Turkestan (Yassy) was regarded as the spiritual and politcal centre of the Turkic speaking peoples and was the original capital of the Kazakh khans. Sheikh Hodja Ahmed Yassawi - a Sufi mystic, poet and philosopher - was the spiritual leader of the Turkic peoples, and the legendary Tamerlane built a splendid hanaka (Sufi temple) over Yassaui's burial-place in the 14th century. The Kazakh khans established their headquarters and citadel nearby in the 15-l6th centuries. The Hodja Ahmed Mausoleum is an unsurpassed masterpiece of medieval architecture, an amazing complex of palaces and temples with over 30 different rooms and halls. The main dome is over 40 m in diameter and the minarets are 12m high. The elegant decor, patterned ceiling vaults and colourful majolica tiling capture the imagination. Also worth seeing are the town of Turkestan itself, the necropolis, other mausoleums, the Friday mosque, bath-house, and part of the citadel's fortified wall and gates. Turkestan is now 1,500 years old. On weekdays there are usually between 100 and 250 pilgrims visiting, and this number can swell to 1,000 people per day during religious holidays.According to popular belief, the road to Turkestan must cross the Arystan-Bab Mausoleum erected over the tomb of Ahmed Yassaui's teacher, a famous religious mystic who lived in the 12th century. The earliest part of the building dates back to the Timurid era (14-15th centuries).
    The ancient town of Otrar (4th century ÂÑ) was an important trade centre. It was known for its mint and its extensive library which equalled the greatest libraries of antiquity. The world-famous medieval thinker al-Farabi was born, lived and worked in Otrar. This unique town was razed to the ground by the Mongols in the late 13th century.
    The mighty fortress of Sou-ran (10-18th centuries) is famous for its unique water supply system, thanks to which the town could withstand a siege for several months.
    The Tomb of Domalak-Ana (early 20th century) was erected in the steppe not far from Turkestan in honour of a holy woman and clairvoyant named Doma-lak-Ana. A modem memorial in white marble was built on the site of the old tomb in 1998. Two stones which formerly stood on the grave are considered holy, and pilgrims will assure you that only a righteous person can pass between them.
    The town of Taraz (Talas) -"city of merchants" - is more than 2,000 years old. It reached its zenith in the 10-12th centuries, when it was famous as the capital of the Karakhan state. You can step into the past at the Karakhan and Davudbek Mausoleums, rulers' castles and many ancient burial-places. Just outside modern-day Taraz (15-18 km away) are theBaba-ji-KhatunMausoleum (10-11 th centuries) 3itidAisha-Btbi Mausoleum (11-12th centuries), masterpieces of ancient architecture that are listed as world architectural rarities byUnesco. The architectural form, decoration and artistic value ofAisha-Bibi are amazing.
    Sairam (Ispijab) (6-18th centuries), a large, densely populated town, grew up at the intersection of the ancient roads from Shash (Tashkent) to Shy mkent. The Chinese travelle Xuan-Zang (629) mention Sairam in his