Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History¨Museum¨
mUSEUm
(
h
9am-1pm & 3-6pm)
F
The History Mu-
seum, in the Yasaui Mausoleum grounds,
focuses mostly on Kozha Akhmed Yasaui,
Sufism and Islamic learning. There are
models of the Yasaui Mausoleum, the Aris-
tan Bab Mausoleum and the Hilvet semi-
underground mosque. There is some Eng-
lish-language labelling.
Mausoleum¨of¨¨
Rabigha-Sultan¨Begum¨
mAUSOLEUm
This small building is actually a replica of
the 15th-century original (which was torn
down in 1898). Rabiga-Sultan Begum was a
great-granddaughter of Timur whose hus-
band Abylkayyr Khan, a 15th-century leader
of the then-nomadic Uzbeks, put the finish-
ing touches to the structure of the Yasaui
mausoleum's facade.
Hilvet¨Semi-
Underground¨Mosque¨
mOSQUE
On a small hill within the Yasaui Mausole-
um grounds stands the 12th- to 15th-century
Hilvet semi-underground mosque, with the
cell to which Kozha Akhmed Yasaui is said
to have withdrawn towards the end of his
life. Next to it stands the wood-pillared, 19th-
century
Friday¨Mosque
(Zhuma meshiti)
.
4
¨Sleeping¨&¨Eating
Hotel¨Edem¨
HOTEL $
(
%
3 35 71; edem_kz@mail.ru; Sultanbek Kozhanov
6A; r incl breakfast 5000-9500T;
naW
)
Over-
all the best sleeping option, the Edem has
pleasant rooms with wood-and-wrought-
iron beds and cane furnishings. Thought-
ful touches like lamps reachable from your
bed balance out the occasional absent toilet
seat. Also here is the town's best
restaurant
(mains 800-2400T;
h
8am-midnight)
, with a
courtyard garden that is a fine place to down
good shashlyk, salads and beer.
The garden also turns into Turkistan's
most popular nightspot in summer, so ask
for a back room if you aim to slumber before
midnight.
Hotel¨Sabina¨
HOTEL $
(
%
3 14 05; Sultanbek Kozhanov 16; r 3000-4000T;
n
)
Turkistan's budget option is a well kept,
friendly place with eight smallish but clean
and decent rooms, sharing bathrooms.
Those upstairs are bigger and brighter, with
TVs and a better bathroom.
Hotel¨Turkistan¨
HOTEL $
(
%
4 14 26; gturkiestan@mail.ru; Sultanbek Kozh-
anov; r 5000T, lux 13,000T;
p
)
The Turkistan
has a grand domed lobby, oil paintings,
thick red carpets and sizeable, well-looked-
after rooms, but a rather dour atmosphere.
Breakfast costs 500T to 1000T.
Kafe¨Aspan¨
CENTRAL ASIAN $
(Sultanbek Kozhanov; dishes 200-550T;
h
10am-
11pm)
A neat and tranquil spot on the main
street, with good salads, soups and meat
dishes.
8
Information
Internet
(Sultanbek Kozhanov 1; internet per hr
150T;
h
10am-9pm)
Kazkom
(Tauke Khan 371;
h
9am-noon &
2-6pm mon-Fri) This bank does currency
exchange and has 24-hour ATms.
8
Getting¨There¨&¨Around
Three bus/minibus terminals are strung close
together along Tauke Khan 2km west of the
Yasaui mausoleum. Vehicles to Shymkent leave
when full and are most frequent before 10am to
11am.
Merey Avtobeketi
, irst up on the left, has
SAURAN¨¨
САУРАН
Northwet of Turkitan tand the bet preserved and mot atmospheric ruins of all the
many ruined Silk Road cities in the Syr-Darya valley. Sauran was capital of the Mongol
White Horde in the 14th century, and 16th-century writers described it as a 'pleasant'
and 'cheerful' city with two high minarets and a sophiticated water-supply sytem. Its
circuit of limetone walls, plus remains of some bations and gates, till tand despite
conquerors and the elements. Sauran is visible as a long, low mound about 2.5km
southwet from the Turkitan-Kyzylorda highway, some 50km out of Turkitan and
about 13km pat the village of Sauran. Closer up, the ruins loom like something out of
The Lord of the Rings
(but remember: this is Sauran, not Sauron). They are normally un-
supervised. A taxi from Turkitan should cot around 5000T round trip: ask for Krepot
(Fortress) Sauran to ditinguish it from Sauran village.
