Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
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How it came to be
In Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan, the town once called Yasi, stands the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a 12th-century Sufi master. In 1389 Timur ordered a great mausoleum to replace the small 12th-century one.
Work stopped when Timur died in 1405, leaving parts unfinished, yet it is one of the largest and best-preserved Timurid buildings. The rectangular brick building, 38.7 metres high, has 35 rooms, and the largest dome in Central Asia rises over its main hall.
Its glazed tiles, alabaster muqarnas and Kufic inscriptions marked the beginning of the Timurid style, which spread across the empire. Pilgrims still come from across Central Asia. It became Kazakhstan's first World Heritage site in 2003.
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