On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports expanded the number of tourist destinations from 10 to 20. To date, priority tourist areas have been identified in each region of Kazakhstan, where anchor projects will be implemented.

Taking into account the dynamic growth of the flow of domestic tourism, the Ministry, together with local executive bodies, has developed a plan for the development of infrastructure of tourist places. One of the TOP 20 tourist destinations is the city of Turkestan.

Turkestan is one of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of the country, 160 km northwest of Shymkent. It is the administrative center of the Turkestan region.
The city in the Middle Ages was the center of the development and spread of Islam. Later, Turkestan became the capital of the Kazakh Khanate. Since then, the city has been continuously developing as the spiritual center of all Turkic states, a place of pilgrimage and spiritual development. People call the city the second Mecca.

Turkestan is officially recognized as the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, and is also declared the tourist capital of the Turkic states for 2024. As part of this, during 2024 the city will host more than 100 events of international and national scale.
The Turkestan region is rich in historical, cultural and spiritual architectural monuments. Among the most visited attractions in the region are the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi (in the Azret-Sultan complex), the Caravanserai complex, the Mausoleum of Arystan Baba, Gauhar Ana, the Mausoleum and well of Ukasha Ata, the sacred cave of Akmeshit, etc.

The city has an international airport, Hazret Sultan, which has established air connections with foreign countries, in particular with cities such as Istanbul, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi.

Our information: The total tourist flow for 2022 amounted to 253 thousand people. In turn, the projected figure for the region by 2025 will reach more than 329 thousand people. In the first 9 months of 2023, 9,432 beds were served, the volume of services provided is 4.2 billion tenge.
In order to develop the infrastructure of Turkestan, it is planned to improve the territory of the Aziret Sultan museum-reserve and the dome over the citadel. Also, it is planned to reconstruct the Turkestan-Shaulder highway. The total length of the roads being repaired is slightly more than 35 km.

gov.kz official internet resource