mausoleum built\r\n2003 | Joins UNESCO\r\n3 | Pilgrimages equal one to Mecca","hw_hub_city_intro_title":"The second Mecca","hw_hub_city_intro_body":"Turkistan was an important Silk Road town, and the burial place of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a twelfth-century Sufi poet revered across Central Asia. Timur built his mausoleum in the fourteenth century, one of the greatest buildings of the Timurid era, left unfinished on its front. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and three pilgrimages here are said to equal one to Mecca.\r\n\r\nThe town has been heavily developed for tourism, with a new visitor complex of canals and hotels.\r\n\r\nOne or two days is right, with the ruins of Otrar and Sauran nearby.","hw_hub_city_facts":"Getting there | Flight, or bus and train via Shymkent\r\nGetting around | On foot and taxi\r\nLanguages | Kazakh, Russian and Uzbek\r\nTipping | 10% in restaurants\r\nTap water | Not recommended\r\nHow long to stay | One or two days","hw_hub_city_areas_title":"Where to stay","hw_hub_city_areas_intro":"Most hotels are in the new tourist complex west of the mausoleum, with its canals and restaurants, or in the streets around the mausoleum itself. Both are walkable to the main sight.","hw_hub_city_areas_map":"1","hw_hub_city_areas_zoom":"13","hw_hub_city_hostels_pins":"1","hw_hub_city_areas_live":"1","hw_hub_city_areas":"Mausoleum | First-timers | The streets around the holy site. | 43.2930 | 68.2710 |  | \nTourist complex | Hotels | The new development with canals and restaurants. | 43.2900 | 68.2600 |  | ","hw_hub_city_itin_title":"How long have you got?","hw_hub_city_itin_intro":"The routes we would take, in the order we would take them.","hw_hub_city_itin":"","hw_hub_city_do_title":"Things to do in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_do_body":"Turkistan is the spiritual capital of Kazakhstan. The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a twelfth-century Sufi poet and teacher, was built on the orders of Timur at the end of the fourteenth century and left unfinished at his death; its scaffolding holes and bare brick front are still visible. Its huge turquoise ribbed dome and tiled walls make it one of the finest Timurid buildings anywhere, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pilgrims come from across Central Asia; locals say three pilgrimages here equal one to Mecca. Dress modestly, and women should cover their heads inside.\r\n\r\nThe Arystan Bab mausoleum, built over the grave of Yasawi's teacher, is traditionally visited before Yasawi's. Nearby, the ruins of Otrar mark where Genghis Khan's invasion of Central Asia began in 1219.\r\n\r\nSauran, about 40 kilometres north-west, is a ruined walled city on the steppe.\r\n\r\nIn the evening, walk the new tourist complex, built with canals, a Venice-style waterfront and an amphitheatre; a light and water show runs most nights.","hw_hub_city_do_points":"Yasawi Mausoleum | Timur's unfinished masterpiece\r\nArystan Bab | Visited before Yasawi\r\nOtrar | Where Genghis Khan's invasion began\r\nLight show | In the tourist complex","hw_hub_city_do_tag":"things-to-do","hw_hub_city_do_more":"All things to do in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_free_title":"Free things to do in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_free_body":"The mausoleum's grounds and the walk around it are free; the inside charges a small fee for foreigners. The new tourist complex, its canals and the evening light show are free to walk around.","hw_hub_city_free_points":"Mausoleum grounds | Free\r\nTourist complex | Free to walk\r\nLight show | Free\r\nCanals | Evening walks","hw_hub_city_free_tag":"free-things-to-do","hw_hub_city_free_more":"All free things to do in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_food_title":"Eating and drinking in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_food_body":"Turkistan's food is Kazakh and Uzbek: plov, lagman, shashlyk, grilled meat skewers, and samsa from the tandoor. Tea is drunk with baursak, fried dough.