Daytrip to Turkestan The Uzbek cities Buchara and Samarqand are well known for their architecture built in the time of the Uzbek national hero Timur. But actually one of the best preserved buildings of this era is not present in Uzbekistan but in Kazakhstan just outside the city of Turkestan. After Timur defeated the Golden Horde in numerous battles, he decided in 1399 to build a mausoleum for the religious leader and poet Hodja Ahmed Yasavi who had lived and died in the twelfth century in the town Yasi, northwest of Shymkent. The mausoleum of Hodja Ahmed Yasavi consists of a huge rectangular building with portals and domes. The total building measures 46.5 by 65.5 meters. The thickness of the outside walls is almost 2 metres and the walls of the central chamber are 3 metres thick. Around its central chamber are more than 35 rooms for various purposes. Kazanlyk (the copper-room) has the largest extant brick dome in Central Asia with a diameter of 18.2 meters. Unfortunately the building was never finished. When Timur died the construction stopped. You can see this at the entrance portal where the bricks are still undecorated. The building has been restorated recently and is open for visitors. When you hire a taxi in Jabagly you can drive in three hours to the mausoleum. For larger groups a bus or minibus can be arranged.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|
