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Sights of Kazakhstan: Astana, Almaty and Turkistan

Who runs each sight in Astana, Almaty and Turkistan, what entry costs, where it is and what a visit looks like.

ByHatice Kulali
26 min read Updated: October 28, 2026
Summarize with:
The front of a large brown brick mausoleum with a tall pointed-arch portal in the centre and a round tower on each side, seen across a paved square under a blue sky with thin clouds
Photo: Adam Harangozó, 25.07.2018, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan, seen from the front.

The sights below are grouped by three base cities: Astana, Almaty and Turkistan. Each entry gives who runs the sight, where it is, when it is open, what entry costs where a fee is set and what a visit looks like. Prices are in tenge (₸), the currency of Kazakhstan.

In short · pages checked 28.10.2026

Three base cities, each with its sights.

  • Astana: Bayterek, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, the Hazrat Sultan and «Nursultan» mosques, and the Korgalzhyn nature reserve outside the city. The Palace is open Monday to Sunday 10:00–21:00.
  • Almaty: the Ascension Cathedral (also called Zenkov Cathedral), the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, the Green Bazaar and, outside the city, the rock carvings of Tamgaly. The cathedral holds services every day.
  • Turkistan: the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and three more sights of the state reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», a museum that protects a historic area. Its price list of 04.07.2025 sets entry at 5,000 ₸ for a foreign citizen and 2,000 ₸ for a citizen of a CIS country (the Commonwealth of Independent States, a group of countries that were Soviet republics).
  • Hours and fees are set by each operator and can change; ask the operator before you go.

Tool · pages checked 28.10.2026

The skyline strip

Pick a city, then a sight. Each card gives who runs the sight, the hours and fees a page prints, what a visit looks like, and three lines to say in Russian, with Latin letters for the sound and the English beside them. A card shows only what its source gives.

landmarkplace of worship or burialmuseum or marketnature or open ground

Nothing you press is stored or sent. Hours and fees are set by each operator and can change.

Astana

Four sights in the city are drawn side by side and not to scale; Korgalzhyn lies outside it, beyond the dashed line.

  1. Bayterek Astana · 14 Nurzhol Boulevard

    What it is
    A monument tower. Bayterek (Kazakh Бәйтерек) means «Tree of Life»: the roots stand for the underground world, the trunk for the earthly world and the leaves for the heavenly one. In the portal’s words it soars above the world like the mythical bird Samruk.
    Made by
    Chief architect Akmyrza Rustembekov.
    Where
    14 Nurzhol Boulevard, Astana.

    Visit Astana portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Байтерека?Kak doyekhat do Baytereka?How do I get to Bayterek?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  2. Palace of Peace and Reconciliation Astana · 57 Tauelsizdik Avenue

    What it is
    A pyramid 63 m high on a 63 × 63 m base, designed by Norman Foster. Glass and stone panels cover it; a stained-glass window by Brian Clarke in the dome carries 130 white doves.
    Why
    The idea was presented at the first Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, 23–24.09.2003, in Astana. The building was completed in 2006.
    Hours
    Monday to Sunday 10:00–21:00. The tour service works daily without days off, in Kazakh, Russian and English. Phone +7 (7172) 44-64-72.

    Visit Astana portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Дворца мира и согласия?Kak doyekhat do Dvortsa mira i soglasiya?How do I get to the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько экскурсия на английском?Vo skolko ekskursiya na angliyskom?What time is the tour in English?

  3. Hazrat Sultan Mosque Astana · 48 Tauelsizdik Avenue

    What it is
    A mosque (Kazakh meshit, мешіт), opened in 2012. The dome is 51 m high and 28 m across, with eight smaller domes round it; four minarets stand 77 m tall. It holds about 10,000 people at once.
    Inside
    A prayer hall and a wedding hall, rooms for washing before prayer, cloakrooms, a library and rooms for seminary lessons and Quran reading.
    Hours
    Daily 06:00–20:00. Phone +7 (7172) 42-24-55.