\r\n\r\nThe tourist complex has restaurants for visitors; local caf\u00e9s are cheaper. A meal is \u20ac3 to \u20ac7.","hw_hub_city_food_points":"Plov | Rice and meat\r\nShashlyk | Grilled skewers\r\nSamsa | From the tandoor\r\nA meal | \u20ac3\u20137","hw_hub_city_food_tag":"food","hw_hub_city_food_more":"All food guides for Turkistan","hw_hub_city_nightlife_title":"Going out in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_nightlife_body":"Turkistan is a pilgrimage town and quiet at night. The tourist complex is lively in the evening, with families walking the canals and the light show; a few restaurants serve drinks.","hw_hub_city_nightlife_points":"Quiet | A pilgrimage town\r\nTourist complex | Lively evenings\r\nLight show | Most nights\r\nFamilies | Walk the canals","hw_hub_city_nightlife_tag":"nightlife","hw_hub_city_nightlife_more":"All nightlife guides for Turkistan","hw_hub_city_transport_title":"Getting around Turkistan","hw_hub_city_transport_body":"Turkistan's airport, opened in 2020, has flights from Almaty and Astana. Trains and buses reach Shymkent, the nearest big city, in about two and a half hours, and Almaty by overnight train.\r\n\r\nTashkent, in Uzbekistan, is a few hours away via Shymkent and the border.\r\n\r\nThe town is walkable; taxis are cheap for Otrar, Arystan Bab and Sauran.","hw_hub_city_transport_points":"Airport | Flights from Almaty and Astana\r\nTo Shymkent | About 2.5 hours\r\nTo Almaty | Overnight train\r\nTo Tashkent | Via Shymkent","hw_hub_city_transport_tag":"transport","hw_hub_city_transport_more":"All transport guides for Turkistan","hw_hub_city_money_title":"What Turkistan costs","hw_hub_city_money_body":"Turkistan is cheap. A careful day is \u20ac20 to \u20ac30.\r\n\r\nThe mausoleum charges foreigners a small fee, and a taxi for a half-day trip to Otrar and Arystan Bab around \u20ac20 to \u20ac30.\r\n\r\nThe currency is the tenge (KZT); prices here are euro equivalents. Cards and the Kaspi app are used almost everywhere in the cities; carry some cash for markets, villages and the mountains.","hw_hub_city_money_points":"A day | \u20ac20\u201330\r\nMausoleum | A small fee\r\nTaxi to Otrar | About \u20ac20\u201330\r\nCash | For markets","hw_hub_city_money_tag":"budget","hw_hub_city_money_more":"All budget guides for Turkistan","hw_hub_city_safety_title":"Staying safe in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_safety_body":"Turkistan is safe. Dress modestly at the mausoleum: long trousers or skirts and covered shoulders, and a headscarf for women inside.\r\n\r\nSummers are very hot, often above 40\u00b0C; visit the mausoleum early or late in the day.\r\n\r\nEmergency number is 112, or 102 police and 103 ambulance.","hw_hub_city_safety_points":"Dress | Modest at the mausoleum\r\nHeadscarf | For women inside\r\nHeat | Above 40\u00b0C in summer\r\nEmergency | 112","hw_hub_city_safety_tag":"safety","hw_hub_city_safety_more":"All safety guides for Turkistan","hw_hub_city_trips_title":"Day trips from Turkistan","hw_hub_city_trips_intro":"Mausoleums and ruins of the Silk Road.","hw_hub_city_trips":"Otrar and Arystan Bab | About 1 hour | Taxi | Ruins where Genghis Khan's invasion began, and the mausoleum of Yasawi's teacher. |  | 1305359\nShymkent | About 2.5 hours | Bus or train | The nearest big city. |  | 1305362","hw_hub_city_trips_tag":"day-trips","hw_hub_city_trips_more":"All