Turkistan ( kz, Түркістан, ''Türkıstan'') is a city and the administrative center of
Turkistan Region
Turkistan Region (), formerly South Kazakhstan Region ( kk, Оңтүстік Қазақстан облысы, translit= Oñtüstık Qazaqstan oblysy) (russian: Южно-Казахстанская область, ') from 1992–2018 and Chimkent ...
of
Kazakhstan, near the
Syr Darya river. It is situated north-west of
Shymkent
Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is ...
on the
Trans-Aral Railway between
Kyzylorda to the north and
Tashkent to the south. Its population has increased within ten years from to Turkistan's most prominent historical and cultural asset is the
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi ( kz, Қожа Ахмет Яссауи кесенесі, ''Qoja Ahmet İassaui kesenesı''; russian: Мавзолей Ходжи Ахмеда Ясави, ''Mavzoley khodzhi Akhmeda Yasavi'') is a mausoleum in ...
, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The city is served by
Hazrat Sultan International Airport.
In 2021, Turkistan was proclaimed 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 international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgy ...
as "Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World". In the same year, Turkistan was named as one of the top ten tourist destinations in Kazakhstan.
History
Turkistan is one of Kazakhstan's historic cities with an
archaeological record dating back to the 4th century.
It became a commercial centre after the final demise of
Otrar, the medieval city whose ruins lie near the Syr Darya to the southeast. Throughout most of the medieval and early-modern period it was known as Iasy or Shavgar and after the 16th-17th centuries as Turkistan or Hazrat, both of which names derive from the title 'Hazrat-i Turkistan', which literally means "the Saint (or Blessed One) of Turkistan" and refers to
Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, the
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
Sheikh of Turkistan, who lived here during the 11th century and is buried in the town.
Because of his influence and in his memory, the city became an important centre of spirituality and Islamic learning for the peoples of the Kazakh steppes. In the 1390s, Turco-Mongol warlord and the founder of the Timurid dynasty
Timur
Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...
erected a magnificent domed ''Mazar'' or
tomb over his grave, which remains the most significant architectural monument in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It was pictured on the back of the banknotes of the national currency until 2006.
Other important historical sites in the city include a medieval bath-house and four other mausoleums, one dedicated to
Rabiya Sultan Begim, who was Timur's great granddaughter, and three to
Kazakh khans
Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kazakhstan
*Kazakhs, an ethnic group
*Kazakh language
*The Kazakh Khanate
*Kazakh cuisine
*Qazakh Rayon
Qazax District (; az, Qazax rayonu) is one of the 66 districts o ...
(rulers).
Before the Russians came in the 19th century, Turkistan lay on the frontier of the settled Perso-Islamic
oasis culture of
Transoxiana to the south, and the world of the Kazakh steppes to the north.
In the 16th to 18th centuries, Turkistan became the capital of the
Kazakh Khanate. It became the political center of the Kazakh steppe, but after advancing conquest expeditions of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
and the associated weakening of the
Kazakh Khanate benefited small southern states which were captured. Finally, this city was conquered in Kokand khanate by Russian General Veryovkin in 1864. When Turkistan fell to the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, it was incorporated into the
Syr-Darya Oblast of the
Governor-Generalship of
Russian Turkistan. When the
Tsarist
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...
regime fell in 1917-18 it was briefly part of the
Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic before being part of the
Kazakh ASSR within
Soviet Russia in 1924.
On 19 June 2018
Shymkent
Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is ...
was taken out of South Kazakhstan Region and subordinated directly to the government of Kazakhstan. The administrative centre of the region moved to Turkistan 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
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in inform ...
.
Pilgrimage
The city attracts thousands of pilgrims. According to a regional tradition, three pilgrimages to Turkistan are equivalent to one
hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried o ...
to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
(such local piety is known also in relation to other religious monuments in the
Muslim world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic 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 and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...
). The Saint was held in such reverence that the city was known as the ''Second Mecca of the East'', a vision which has helped shape the spiritual identity of Muslims in Kazakhstan.
Demographics
Turkistan had a population of 165,000 in the 2019 census. The population rose by 10% from 1989 to 99, making it the second fastest-growing town in Kazakhstan, after the new capital
Astana.
The ethnic composition of the city:
*
Kazakhs – 52.5%
*
Uzbeks – 45.2%
*Other ethnic groups – 2.3%
The ethnic composition of the city according to the 1897 census:
*total – 11,253
*
Uzbeks – 8,940 (79.4%)
*
Kazakhs – 1,415 (12.5%)
*
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different Turki ...
– 506 (4.4%)
*
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
– 312 (2.7%)
At the same time the ethnic composition of the Chimkent
uyezd (Chimkent district) which included the city of Turkistan according to the 1897 census:
*total – 285,059
*
Kazakhs – 224,704 (78.8%)
*
Sart (non-nomadic
Iranic,
Turkic, or
Mongolic people)– 32 043 (11.2%)
*
Uzbeks – 20,709 (7.2%)
*
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
– 6 443 (2.2%)
*
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different Turki ...
– 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 & fitness center, a cinema, a family entertainment center, and more.
Transport
The city transport in Turkistan consists of
buses and
taxis.
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 (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of ...
, in a journey of nearly 20 hours. The road trip from the nearest airport at
Shymkent
Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is ...
takes about two hours.
Turkistan experiences a
cool semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(
Köppen ''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, Turkey
*
Keçiören
Keçiören is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, a crowded district in the northern part of the city of Ankara. According to 2010 census, population of the district center is 817,262 The district ...
, Turkey
*
Shusha, Azerbaijan
See also
*
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi ( kz, Қожа Ахмет Яссауи кесенесі, ''Qoja Ahmet İassaui kesenesı''; russian: Мавзолей Ходжи Ахмеда Ясави, ''Mavzoley khodzhi Akhmeda Yasavi'') is a mausoleum in ...
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