The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, Turkistan, Kazakhstan (Unesco world heritage) 照片檔

The most prominent historical and cultural building in the city of Turkistan (also spelled Turkestan) in Southern Kazakhstan is the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi was an important Sufi mystic, poet and saint who lived in the 12th century. In 1389, the great ruler Timur (Tamerlane) ordered to build this mausoleum, to replace a smaller 12th-century mausoleum on this spot. When Timur died in 1405, the building activities also stopped. The city continues to attract thousands of pilgrims. According to a regional tradition, three pilgrimages to Turkistan are equivalent to the hajj to Mecca. In 2003, the mausoleum was added to the list of Unesco world heritage sites. It is one of the largest and best-preserved constructions of the Timurid period.