    Visit Astana portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до мечети Хазрет Султан?Kak doyekhat do mecheti Khazret Sultan?How do I get to the Hazrat Sultan Mosque?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  4. «Nursultan» Mosque Astana · 65 Mangilik El Avenue

    What it is
    A mosque built in 2022: four minarets 130 m tall and a dome 62 m across. The prayer hall holds up to 30,000 people at once and the whole complex over 120,000. Inside are white marble, stained-glass windows and carved detail.
    Hours
    Daily 04:00–23:00. Phone +7 (7172) 57-72-98.

    Visit Astana portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до мечети «Нурсултан»?Kak doyekhat do mecheti «Nursultan»?How do I get to the «Nursultan» Mosque?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  5. Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve Outside Astana · Akmola Region

    What it is
    A state nature reserve (Kazakh qoryq, қорық; Russian zapovednik, заповедник): a strictly protected area. Salt and fresh lakes, marshes and steppe, home to hundreds of bird and animal species. The pink flamingo is its symbol.
    Where
    Korgalzhyn village, Rakhymzhan Madin street 20/2. Coordinates 50.26000, 69.11200.
    Hours
    09:00–18:00. Phones 8 (71637) 2 18 02, 2 23 49 and 2 10 24.

    kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Коргалжынского заповедника?Kak doyekhat do Korgalzhynskogo zapovednika?How do I get to the Korgalzhyn reserve?

    Когда последний автобус до города?Kogda posledniy avtobus do goroda?When is the last bus to the city?

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

Almaty

Three sights in the city are drawn side by side and not to scale; Tamgaly lies outside it, beyond the dashed line.

  1. Ascension Cathedral Almaty · Gogol street 40V

    Who runs it
    The Russian Orthodox Church: the Almaty city church district of the Astana and Almaty diocese. Services are held every day.
    Built
    1904–1907, of wood: log walls on a reinforced-concrete base. Konstantin Borisoglebsky drew the design in 1899; the Holy Synod, the church’s governing body, approved it in 1903 with corrections by the engineer A. P. Zenkov. The bell tower is 41.4 m to the ball under the cross. The cathedral is also known as Zenkov Cathedral.
    Where
    In the park of the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, Gogol street 40V, Almaty.

    Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, cathedral page · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Вознесенского собора?Kak doyekhat do Voznesenskogo sobora?How do I get to the Ascension Cathedral?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  2. Museum of Folk Musical Instruments Almaty · historic centre

    What it is
    A museum of Kazakh folk instruments in a carved wooden house in the historic centre: the former Officers’ Assembly House, built in Verny (Almaty’s name then) by Andrei Zenkov.
    Inside
    The collection includes horse hooves used as clappers, knucklebones as pegs and strings of camel sinew, horsehair and goat gut. A memorial hall holds instruments of Birzhan-sal, Zhambyl, Ykylas, Dina Nurpeisova and Akhmet Zhubanov and a three-string dombra (a Kazakh long-necked lute) of Abai Kunanbayev.

    kazakhstan.travel travel blog, 15.12.2025 · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Музея народных музыкальных инструментов?Kak doyekhat do Muzeya narodnykh muzykalnykh instrumentov?How do I get to the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  3. Green Bazaar Almaty · Zhibek Zholy street 53

    What it is
    A city market with stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables, greens, meat, dairy products, spices, dried fruit and traditional Kazakh dishes. Zelyony bazar (Зелёный базар) is Russian for «green bazaar»; in Kazakh it is Kök bazar (Көк базар).
    Hours
    09:00–19:00. Phone 8 (7272) 73 62 82.
    Where
    Zhibek Zholy street 53. Coordinates 43.26320, 76.95520.

    kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Зелёного базара?Kak doyekhat do Zelyonogo bazara?How do I get to the Green Bazaar?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  4. Tamgaly rock carvings Outside Almaty · Almaty Region

    What it is
    A state historical-cultural and natural reserve-museum that protects ancient rock carvings: about 5,000, from the Bronze Age and later. The portal lists the reserve as «Tanbaly».
    Where
    Zhambyl district, Karabastau. Coordinates 43.77724, 75.58039.

    kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Тамгалы?Kak doyekhat do Tamgaly?How do I get to Tamgaly?

    Когда последний автобус до города?Kogda posledniy avtobus do goroda?When is the last bus to the city?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

Turkistan

The four parts of one reserve-museum. The distances under the shapes are the operator’s figures, measured from the Yasawi mausoleum; the drawing is not to scale. Hilvet is drawn dashed below the ground line because it is partly underground.