day trips from Turkistan","hw_hub_city_season_title":"When to go","hw_hub_city_season_intro":"April to May and September to October. Summers pass 35\u00b0C.","hw_hub_city_season_note":"Average highs.","hw_hub_city_season_rows":"January | 4 | 1 | Cold\r\nFebruary | 7 | 2 | Cool\r\nMarch | 15 | 4 | Nauryz\r\nApril | 23 | 5 | Excellent\r\nMay | 30 | 4 | Good\r\nJune | 36 | 2 | Hot\r\nJuly | 38 | 1 | Very hot\r\nAugust | 36 | 1 | Very hot\r\nSeptember | 30 | 3 | Good\r\nOctober | 21 | 4 | Excellent\r\nNovember | 12 | 2 | Cool\r\nDecember | 6 | 1 | Cold","hw_hub_city_events_title":"What is on while you are there","hw_hub_city_events_intro":"Nauryz is celebrated at the mausoleum in March.","hw_hub_city_events_source":"api","hw_hub_city_events_count":"8","hw_hub_city_events_cache":"24","hw_hub_city_events_cta_label":"All events in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_events_cta_url":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/events\/asia\/kazakhstan\/turkistan\/","hw_hub_city_events":"Nauryz | 21\u201323 March | Turkistan | The spring new year. |  | \nPilgrimage season | Year-round | Yasawi Mausoleum | Pilgrims from across Central Asia. |  | ","hw_hub_city_budget_title":"What your trip will cost","hw_hub_city_budget_intro":"Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.","hw_hub_city_budget_note":"Prices are in tenge locally; these are euro equivalents.","hw_hub_city_budget_rows":"Shoestring | 10 | 6 | 3 | 5\r\nMiddle of the road | 20 | 12 | 5 | 10\r\nComfortable | 40 | 25 | 10 | 15","hw_hub_city_budget_currency":"\u20ac","hw_hub_city_hostels_title":"Where to stay in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_hostels_intro":"The top-rated places to stay in Turkistan right now, live from Hostelworld.","hw_hub_city_hostels_cta_label":"All hostels in Turkistan","hw_hub_city_hostels_cta_url":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/hostels\/asia\/kazakhstan\/turkistan\/","hw_hub_city_hostels_source":"api","hw_hub_city_hostels_count":"12","hw_hub_city_hostels_cache":"12","hw_hub_city_picks":"Best for solo travellers |  |  | \nBest for a party |  |  | \nQuietest |  |  | ","hw_hub_city_hostels":"","hw_hub_city_faq_title":"Turkistan travel questions","hw_hub_city_faq_note":"The ones we get asked most.","hw_hub_city_faqs":"Why is Turkistan important? | It holds the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a Sufi teacher; locals say three pilgrimages here equal one to Mecca.\r\nWhat should I wear? | Long trousers or skirts and covered shoulders; women should cover their heads inside the mausoleum.\r\nHow do I get there? | By flight from Almaty or Astana, or by train or bus via Shymkent.\r\nCan I go on to Uzbekistan? | Yes, Tashkent is a few hours away via Shymkent and the border.\r\nHow many days do you need? | One or two.\r\nWhen is the best time to visit? | April to May and September to October; summers are very hot.\r\nWhy is the mausoleum unfinished? | Timur ordered it in the 1380s and died before it was completed; the bare front and scaffolding holes remain.","hw_hub_city_cta_title":"Say yes to hostels, meet the world","hw_hub_city_cta_body":"Compare Turkistan hostels \u2014 live prices, real reviews and free cancellation on most bookings. Then meet the people already there in the app.","hw_hub_city_cta_buttons":"Find hostels in Turkistan | https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/hostels\/asia\/kazakhstan\/turkistan\/\r\nGet the app | https:\/\/hostelworld.onelink.me\/IdiK\/f5a50nhd","hw_hub_city_newsletter_title":"Get the good stuff monthly","hw_hub_city_newsletter_body":"New city guides, deals and route ideas. 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