Turkestan, Hazret-i Turkestan or Yassy is a city in the southern part of Kazakhstan near the Seyhun River. On 31 March 2021, it was declared the "spiritual capital of the Turkic world" after the Turkic Council summit.
This city, which is famous as the place where Akhmed Yassawi lived, is a settlement that is not very large compared to other settlements in Kazakhstan. According to the 2017 census, its population is around 160 thousand. A significant part of the population is made up of people who came from the neighbouring villages after independence. The city is mainly inhabited by Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks.
The settlement style in the city is generally detached. The most magnificent building in the city is Yassawi's complex, the local people call this complex "kesene". Inside this structure, which is about thirty metres tall, there is a two-metre cauldron - the original of which is said to be in England - into which newly married people or those who wish to have their wishes accepted throw coins or paper money.
The climate of the city and the Shymkent Province in general is similar to that of Uzbekistan. Although the winters in Turkestan are not as harsh as in the north, the temperature in summer is above the average of the country.
Probably the most common complaint of someone living in Turkestan is the sudden onset and sudden cessation of strong winds.
During the Soviet Union period, Turkestan was one of the regions that were left to the last in the fields of education and health in particular and in the social sphere in general.
Especially with the influence of Akhmed Yassawi Kazakh-Turkish University, which was founded in 1992, and with the contribution of Kazakhstan's developing economy, it has entered into an upward trend in terms of both modernisation and urbanisation. Turkistan has taken important steps towards becoming an important tourism city after being declared the "spiritual capital of the Turkic world" after the Turkic Council summit held on 31 March 2021.
