Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
Large, unfinished 14th-century mausoleum of the Sufi poet and teacher Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, with blue tilework and a huge dome. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major pilgrimage place.
Turkistan
This pilgrimage city on the Silk Road is centred on Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's Mausoleum, which UNESCO lists as a World Heritage Site.
Attractive locations
Mausoleum of Rabiya Sultan Begim
Historic mausoleum close to the main Yasawi complex, part of the cluster of old monuments in the centre of Turkistan.
Mausoleum of Esim Khan
Mausoleum of Esim Khan, a Kazakh ruler of the 17th century, near the Yasawi complex in the old part of Turkistan.
Arystan Bab Mausoleum
Pilgrimage site with the mausoleum of Arystan Bab, a Sufi teacher regarded as a spiritual guide of Ahmed Yasawi, in the countryside outside Turkistan.
Sauran
Ruins of a medieval Silk Road city with mounds, walls and the outline of old streets in open steppe. It was an important trading and political centre in its day.
Otrar
Silk Road city site where tall mounds and the remains of walls mark a once-busy trading town. It is best known as the place where the Mongol invasion of the region began.
Airports
Hazrat Sultan International Airport HSA
It is about 23 km in a straight line from Turkistan.
Shymkent International Airport CIT
It is about 143 km in a straight line from Turkistan.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Kazakhstan page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-5.0 °C35 mm
- Feb-2.6 °C38 mm
- Mar5.7 °C44 mm
- Apr12.6 °C40 mm
- May19.9 °C27 mm
- Jun25.9 °C11 mm
- Jul28.3 °C6 mm
- Aug26.6 °C3 mm
- Sep19.8 °C3 mm
- Oct11.2 °C20 mm
- Nov2.9 °C37 mm
- Dec-3.7 °C39 mm
Driest months: Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Mar, Apr, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 33% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112 for all emergencies. Police 102. Ambulance 103. Fire 101.
local government
Ministry of Emergency Situations (unified service 112)
Helps with: Kazakhstan's ministry for emergencies and disasters. Its government page lists 112 as the unified duty and dispatch service, plus a helpline and address in Astana.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Kazakhstan who needs emergency help or wants to report an emergency.
Phone: 112
Address: Mangilik El Street 8, entrance 2, Astana 010000
local government
Kazakhstan tourism portal support (Ministry of Tourism)
Helps with: Contact page of Kazakhstan's national tourism portal, run with the Ministry of Tourism. It lists a phone number and an office address in Astana for tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in Kazakhstan or planning a trip there.
Phone: +7 7172 39-99-56
Address: Mangilik El Avenue 55/14, block C 2.1, office 3.2.1, Astana
ngo
Kazakh Red Crescent Society
Helps with: Kazakhstan's national Red Crescent society. Its website lists disaster response, first aid training, blood donation, a family tracing service and help for refugees and asylum seekers.
Who qualifies: People in Kazakhstan who need its disaster, first aid, social or family tracing services.
Phone: +7 727 236-76-23
Email: [email protected]
Address: 86 Kunaev Street, Almaty 050010
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kazakhstan
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Kazakhstan since 2002. Its Astana and Almaty offices handle general enquiries and serve as the coordination office for Central Asia.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +7 7172 69 6553
Email: [email protected]
Address: 14 Mambetov Street, UN Building, Astana 010000