Turkistan: A City Where Spiritual Heritage Meets Modern Tourism
Turkistan: A City Where Spiritual Heritage Meets Modern Tourism
Recognized as one of the spiritual capitals of the Turkic world, the city of Turkistan in Kazakhstan is becoming one of Central Asia’s most popular tourism destinations.
With major projects such as airports, caravanserais, and hotels undertaken by Turkish construction companies, the city stands out in the fields of religious, cultural, and gastronomic tourism.
Deputy Governor of Turkistan, Zulfikar Joldasov, emphasized that Turkish and Kazakh societies are one nation, expressing their solidarity with the brotherly Turkic states in every field.
Joldasov noted that Turkistan holds high tourism potential, and recalled that the Republic of Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan and that steps were taken in 1993 to establish a joint university.
Stating that this region is not foreign to the Turkish people, Joldasov said, “We know that Turkey is highly developed in tourism. A large portion of people living in Kazakhstan have visited Turkey at least once in their lives. We also observe a growing interest from our Turkish brothers in this place with each passing day. We hope that everyone living in Turkey will one day see the city of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.”
Expressing satisfaction with Turkish companies' interest in investing in the region, Joldasov added:
“Our airport and the large caravanserai, which is a brand symbol of our city, were built by Turkish companies. The International Turkic-Kazakh University also holds a distinguished position in our region. We have direct flights from our airport to Istanbul twice a week. With its 2,000-year history, the historic city of Turkistan is a cradle of scholars. Thousands of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi’s students reached as far as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and European countries, spreading our religion and serving our civilization.
We are pleased when people visit this spiritual atmosphere. In recent months, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) hosted us in Istanbul. Today, we are hosting them here in Turkistan. We are providing all possible support to Turkish travel agencies and tourism entrepreneurs. Interest from travel agencies is growing day by day. We continue to strengthen our mutual feelings of solidarity and cooperation.”
“We Also Observe a Significant Flow from Regional Countries”
Nurdaulet Medeuov, Tourism Director of the Turkistan Governorate, also stated that there is international interest in Turkistan and that approximately 600,000 tourists visited the city in 2024.
Medeuov noted that the main reason behind Turkish tourists’ interest in the city lies in shared culture and faith, and continued:
“We are also observing a significant flow from regional countries. As of May 2025, direct flights to our city have started from Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Samarkand, in addition to Istanbul. I believe the number of international destinations will increase with each passing month. Until 2019, there were 22 hotels in Turkistan. In five years, we have increased this number to 68. The large caravanserai built by Turkish companies includes an 8D cinema and traditional nighttime water shows, which attract great interest from visitors.”
SOURCE: VEDAT KURT