  1. Yasawi mausoleum Turkistan · reserve-museum «Azret Sultan»

    Who runs it
    The state reserve-museum «Azret Sultan» (Әзірет Сұлтан): a protected historic area that is also a museum.
    Hours
    Open every day, 09:00–18:00; in summer 08:00–20:00 (the visiting rules).
    Entry
    Foreign citizens: 5,000 ₸ from other states, 2,000 ₸ from CIS countries (the Commonwealth of Independent States). More lines in chapter 04.
    A visit
    Bags, rucksacks and cases go in the lockers at the entrance. Keep the ticket and come in covered clothes.

    Azret Sultan site: price list of 04.07.2025, visiting rules, contacts · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Один билет, пожалуйста. Сколько стоит вход для иностранца?Odin bilet, pozhaluysta. Skolko stoit vkhod dlya inostrantsa?One ticket, please. How much is entry for a foreigner?

    Как доехать до мавзолея Ходжи Ахмеда Ясави?Kak doyekhat do mavzoleya Khodzhi Akhmeda Yasavi?How do I get to the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi?

    Когда последний автобус до города?Kogda posledniy avtobus do goroda?When is the last bus to the city?

  2. Rabia Sultan Begim mausoleum Turkistan · 60 m from the Yasawi mausoleum

    What it is
    A 15th-century mausoleum 60 m south-east of the Yasawi mausoleum. Rabia Sultan Begim was a Timurid: a daughter of the astronomer Ulugh Beg, a granddaughter of Amir Timur and the wife of Abulkhair Khan. She died in 1485 and was buried here.
    The building
    A pointed portal 20.6 m high and 11 m wide, five rooms (an octagonal central hall and four side rooms) and a dome on a high round drum. It was heavily ruined and fully restored in the early 1980s.

    Azret Sultan site, page of 31.07.2025 · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до мавзолея Рабии Султан Бегим?Kak doyekhat do mavzoleya Rabii Sultan Begim?How do I get to the Rabia Sultan Begim mausoleum?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  3. Friday mosque Turkistan · 120 m from the Yasawi mausoleum

    What it is
    A one-room building with an annex, beside the underground mosque; Kazakh Жұма мешіті (Zhuma meshiti, «Friday mosque»). Tradition says Yasawi’s family house stood here. Inside it is 4 m high, with a 2.3 m mihrab, the wall niche that marks the direction of prayer.
    Its years
    Rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century as a local mosque; a museum of archaeological finds in 1982–1998; restored in 2000 as a 19th-century mosque with objects from the museum’s holdings. Until the 1960s it was called the «Kyluet mosque».

    Azret Sultan site, page of 21.11.2025 · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до Джума-мечети?Kak doyekhat do Dzhuma-mecheti?How do I get to the Friday mosque?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

  4. Hilvet underground mosque Turkistan · 120 m south of the Yasawi mausoleum

    What it is
    A complex built partly underground and in use until the first half of the 20th century. Hilvet (the operator also writes Kyluet) comes from an Arabic word for seclusion: a place to pray alone, away from daily life. The main rite done here was zikr, a form of ritual worship.
    Yasawi
    The operator cites researchers who write that Yasawi built a kyluet at the age of 63 and spent the rest of his life in it.
    The Gar room
    A one-person room 4 m underground, with square walls and a dome of fired brick. The operator dates it to Yasawi’s own time, the 12th century, and the other rooms to the 15th–20th centuries.

    Azret Sultan site: page of 25.09.2025, contacts · checked 28.10.2026

    Say it in Russian

    Как доехать до подземной мечети Хилвет?Kak doyekhat do podzemnoy mecheti Khilvet?How do I get to the Hilvet underground mosque?

    Покажите, пожалуйста, на карте, где вход.Pokazhite, pozhaluysta, na karte, gde vkhod.Please show me on the map where the entrance is.

    Во сколько вы закрываетесь?Vo skolko vy zakryvayetes’?What time do you close?

Getting in: the visa-free stays the ministry prints

Citizens of many countries may stay in Kazakhstan without a visa for 14, 30 or 90 days on an ordinary passport. The foreign ministry’s table sets the length by country and by passport type. The figures below are for an ordinary passport.

