Turkistan

Going back to Akmeshit Mosque to catch a local bus heading towards Turkistan, I found myself in for a long ride and a long day.

We had to wait until the car was full before we set forth for a 2-hour ride or so. I was dropped by near the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and even from afar I can already see the magnificence of the structure. With azure royal blues coating its domes, it stood out prominently even against the backdrop of clear skies.

As I slowly approached it, I started to get a sense of just how massive the entire mausoleum was. This was a pilgrimage site for Sufi Muslims and Ahmed Yasawi himself was a famous Sufi Saint. I went a lap around the building and also took a peek inside which was much more humble. I walked around the premises and visited the bath-house and the underground mosque as well.

On the way to the Mosque of Khoja Yasawi, I was approached by a random dude who started to make some small talk. I was a bit on guard but ran into him again later. He was from Astana and I somehow just ended up talking with him as we walked towards the mosque, which actually was one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have seen so far. Highly geometric, symmetrical, and the color scheme of white and blue made it look like a celestial structure. We went inside which had a much simpler thing going on, except the dome. The Muslims just had a way with geometry and symmetry that is almost unrivaled.

I left the guy after that and went on to explore Karavan Saray. After seeing some pics online, I just knew I had to check this place out. The giant golden egg on a nest was what really drew me in. It seemed to be a theatre so that was really interesting. The area around here had a very futuristic and modern take on Muslim architecture. It was like being in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Everything looked modern, chic, and clean. I lapped around here before having some lunch at a restaurant. Ordered some chicken and tomatoes and an oreo milkshake before talking with the staff about finding a taxi to take me to Sauran and other spots around Turkistan. However, I was quoted a really high price so I ended up just booking a taxi on my own through Yandex and decided to wing it from there.Read more