Turkestan (City)
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Turkistan ( ; ) is a historic city and the administrative center of the Turkistan Region in southern Kazakhstan, located near the Syr Darya River. Positioned 160 km (100 miles) northwest of
Shymkent Shymkent (, ; ) is a city in southern Kazakhstan, located near the border with Uzbekistan. It holds the status of a city of republican significance, one of only three cities in Kazakhstan with this distinction, alongside Almaty and Astana. As of ...
, it lies along the
Trans-Aral Railway The Trans-Aral Railway, also known as the Tashkent Railway, is a railway built in 1906 to connect Kinel and Tashkent, both then within the Russian Empire. For much of the early 20th century, it was the only railway link between European Russia a ...
, which connects
Kyzylorda Kyzylorda ( , formerly known as Kzyl-Orda (), Ak-Mechet (Ак-Мечеть), Perovsk (Перовск), and Fort-Perovsky (Форт-Перовский), is a city in south-central Kazakhstan, capital of Kyzylorda Region and former capital of the ...
to the north and
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
to the south. Turkistan holds historical and cultural significance of Kazakhstan, particularly due to the
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi () is a mausoleum in the city of Turkistan (city), Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by Timur, who ruled the area as part of the expansive Timurid Empire, to replace a ...
, a UNESCO
World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
site. This mausoleum is a key symbol of the city, drawing pilgrims and tourists alike. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi was a prominent Sufi mystic and philosopher, and his tomb is a revered site for followers of
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
in
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
. The city's rich cultural heritage is further reflected in its many historical monuments, mosques, and buildings that showcase the region's architectural and spiritual legacy. In 2021, Turkistan was designated as the "Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World" by the
Organization of Turkic States The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), formerly called the Turkic Council or the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, is an intergovernmental organization comprising all but one of the internationally recognized Turkic languages, Tur ...
, a recognition of its central role in the history and culture of Turkic-speaking nations. This title has elevated the city's status as a cultural and religious center, attracting visitors and fostering deeper ties between the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia. Turkistan is also becoming increasingly recognized as a key tourist destination. In the same year, it was named one of the top ten tourist destinations in Kazakhstan, due to its historical sites, cultural landmarks, and growing infrastructure. The city is served by Hazrat Sultan International Airport, which connects it to other regions and countries, making it accessible to international tourists and business travelers.


Etymology

The modern city name of Turkistan (, ) is derived from the
Turco-Persian The composite Turko-Persian, Turco-Persian,
''Turko-Persia in historical perspective'', Cambridge University Press, ...
phrase Hazrat-i-Turkistan ( Chagatai and , ), which is in reference to
Ahmad Yasawi Ahmad Yasawi (, ; ; 1093–1166) was a Turkic poet and Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry ...
, a prominent 11th-century poet and
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
who was associated with and rested in this city. Prior to Ahmad Yasawi's era, and during a significant portion of the medieval to early-modern era, the city was referred to as Iasy ( Chagatai and ) or Shavgar ( Chagatai and ).


History

Turkistan, one of Kazakhstan's historic cities, has an
archaeological record The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological t ...
dating back to the 4th century. The city emerged as a commercial hub following the decline of Otrar, an ancient city with remnants located southeast near the Syr Darya. Owing to the impact of
Ahmad Yasawi Ahmad Yasawi (, ; ; 1093–1166) was a Turkic poet and Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry ...
, and in honor of his legacy, the city evolved into a significant hub for spiritual growth and Islamic education for the inhabitants of the Kazakh steppes. In the 1390s,
Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
, the Turco-Mongol leader and the originator of the Timurid dynasty, constructed an impressive domed ''mazar'' or
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
over Yasawi's resting place. This structure stands as one of the most notable architectural landmarks in Kazakhstan. Until 2006, its image was featured on the reverse side of the country's banknotes. The city also boasts other significant historical landmarks such as a medieval bath-house and four mausoleums. One of these is dedicated to Rabiya Sultan Begim, Timur's great-granddaughter, while the other three pay tribute to Kazakh khans (rulers). Prior to the 19th-century Russian arrival, Turkistan was positioned at the boundary between the established Perso-Islamic
oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentTransoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
to its south and the vast expanse of the Kazakh steppes to its north. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Turkistan rose to prominence as the capital of the Kazakh Khanate, becoming the political epicenter of the
Kazakh steppe The Kazakh Steppe ( ), also known as the Great Steppe or Great Betpak-Dala, Dala ( ), is a vast region of open grassland in Central Asia, covering areas in northern Kazakhstan and adjacent areas of Russia. It lies east of the Pontic–Caspian step ...
. However, as the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
expanded its conquests and weakened the Kazakh Khanate, smaller southern states were overtaken. By 1864, Russian General Veryovkin had captured Turkistan for the
Kokand Khanate The Khanate of Kokand was a Central Asian polity in the Fergana Valley centred on the city of Kokand between 1709 and 1876. It was ruled by the Ming tribe of Uzbeks. Its territory is today divided between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and ...
. Subsequently, under Russian rule, it became a part of the Syr-Darya Oblast in the Governor-Generalship of Russian Turkistan. Following the collapse of the
Tsarist Tsarist autocracy (), also called Tsarism, was an autocracy, a form of absolute monarchy in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire. In it, the Tsar possessed in principle authority and ...
regime between 1917-18, it briefly joined the Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1924, it became a part of the Kazakh ASSR within
Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
. On June 19, 2018,
Shymkent Shymkent (, ; ) is a city in southern Kazakhstan, located near the border with Uzbekistan. It holds the status of a city of republican significance, one of only three cities in Kazakhstan with this distinction, alongside Almaty and Astana. As of ...
was removed from the South Kazakhstan Region and placed directly under the governance of Kazakhstan. Concurrently, Turkistan became the regional administrative hub, and the region was renamed the Turkistan Region. In 2021, it was announced that the first 5G city will be set up in Turkistan. This project will be sponsored by Kcell and
Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
.


