Top five historical sites and monuments of Kazakhstan
KHOJA AHMED YASAWI MAUSOLEUM
The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is one of the most popular historical sites of Kazakhstan and a masterpiece of medieval architectural art in the territory of Central Asia.
The Mausoleum was built in the XIV century under the direction of Amir Timur and is believed to be a sacred place for the Kazakh nation. The remains of 24 khans and sultans, 57 batyrs and 18 biis were buried near this monument.
The height of the Mausoleum, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is 39 meters. The structure consists of 35 rooms connected with each other by different corridors. In the central room, there is an ancient relic - Taikazan.
TANBALY COMPLEX
The ancient stones of Tanbaly are one of the most important objects of Kazakhstan’s historical heritage. This is the first rock art monument in Central Asia, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The petroglyphs of the Tanbaly complex have a 4000-year history. The total number of drawings is around 5,000.
Rock carvings show how people in ancient times perceived the world around them and demonstrate their progressive worldview. Petroglyphs are lined up as per a special system and philosophical principle.
AKYRTAS PALACE
Akyrtas Palace full of mysteries was built in the VIII-XII centuries. The weight of each stone block in its walls is about a ton. The weight of some stones exceeds 10 tons.
Some scholars believe that the Akyrtas complex is the medieval city Kasribas, which stood once on the Great Silk Road.
The complex, which covers the area of 2.5 hectares, consists of about 70 rooms, 15 galleries with columns, entrance gates and an open area in the center.
Akyrtas Palace was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
ZHARKENT MOSQUE
Zharkent Mosque is the pearl of Zhetysu region and another magnificent work of architectural art. The mosque, built without a single nail, was erected between 1887 and 1892.
Construction works were carried out under the guidance of Chinese engineer Hong Pik from Beijing.
The complex includes the main gates, a small mosque, a madrasah, a large Friday mosque and a fence built of burnt blue bricks.
AISHA BIBI MAUSOLEUM
Aisha Bibi Mausoleum is a historically significant monument of the XI-XII centuries. Few traditional memorial monuments can compare with it in terms of beauty and variety of carved patterns.
The Mausoleum attracts tourists not only with its special architecture, but also with the story of boundless love between Aisha-Bibi and Karakhan Batyr. According to legend, the beautiful Aisha died from a snakebite on her way to her lover.
There are more than 25 thousand monuments of historical and cultural heritage in Kazakhstan, 10 of them are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and 12,463 sites have the status of a historical and cultural monument of republican and local importance. The Ministry of Culture and Sport plans to include six more historical sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