Foreign ministry table · checked 28.10.2026

30 · 90 · 14 days without a visa.

30 days, for example the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, China, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

90 days, for example Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Uzbekistan.

14 days, for example India and Iran.

Other passports need a visa or have other terms. Find your passport in the ministry’s table: Visa regime of the Republic of Kazakhstan for foreign citizens.

For a SIM card and mobile data on arrival, see Mobile Operators in Kazakhstan.

Astana: a tower, a pyramid, two mosques and a reserve

Four sights stand in the city: Bayterek, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, the Hazrat Sultan Mosque and the «Nursultan» Mosque. The Korgalzhyn reserve lies outside it. Each entry gives the address and, where an operator publishes them, the hours.

A tall white tower with a glowing top rises behind trees at night; a road with light trails runs below and tall buildings stand to the left
Photo: Matti Blume, 16.08.2024, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. Bayterek lit at night, seen across the Esil district.

Bayterek

The name
Bayterek means «Tree of Life»: the roots stand for the underground world, the trunk for the earthly world and the leaves for the heavenly one. In the portal’s words the tower soars above the world like the mythical bird Samruk.
The tower
A monument at 14 Nurzhol Boulevard. Chief architect: Akmyrza Rustembekov.

Visit Astana · checked 28.10.2026

A white mosque with a pale dome, smaller domes and four tall minarets under a heavy grey sky
Photo: t_y_l, 13.09.2017, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 2.0, file page. The Hazrat Sultan Mosque in 2017, seen from the front.

Hazrat Sultan Mosque

Address
48 Tauelsizdik Avenue. Phone +7 (7172) 42-24-55.
Hours
Daily 06:00–20:00.
The building
Opened in 2012. A central dome 51 m high and 28 m across, eight smaller domes round it and four minarets 77 m tall. About 10,000 people can pray in it at once.
Inside
A prayer hall and a wedding hall, rooms for washing before prayer, cloakrooms, a library and rooms for seminary lessons and Quran reading.

Visit Astana · checked 28.10.2026

Pyramid · 57 Tauelsizdik Avenue

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

A pyramid 63 m high on a 63 × 63 m base, designed by Norman Foster; glass and stone panels cover it. The stained-glass window in the dome, by Brian Clarke, carries 130 white doves. Open Monday to Sunday 10:00–21:00; tours in Kazakh, Russian and English daily, no days off. Phone +7 (7172) 44-64-72.

Visit Astana · checked 28.10.2026

Mosque · 65 Mangilik El Avenue

«Nursultan» Mosque

Built in 2022. Four minarets 130 m tall and a dome 62 m across. The prayer hall holds up to 30,000 people at once, the whole complex over 120,000. Open daily 04:00–23:00. Phone +7 (7172) 57-72-98.

Visit Astana · checked 28.10.2026

A large orange sun above a dark horizon, with its orange reflection on still water and a bird standing in the water
Photo: Dildakhmet, 24.08.2021, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. Sunset over a lake in the Korgalzhyn reserve.

Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve

What it is
A state nature reserve (Kazakh qoryq, қорық; Russian zapovednik, заповедник) in the Akmola Region: a strictly protected area of salt and fresh lakes, marshes and steppe. According to the portal, hundreds of bird and animal species live there and the pink flamingo is its symbol.
Address
Korgalzhyn village, Rakhymzhan Madin street 20/2. Coordinates 50.26000, 69.11200.
Hours
09:00–18:00. Phones 8 (71637) 2 18 02, 2 23 49 and 2 10 24.

kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

For shopping in Astana and Almaty, see Malls in Kazakhstan.

Almaty: a wooden cathedral, a museum of instruments and a bazaar

Three sights lie in the city: the Ascension Cathedral, the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments and the Green Bazaar. The rock carvings of Tamgaly lie outside it, in Almaty Region.

A pastel-coloured wooden cathedral with a tall bell tower on the left and several domes with patterned roofs, seen from above among trees
Photo: Nikolai Bulykin, 05.03.2023, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The Ascension Cathedral seen from above, with the bell tower on the left.

Ascension Cathedral

The cathedral stands in the park of the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, Gogol street 40V. It is also known as Zenkov Cathedral. The Russian Orthodox Church runs it, as part of the Almaty city church district of the Astana and Almaty diocese, and services are held every day.

