In Turkistan, in southern Kazakhstan, people still say that three pilgrimages to the tomb of the Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi equal one hajj to Mecca. The turquoise dome over his grave was raised on Timur’s orders in the 1390s and never finished, and families arrive by the busload to pray, tie ribbons and share a meal in its shadow.
That mix of Sufi saints, royal tombs and much older sacred ground runs across the region. Samarkand’s Shah-i-Zinda grew around the grave of a cousin of the Prophet; Bukhara is ringed by shrines of the Naqshbandi order; and Sulayman-Too in Osh was a holy mountain long before Islam arrived. In the south, Termez and the hills of Tajikistan keep the ruins of Buddhist monasteries from the Kushan era.
These are working shrines, not museums. Expect to see pilgrims reciting prayers at the tombs, and dress and behave as you would in a mosque.
At a Glance#
- Greatest pilgrimage: the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, a UNESCO site.
- Samarkand: the tiled avenue of tombs at Shah-i-Zinda, Timur’s Gur-e Amir and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque.
- Bukhara: the Samanid Mausoleum, Chashma-Ayub, the Kalan Mosque and the necropolis of Chor-Bakr.
- Holy mountain: Sulayman-Too above Osh in Kyrgyzstan, revered for thousands of years.
- Buddhist Central Asia: Fayaz Tepe near Termez and Ajina Tepe in Tajikistan.
- Desert tombs: the Tomb of Ahmad Sanjar at Merv and the mausoleums of Konye-Urgench in Turkmenistan.
Kazakhstan#
The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is the spiritual heart of Kazakh Islam. Yasawi, a 12th-century Sufi master, wrote mystical poetry in Turkic rather than Arabic or Persian, which carried his teaching across the steppe. Timur’s builders put up a huge brick shrine crowned by the largest brick dome in Central Asia, and its unfinished entrance portal, still bare of tiles, shows how it was built. Inside are the tomb chamber, a mosque and a giant bronze cauldron. Many pilgrims first visit the mausoleum of Arystan Bab, Yasawi’s teacher, near the ruins of Otrar. Turkistan is reached by train or road from Shymkent in about three hours; see our Mosques in Kazakhstan guide for opening hours and the modern mosques.
Elsewhere in Kazakhstan, the Hazrat Sultan Mosque in Astana is one of the largest mosques in Central Asia, and the wooden Ascension Cathedral in Almaty is the country’s best-known Orthodox church. Near Taraz, the small brick tomb of Aisha Bibi is a place where couples come to pray, and the rock carvings of Tamgaly were a Bronze Age sanctuary.
Kyrgyzstan#
Sulayman-Too rises out of the middle of Osh, one of the oldest cities in the region. Its five peaks have been sacred for over three thousand years, and it is a UNESCO site as a holy mountain. Paths climb past caves, petroglyphs and polished rocks where women slide to pray for children, up to a small house-mosque rebuilt on the site where Babur, the founder of the Mughal empire, prayed as a young man. Go early in the morning, when local pilgrims are on the paths and before the heat.
Near Tokmok, east of Bishkek, the Burana Tower is the stump of an 11th-century minaret in a field of carved stone grave markers, close to the ruined Silk Road town of Suyab, where Buddhist temples and a Christian church once stood.
At the east end of Issyk-Kul, Karakol shows how many faiths settled here in the Russian era. Its Dungan Mosque, built by Chinese Muslim craftsmen in the early 20th century, looks like a painted wooden pagoda and was put together without nails, and the town’s wooden Holy Trinity Cathedral is a few streets away. Both are easy to see in an hour between treks.
Uzbekistan#
Samarkand has the region’s most beautiful shrines. Shah-i-Zinda, the “Living King”, is a narrow lane of tombs climbing a hill, covered in glazed tilework from the 14th and 15th centuries, built around the grave of Qusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet. Pilgrims recite prayers at the top. Timur himself lies under the ribbed dome of Gur-e Amir, and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque was his attempt at the greatest mosque in the Islamic world.
Bukhara was a centre of Sufi learning. The Samanid Mausoleum, a 10th-century cube of patterned brick in a city park, is one of the oldest Islamic buildings in Central Asia, and Chashma-Ayub next to it is built over a spring said to have been struck by the prophet Job. The Kalan Mosque still fills for Friday prayers below the 12th-century Kalan Minaret. Outside town, the Chor-Bakr necropolis is a quiet city of family tombs and courtyards, and the shrine of Bahauddin Naqshband, founder of the Naqshbandi order, draws a steady stream of pilgrims. Our Mosques in Uzbekistan and Historic Sites in Uzbekistan guides cover more.
In Khiva, the Juma Mosque is a dim hall of more than 200 carved wooden columns. In the far south, Termez has the Buddhist monastery ruins of Fayaz Tepe alongside Islamic shrines, including the mausoleum of the Sufi scholar al-Hakim at-Tirmidhi.
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan#
In southern Tajikistan, Ajina Tepe was a 7th-century Buddhist monastery; its 13 m reclining Buddha is now in the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe. The Khoja Mashkhad Mausoleum, twin brick domes in the far south, is among the oldest Islamic buildings in the country.
In Turkmenistan, the Tomb of Ahmad Sanjar, a 12th-century Seljuk sultan’s mausoleum, is the best-preserved building at Merv, near Mary. Pilgrims also visit the ruins at Konye-Urgench, where local families walk a circuit of saints’ tombs. Turkmenistan’s visa rules mean most visitors come on an organised tour.
How to visit#
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees; women should carry a scarf for active mosques and tomb chambers. Remove shoes where locals do.
- Behaviour: let pilgrims pass at the tomb, do not walk in front of people praying, and ask before photographing anyone. Some shrines ban photos inside the tomb chamber.
- Fees: the big sites charge foreigners a modest ticket, usually a few USD, with an extra fee for cameras at some.
- Timing: Friday midday prayers and religious holidays such as Eid bring the biggest crowds. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months; summer in Bukhara and Turkistan often passes 40°C (104°F).
Sacred places to visit in Central Asia#
More Things to Do#
Central Asia sacred places FAQs#
What is the most important pilgrimage site in Central Asia?
The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. Local tradition holds that three visits equal one hajj, and pilgrims come from across the Turkic world.
Can non-Muslims visit mosques and shrines in Central Asia?
Yes, at almost all of them. Dress modestly, remove shoes where asked, avoid prayer times at working mosques, and be quiet in the tomb chambers.
What should women wear at shrines in Uzbekistan?
Long sleeves, a long skirt or loose trousers, and a scarf to cover your hair in tomb chambers and active mosques. Shah-i-Zinda and the Bukhara shrines are relaxed, but covering up is respectful.
Are there Buddhist sites in Central Asia?
Yes. Termez in southern Uzbekistan has the monastery ruins of Fayaz Tepe, and Ajina Tepe in Tajikistan had a 13 m reclining Buddha, now shown in the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe.
Why is Sulayman-Too sacred?
It has been a place of worship since before Islam, and tradition links it with the prophet Sulayman (Solomon). Pilgrims visit its caves and rocks to pray for health and children, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.