Where is Turkistan? (And why would you want to visit?) Turkistan, the city, lies around 160 km northwest of Shymkent in Kazakhstan. It’s the capital of the Turkistan region of Kazakhstan and the home of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. Yasawi was the 12th-century head of a regional school of Sufism, a mystic movement in Islam, which began in the 9th century. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2021, the Turkic Council proclaimed it the “Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World.” I’ve also read that 3 pilgrimages to Turkistan are the equivalent of one hajj to Mecca. And in the Islamic world, that’s a very big deal! And while you’re there, there’s also a very good Ethnographic Museum. You can stay in Turkistan, but it’s a fairly easy day trip from Shymkent on either public transport or a tour. Keep on reading to see how our day went… Road Trip to Turkistan City We didn’t get up quite as early as we thought we would, and by the time we had breakfast, it was already getting pretty hot for our road trip to Turkistan. The average daytime temperature in Shymkent in July is around 35 … Continue reading Day Trip to Turkistan City from Shymkent.