A popular saying holds that the cathedral was built without a single nail. The church’s own history lists metal ties, bolts and brackets in the frame.

Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, cathedral page · checked 28.10.2026

Built to stand in earthquakes

  1. 1887An earthquake destroys 1,800 stone buildings in Verny, as Almaty was then called. 800 wooden buildings are unharmed.
  2. 1904–1907The cathedral is built of wood: log walls on a reinforced-concrete base, tied with timber, bolts and metal brackets. It is consecrated on 30.07.1907.
  3. January 1911Another earthquake. The cathedral stands: the south-east corner of the bell tower settles a little, the cross bends and windows break.
  4. 1929–1995The state takes the building from the church in 1929; a radio station and then the regional museum use it. The first service in 65 years is held on 2 May 1994, and on 18.04.1995 the building passes to the diocese for free use without a time limit.

Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, cathedral page · checked 28.10.2026

A carved wooden house with steep roofs, a small porch and a green steeple under a blue sky
Photo: www.kalpak-travel.com, 02.07.2019, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 2.0, file page. The museum building: a carved wooden house with a green steeple.

Museum of Folk Musical Instruments

The building
In Almaty’s historic centre: the former Officers’ Assembly House, built in Verny by Andrei Zenkov. A carved wooden house.
Inside
The collection includes horse hooves used as clappers, knucklebones as pegs and strings of camel sinew, horsehair and goat gut. A memorial hall holds instruments of Birzhan-sal, Zhambyl, Ykylas, Dina Nurpeisova and Akhmet Zhubanov and a three-string dombra of Abai Kunanbayev. A dombra is a Kazakh long-necked lute.
The kobyz
The kobyz, another Kazakh instrument, is compared to an archaic cello without a top plate.

kazakhstan.travel travel blog, 15.12.2025 · checked 28.10.2026

A large indoor market hall seen from above, with long counters of spices, dried fruit and other goods and people at the stalls
Photo: Spacekid, 19.05.2016, Wikimedia Commons; CC0, file page. The hall of the Green Bazaar in 2016.

Green Bazaar

What it is
A city market. Stalls sell fresh fruit, vegetables, greens, meat, dairy products, spices, dried fruit and traditional Kazakh dishes. Zelyony bazar (Зелёный базар) is Russian for «green bazaar»; in Kazakh it is Kök bazar (Көк базар).
Address and hours
Zhibek Zholy street 53; 09:00–19:00. Phone 8 (7272) 73 62 82. Coordinates 43.26320, 76.95520.
The food
For the dishes themselves, see Kazakhstan Food.

kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

A wide grey rock face with many small carved figures and marks on its surface
Photo: Stomac, 24.08.2013, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0, file page. Tamgaly: the main rock face with its carvings, in 2013.
Tamgaly
A state historical-cultural and natural reserve-museum in Almaty Region that protects ancient rock carvings: about 5,000, from the Bronze Age and later. The portal lists the reserve as «Tanbaly».
Where
Zhambyl district, Karabastau. Coordinates 43.77724, 75.58039.

kazakhstan.travel, the national tourism portal · checked 28.10.2026

Turkistan: the Yasawi mausoleum and the reserve-museum

Four sights here belong to the state reserve-museum «Azret Sultan» (Әзірет Сұлтан): the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Rabia Sultan Begim mausoleum, the Friday mosque and the underground mosque Hilvet. Its entry fees are set in a price list dated 04.07.2025.

The side of the mausoleum with a blue ribbed dome and a smaller blue dome above a tile-patterned brick wall, and the tall portal at the left
Photo: Adam Harangozó, 25.07.2018, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. The mausoleum from the side: the portal on the left, the blue dome behind it. Press a dot.
  1. The portalThe restorers date the start of building to the early 1390s. Timur died in early 1405, and the main portal stayed unfinished.
  2. The domeBlue tiles cover the dome outside. Its top stands at 39 m.
  3. The wallsThe plan measures 65.5 × 46.5 m and holds up to 34 rooms.
Built to honour
Sheikh Ahmed Yasawi, whose time the operator dates to the 12th century.
The hall of the cauldron
The hall called qazandyq (қазандық, «cauldron hall») is 18.5 m on each side. It holds the huge bronze cauldron, the Taykazan, made by Abd al-Aziz ibn Ustad Sharaf al-Din Tabrizi.
Address
Aiteke Bi 1B, Turkistan (the site footer). The Yasawi Museum and the museum of rare exhibits: Amir Temur 53A; phones 8 (72533) 3-23-00 and 8 747 713 44 54.

