Turkestan

Kazakhstan is a country of ancient civilizations. Since early times the Kazakhs have been creating their unique and original culture. Some outstanding monuments of their cultural heritage exist in the form of mounds, fortresses, mausoleums and even whole settlements. Turkestan is one of these cities. It is more that 1, 500 years old. A famous and highly respected in Islam world poet Hotzha Ahmed Jassavy brought it great popularity. For a long time his verses were learnt by heart, passed from one person to another. Only a few centuries after the poet’s death they were written down. This city, also known as Jassy, was the capital of the Kazakh khanate. The ceremonies of all Kazakh khans’ coronations were held there. Many countries sent their ambassadors to this city. Now the centre of the city represents an ensemble of historical monuments and buildings. The most interesting among them are the tombs of Kazakh khans and representatives of a noble layer of society. It is the largest city in Central Asia by the number of tombs and mausoleums located there. The city was situated near the Great Silk Way. It was the trade road between the steppe and the cities of Central Asia, China and India. There was always vast trade there. Chine exported porcelain, Persian merchants sold skins of tigers, gold and silver things, Byzantium brought all kinds of cloth. Caravans carried coloured glass, silks, and cotton seeds to Russia. Every day caravans consisting of about 500 camels came to Turkestan. In the 15^th -16^th centuries Turkestan was a residence of Kazakh khans.

One of the most remarkable monuments of this city is devoted to Ahmed Jassavy. It is a unique monument of the Kazakh people. This architectural complex, consisting of ancient palaces and temples, annuals attracts a lot of tourists.

This place is is honored as sacred by Moslems. Hotzha Ahmed Jassavy is a legendary person. In his sermons he convinced people to be honest; he taught them to despise greediness and avidity. His poems were very popular; they were learned by heart and recited in many places for outside the country.

The popularity of the poet grew form year to year. His poems were included in the cultural heritage of the peoples of Central Asia. Jassavy was a follower of the prophet Muhammad. When he was sixty three, the age when the prophet died, to voluntary became a hermit in the mosque cellar. There he spent the rest of his life, devoting all his time to prayers and sermons. He died in 1166 and was buried with great honour in a small mausoleum, which soon became a place of mass pilgrimage for Moslems form all over the world. Visiting it for tree times was equated to visiting Mecca. Existing today, the mausoleum was built 233 years after his death. It was done by the order of the famous Tamerlan. In his numerous bloody battles he destroyed the state of the Golden Horde. In honour of this victory the commander decided to build a new and grandiose memorial complex. This complex consists of a huge, rectangular building with portals and domes. The thickness of the external walls is almost 2 meters; the walls of the central hall are 3 meters thick. The building has a huge entrance portal and numerous domes. There are more than 35 rooms around the central hall. The door of the tomb is decorated with beautiful carvings on ivory. The mausoleum has one of the largest domes in Central Asia. Its diameter is 2.45 meters, and it weight about 2 tons. The dome is made of a fusion of seven metals. INESCO has put down Turkestan (to be exact the Ahmed Jassavy Mausoleum) in the list of the world heritage sites.