Sayram

Sayram, known in earlier centuries as Isfijab, was a walled Silk Road town of consequence long before Shymkent existed, and it survives as a large village on the edge of the modern city, still largely Uzbek-speaking. The reason people come is its shrines: Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, whose great mausoleum stands at Turkestan, was born here, and the tombs of his parents, Ibrahim-Ata and Karashash-Ana, are both venerated in the town, along with the mausoleums of Abdel-Aziz-Baba and Mirali-Baba and a minaret usually dated to the medieval period. Pilgrims visit them in sequence. The settlement mound and traces of the old walls survive under the modern village.

History

The oldest known name of the town is Isfijab, used until the Mongol conquest; Mahmud Kashgari called it the "White City", from a Sogdian or Persian word for white, and noted that it was also known as Sayram. The town celebrated its 3,000th anniversary in 1999 and is held to have had the first mosque in Kazakhstan (Wikipedia, Sayram (city)).

What to look for

• Karashash-Ana mausoleum - the tomb of Yasawi's mother.
• Ibrahim-Ata mausoleum - the tomb of Yasawi's father.
• The old minaret - the medieval tower in the town.
• Pilgrim visits - the sequence of shrines walked by visitors.

When to go

April to June and September to October for the weather. Fridays and religious holidays bring the most pilgrims. Mornings are cooler in summer, when the heat is severe.

Things to know

The shrines are small and much rebuilt; this is a pilgrimage circuit rather than a monumental site. Interpretation is minimal and in Kazakh or Russian. Modest dress is expected. The town blends into Shymkent's suburbs.

Nearby

Shymkent lies west; Sairam-Ugam park is east in the mountains.

Key facts