Azret Sultan: the mausoleum · contacts · checked 28.10.2026

Dates in the mausoleum’s history

  1. Early 1390s – 1405Building starts in the early 1390s by the restorers’ dating. Timur dies in early 1405 and the main portal stays unfinished.
  2. 1864 – 1910A siege in 1864: 12 shells are fired at the mausoleum and 11 hit it. Repairs follow in 1872, 1884 and 1910.
  3. 1938 – 1995Restoration in 1938–41, a restoration workshop in 1966, digs in 1975 and roof finds in 1994. Turkish specialists strengthen the foundations in 1993–95.
  4. 2003The operator records the decision on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 27th session in Paris, 30.06.–05.07.2003.

Azret Sultan: the mausoleum, 31.07.2025 · checked 28.10.2026

Entry, foreign citizens

Other states
5,000 ₸
CIS countries
2,000 ₸ (CIS: the Commonwealth of Independent States)

The price list’s next lines (no citizenship named)

Adults
1,000 ₸
Students and pensioners
500 ₸, with documents
School children
300 ₸, with documents

Appendix 25 to the order of the Minister of Culture and Information of 04.07.2025, No. 307-НҚ

Tours and audio guide

In Kazakh or Russian
3,000 ₸ per group of up to 25
In English
5,000 ₸ per group of up to 25
School children, any of the three languages
1,000 ₸ per group
Audio guide
1,500 ₸ per device

Azret Sultan: price list · checked 28.10.2026

Hours

Every day
The visiting rules: 09:00–18:00, and 08:00–20:00 in summer. The site footer: 09:00–18:00.
Closed Monday
The Yasawi Museum and the museum of rare exhibits; Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–18:00.

Azret Sultan: visiting rules · contacts · checked 28.10.2026

Rules for a visit

  • Bags: leave bags, rucksacks and cases in the lockers at the entrance; no large hand luggage near the museum.
  • Ticket: keep it during the whole visit.
  • Clothes: visit in covered clothes.
  • Children: children and school pupils come with responsible leaders; follow the staff’s instructions.

Azret Sultan: visiting rules · checked 28.10.2026

Mausoleum · 15th century · 60 m from the Yasawi mausoleum

Rabia Sultan Begim

Rabia Sultan Begim was a Timurid, a descendant of Timur: a daughter of the astronomer Ulugh Beg, a granddaughter of Amir Timur and the wife of Abulkhair Khan. She died in 1485. The portal is 20.6 m high and 11 m wide; five rooms lie under a dome on a high drum. Fully restored in the early 1980s.

Azret Sultan: the mausoleum of Rabia Sultan Begim · checked 28.10.2026

Mosque · 12th–19th century · 120 m from the Yasawi mausoleum

Friday mosque

A one-room building with an annex beside the underground mosque. Tradition says Yasawi’s family house stood here. Inside it is 4 m high, with a 2.3 m mihrab. The operator writes that Sufi mosques carry no Quran verses at the mihrab; pomegranate branches with singing nightingales were painted beside this one until the 1980s.

Azret Sultan: the Friday mosque · checked 28.10.2026

Underground mosque · 12th–20th century · 120 m south

Hilvet

Built partly underground and in use until the first half of the 20th century. The operator dates the one-person Gar room to Yasawi’s time, the 12th century, and the other rooms to the 15th–20th centuries. It describes the winter «shilde», 22 December to 2 February, as a forty-day zikr.

Azret Sultan: the Kyluet complex · checked 28.10.2026

Between the cities: the trains on the KTZ list

KTZ (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the state railway company) sells tickets on its own ticket site and runs the Unified information centre, phone 1433. Its list of passenger trains is headed «May 2026» and gives each train’s number, route and how often it runs.

A passenger train with blue and orange stripes on a track beside a bare platform, under overhead wires
Photo: Matti Blume, 31.03.2024, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0, file page. A train at Almaty-2 station in March 2024.