Pilgrimage

The city draws thousands of pilgrims. As per local tradition, visiting Turkistan three times is akin to a single
hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
to
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
, a sentiment echoed in other revered sites across the
Muslim world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
. Such high regard for the Saint led to Turkistan being dubbed the ''Second Mecca of the East'', profoundly influencing the spiritual essence of Kazakhstan's Muslim community.


Demographics

Turkistan had a population of 165,000 in the 2019 census. The population rose by 10% from 1989 to 1999, making it the second fastest-growing town in Kazakhstan, after the new capital
Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
. The ethnic composition of the city: *
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
– 52.5% *
Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...
– 45.2% *Other ethnic groups – 2.3% The ethnic composition of the city according to the 1897 census: *total – 11,253 *
Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...
– 8,940 (79.4%) *
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
– 1,415 (12.5%) *
Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
– 506 (4.4%) *
Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
– 312 (2.7%) At the same time the ethnic composition of the Chimkent
uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...
(Chimkent district) which included the city of Turkistan according to the 1897 census: *total – 285,059 *
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
– 224,704 (78.8%) *
Sart Sart is a name for the settled inhabitants of Central Asia which has had shifting meanings over the centuries. According to Great Soviet Encyclopedia, before the October Revolution of 1917, the name “Sart” was used in ...
(non-nomadic
Iranic Iranian peoples, or Iranic peoples, are the collective ethnolinguistic groups who are identified chiefly by their native usage of any of the Iranian languages, which are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages within the Indo-European langu ...
, Turkic, or Mongolic people)– 32 043 (11.2%) *
Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...
– 20,709 (7.2%) *
Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
– 6 443 (2.2%) *
Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
– 646 (0.2%)


Tourism

In 2021, Keruen-Saray, Central Asia’s largest tourism complex, was opened in Turkistan. This unique attraction features merchants, artisans, a flying theater, an amphitheater for equestrian shows, a bazaar, hotels, restaurants, a spa and fitness center, a cinema, and a family entertainment center.


Transport

The city transport in Turkistan consists of
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
es and
taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
s. Turkistan is served by Hazrat Sultan International Airport. It is located NE from the centre of city.


Geography and climate

Turkistan may be reached by train from
Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...
, in a journey of nearly 20 hours. The road trip from the nearest airport at
Shymkent Shymkent (, ; ) is a city in southern Kazakhstan, located near the border with Uzbekistan. It holds the status of a city of republican significance, one of only three cities in Kazakhstan with this distinction, alongside Almaty and Astana. As of ...
takes about two hours. Turkistan experiences a cool semi-arid climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk'') with short, cold winters and long, dry, very hot summers. The vast majority of the annual precipitation falls between late autumn and late spring.


Twin towns – sister cities

*
Afyonkarahisar Afyonkarahisar (, 'poppy, opium', ''kara'' 'black', ''hisar'' 'fortress') is a major city in western Turkey. It is the administrative centre of Afyonkarahisar Province and Afyonkarahisar District. Its population is 251,799 (2021). Afyon is in the ...
, Turkey * Keçiören, Turkey *
Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...
, Azerbaijan


See also

*
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi () is a mausoleum in the city of Turkistan (city), Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by Timur, who ruled the area as part of the expansive Timurid Empire, to replace a ...


Footnotes


References

*Hill, John E. (2009) ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. . *Hulsewé, A. F. P. and Loewe, M. A. N. 1979. ''China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty''. E. J. Brill, Leiden. . * *Privratsky, Bruce G. (2001). ''Muslim Turkistan: Kazak Religion and Collective Memory'' Curzon Press, Richmond, Surrey UK.


External links


Description of archaeological investigations
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Kazakhstan Cities and towns in Kazakhstan Holy cities Islamic pilgrimages Populated places along the Silk Road Populated places in Turkistan Region