Turkestan

The mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassaui is not just another attraction in Central Asia. This is a magnificent complex of palaces and temples, classified as an architectural masterpiece. The object had been built for 20 years at the edge of the 14th and 15th centuries. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The construction was built in honor of Ahmet Yassaui, an ancient Turkic poet and supporter of Sufism, who lived in the 12th century. The ancient Turks revered and praised him, and the magnificent mausoleum proves this. In this amazing complex, you can find both an old bathhouse and a hilvet, where the great saint lived. A mausoleum of the granddaughter of Timur, Rabia Sultan Begim. And various monuments to great people of that time. A unique underground house Kumshik-ata, built for thought and creative inspiration, is especially precious.

Khoja Akhmet Yassaui

If speaking in more detail about Khoja Akhmet Khazreti Sultan Yassaui, we should say that he was not only a poet and an ardent supporter of Sufism, but also a thinker and religious preacher. He was born in 1093 or according to other sources in 1105 in a common family. His father died when the boy was only seven years old. After this sad event, his mother gave the future poet to sheikh Arystan-babu for education. When the teacher died, a guy heded Yasy town at the age of seventeen. He had a new hobby – reading of oriental literature. And soon, a young and talented guy began to write poetry on his own in various languages ​​(Arabic, Shagatay, Persian, Turkic). He visited Bukhara, where he studied under Yusuf Hamadani. Then he aquired the rank in Sufism and returns to Yasy, where he continued the work of his first mentor. Akhmet becomes the founder of the Sufi order Yassaui.

For many years, the great poet appealed to people for justice and kindness. Thanks to his perseverance, the Turkic language became almost the main one. He did a lot for developing Sufism. The Turkic peoples accepted this philosophical idea, which predetermined their worldview. Moreover, Akhmet managed to unite many local religions that had been at enmity for many years. Year to year more and more pilgrims came to him appreciating his personality. When the poet grew old, he moved to the dungeon to live his last years. It was his personal choice; this was the way he demonstrated his grief for the Prophet Muhammad. To this day, historians argue about how many years exactly the great Akhmet Yassaui lived. According to one version – he was 73 years old, according to another – 85 years. Only one thing is known – until the end of his days he was faithful to Sufism. After the death of the great man, his grave became the gathering place for thousands of pilgrims.

Mausoleum of Akhmet Yassaui

Two centuries after the death of a brilliant supporter of Sufism, the greatest architectural monument was built on his grave. Construction began by the order of Emir Timur. Moreover, the ruler himself determined the building dimensions. For example, he insisted that the diameter of the huge dome should be equal to 18 meters (or 41 gyaz).

This architectural masterpiece combines the functions of a mausoleum, a mosque, a khanaka, a kazandyk (a special place for performing mass ritual ceremonies). Moreover, the facility also has household and administrative rooms. Its size is astonishing: 46 to 62 meters. The inner rooms are located compactly, there are 35 of them in total. They are interconnected by passages, staircases, and small corridors (they divide the object into eight autonomous blocks). This layout was not chosen by chance. It makes the mausoleum resistant to earthquakes.

Modern scientists are amazed at how solid and stable the object is. For more than six centuries, it mantained its original form. The monumentality and grandeur of the building are emphasized by the height (39 meters) and the fact that the portal segment proudly rises above the main mausoleum space.

You can visit Turkestan at any time, however, the Nauryz holiday, which is celebrated here in spring, is of course considered to be the best time. The fact is that magnificent gardens bloom all around the site. Of course, it becomes noisy here, as pilgrims come to the mausoleum from different parts of the country, but nevertheless, this is the best time for tourists. A large number of people come from Uzbekistan, where the great poet has many admirers. In spring, a bazaar opens in Turkestan where unique souvenirs are sold. You can buy beautiful felt or wooden jewelry, musical instruments and much, much more that will remind you of the trip.

Ancient settlement Otyrar. It was of key importance in the Middle Ages, namely during the heyday of the Great Silk Road. The ancient settlement was a full-fledged trade and craft center. Although its history is rooted in more remote times. It was founded in 1-3 centuries AD and up to the 18th century performed its main function. It was mentioned in all historical and geographical works of that time. Moreoevr, Otyrar can be found on the list of settlements subordinate to Ispidzhabu (present-day Sairam). Next to the settlement there is a museum where exhibits are collected, which tell you about the life of the Otyrar residents.

Archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed that in the 7th and 8th centuries Otyrar was a highly developed settlement. The museum has a collection of ceramic items, dishes made of silver and copper, and jewelry. The settlement residents used all these objects in the period from the 9th to the 12th centuries. It was the peak of ancient towns development (the territory of present-day Kazakhstan).

The settlement area reached two hundred hectares. Probably, it could continue developing, but the Mongol invasion stopped its prosperity. But by the middle of the 13th century, Otyrar began to revive. Coins were minted here that circulated throughout Central Asia. In the 14th century, the southern part of Kazakhstan joined the great Timur’s state. Actually, the ruler died in one of the palaces in Otyrar settlement.

The remains of the settlement are located in the Kyzylkum region not far from the place where the Arys river flows into the Syrdarya. Nearby, there is a railway station named after Timur.

As far as the layout of Otyrar is concerned, there are no unique features. Many medieval monuments were erected in a similar architectural style. The Citadel and Shakhristan are traditional pentagons. The flat hill is 18 meters high, and the elevation reaches 20 hectares. To protect the perimeter, objects were surrounded by a mighty wall with a fairly sharp slope.

In the center of the settlement there is the Citadel and Shakhristan. It is adjoined by the territory of a well-fortified “rabad”. It is a common settlement, with the area reaching one and a half dozen hectares. Around it, archaeologists have found parts of a wall that was 70-80 degrees steep, which unfortunately ruined over time.

In the ancient settlement, there were many quarters that formed a kind of blocks. Around the 9-12th centuries, saunas began to appear here that were popular at that time. Modern engineers restored one of these rooms and added a durable dome to protect the unique structure.

Over the years, the town layout had not changed. New buildings just appeared (depending on the number of inhabitants). New technologies made it possible for researchers to find out how many people lived here in the 17th century. At that time, the ancient settlement was very large, with up to 7 thousand people constantly living there.

The archaeologists who have studied the ruins of Otyrar have come to the conclusion that Kazakhstan was the land of the greatest and most developed towns. We only should mention that it was in the settlement that Al-Farabi was born and later became famous. He was one of the leading thinkers of his time. Otyrar is considered one of the centers of the Renaissance style. At first, it became popular in the Central Asian cities and only then moved to Europe.

Arystan-bab.

Next to the settlement, there is Arystan-bab mausoleum, which was built in honor of the Islam preacher Arystanbab. He was a great Islamic preacher and a mystic. It was he who became the spiritual mentor of the famous poet of the Middle Ages – Akhmet Yassaui.

The local people will be happy to tell you a legend related to the construction of the mausoleum. In 1338, Amir Timur ordered to build a mosque over the Akhmet Yassau grave. However, the craftsmen could not build walls, since the hurricane that appeared literally from nowhere interfered all the time. Timur coulnd not understand why this was happening. But once in a dream, the saint appeared in front of the great ruler and said that he had to build a mausoleum in honor of the spiritual mentor Airstan-baba first and only then he could begin to build a mausoleum for Akhmet Yassaui. That was what Timur.

The history of Aristan-Baba mausoleum is about seven centuries long. Over this time, it has gone through several different restorations. From the original construction only unique columns made of aivana wood have been preserved. In the 18th century, builders erected a unique two-dome structure. It appeared on the site of the ancient mazar, which had been wiped away by a natural disaster – an earthquake. However, the construction with two domes did not last for long – it was destroyed by cataclysms. Therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, builders decided to restore this architectural monument thoroughly.

In the 1970s, the mosque was demolished and rebuilt due to its poor condition caused by rising groundwater. Indeed, the building technology of this mausoleum is amazing. For construction, burnt brick with a strengthened mortar of alabaster was used. For walls masonry, ancient masters used a technique with decorative ornaments. They attached a special “gurkhana” room to the tomb of the Muslim preacher Arystan Baba, which was intended for his followers. The mosque was also connected with various additional rooms. As a result, a complex was formed, that was united by the main facade wall. It was decorated with a magnificent portal arch, covered with a lancet vault.

The museum’s collection includes an exclusive edition of the Koran. Tourists enjoy looking at ancient books, which are a masterpiece of calligraphic art of the Middle Ages.

Pilgrims coming here always make sure to perform an ancient ritual. They draw holy water from the deepest well. Its water is clean, but very saltish. The legend says that if you drink it, your soul will be completely cleansed of various illnesses and troubles.

You can go on a unique trip aroung Turkestan and see all the sights of this ancient region with your own eyes: the Azaret Sultana complex and the mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassaui, which used to be called Yasy.