Lines on the list

Astana and Almaty
No. 10/9 Astana-1–Almaty-2, daily, and no. 4/3 Nurly Zhol–Almaty-2, daily: both are listed under «Talgo trains».
To Turkistan
No. 45/46 Pavlodar–Turkistan, daily. No. 6937/6938 Shymkent–Turkistan, five days a week, not on Monday and Thursday.
From Turkistan
No. 6958/6957 Turkistan–Saryagash, five days a week, not on Tuesday and Wednesday.

KTZ ticket site: list of trains, May 2026 · checked 28.10.2026

At the ticket window

Один билет до Туркестана, пожалуйста. С какой платформы?Odin bilet do Turkestana, pozhaluysta. S kakoy platformy?One ticket to Turkistan, please. From which platform?

Quick answers in a few lines

What do foreign citizens pay to enter the Yasawi mausoleum?

5,000 ₸ for a citizen of a state outside the CIS, 2,000 ₸ for a citizen of a CIS country, under the operator’s price list of 04.07.2025. The list’s next lines, with no citizenship named: adults 1,000 ₸, students and pensioners 500 ₸ and school children 300 ₸.

When is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation open?

Monday to Sunday 10:00–21:00 (Visit Astana portal, checked 28.10.2026). Tours run in Kazakh, Russian and English.

When are the Astana mosques open?

The Hazrat Sultan Mosque daily 06:00–20:00; the «Nursultan» Mosque daily 04:00–23:00 (Visit Astana, checked 28.10.2026).

What does Bayterek mean?

«Tree of Life»: the roots stand for the underground world, the trunk for the earthly world and the leaves for the heavenly one.

Was the Ascension Cathedral built without a nail?

That is a popular saying. The church’s own history of the cathedral lists metal ties, bolts and brackets in the wooden frame.

What is a reserve-museum?

A protected historic area that is also a museum. «Azret Sultan» in Turkistan covers the Yasawi mausoleum, the Rabia Sultan Begim mausoleum, the Friday mosque and the underground mosque Hilvet, among other sites.

Which trains go to Turkistan?

KTZ’s list headed «May 2026» has Pavlodar–Turkistan (no. 45/46, daily) and Shymkent–Turkistan (no. 6937/6938, five days a week).

How long can a US or German citizen stay without a visa?

Up to 30 days on an ordinary passport, by the foreign ministry’s table (checked 28.10.2026). Find any other passport in the table.

Sources and limits

General information on places whose hours, fees and rules change; each operator sets its own. Ask the operator before you go. Picture credits are in each caption.

Show the pages checked
  1. Visa regime of the Republic of Kazakhstan for foreign citizens — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, checked 28.10.2026
  2. Prices for tickets and tours (Appendix 25, order of 04.07.2025 No. 307-НҚ) — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  3. The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (31.07.2025) — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  4. Rules for staying in the museum — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  5. Contacts and timetable — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  6. The mausoleum of Rabia Sultan Begim (31.07.2025) — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  7. The Friday mosque (21.11.2025) — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  8. The underground complex Kyluet (25.09.2025) — Reserve-museum «Azret Sultan», checked 28.10.2026
  9. Monument «Baiterek» — Visit Astana portal, checked 28.10.2026
  10. Palace of Peace and Reconciliation — Visit Astana portal, checked 28.10.2026
  11. Hazrat Sultan Mosque — Visit Astana portal, checked 28.10.2026
  12. «Nursultan» Mosque — Visit Astana portal, checked 28.10.2026
  13. Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve — kazakhstan.travel, checked 28.10.2026
  14. Tanbaly State Historical-Cultural and Natural Reserve-Museum — kazakhstan.travel, checked 28.10.2026
  15. Green Bazaar — kazakhstan.travel, checked 28.10.2026
  16. Museum of music instruments in Almaty (15.12.2025) — kazakhstan.travel, checked 28.10.2026
  17. Cathedral in honour of the Ascension of the Lord, Alma-Ata — Kazakhstan Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church, checked 28.10.2026
  18. List of trains, May 2026 — KTZ ticket site, checked 28.10.2026

Article Information

Written by: Hatice Kulali
Published: December 12, 2022
Category: Kazakhstan

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