Yasawi Museum and the Hall of Rare Artifacts
The Yasawi Museum offers a dedicated museum space devoted to the life and legacy of the great Sufi master, scholar-poet, and spiritual teacher of the Turkic world.
The Yasawi Museum is a modern cultural center dedicated to the heritage of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi - one of the most influential figures in the spiritual history of Turkic peoples. The exhibition leads visitors on a structured journey, beginning with the era in which Yasawi lived and guiding them through his philosophical teachings, the Diwani Hikmet, the formation of the Yasawiyya Sufi order, and its profound influence on the Turkic world over the following eight centuries.
Exhibition Structure
The museum’s exhibition is organized into eight main thematic blocks, each designed as an immersive space that introduces visitors to a specific historical period, idea, or cultural layer.
Block I - «The Era of the Great Poet and Thinker»
This hall presents the political, cultural, and spiritual environment of the 12th century in which Yasawi lived. It explores the development of Turkistan and the city of Yasi, the characteristics of steppe civilization, and the process of Islamization during the Karakhanid period.
Block II - «The Path to Spiritual Perfection»
The four stages of Sufi worldview - Sharia, Tariqa, Marifa, and Haqiqa - are explained through interactive formats. Visitors become acquainted with the internal structure of Yasawi’s school of spiritual perfection and its methods of moral and spiritual education.
Block III - «Diwani Hikmet»
This section reveals the essence of Yasawi’s principal work, Diwani Hikmet, highlighting its linguistic, poetic, and philosophical features. Visual and interactive presentations of the hikmets are displayed, along with reproductions of manuscript versions.
Block IV - «The Spiritual Legacy of Yasawi»
The exhibition explores Yasawi’s spiritual teaching system, including dhikr, ascetic practices, the tradition of khalwa (seclusion), methods of disciple training, the Turkic model of Sufism, and its role in shaping human character.
Block V - «The Spread of Yasawi’s Teachings and His Followers»
This block traces the lineage from Arystan Bab to Yasawi’s direct disciples and the later Turkic Sufi schools. It highlights the influence of the Yasawiyya path in the Ottoman Empire, the Kazakh Khanate, and Central Asia.
Block VI - «The Turkistan Hall - Cradle of the Turkic World»
This hall presents Turkistan’s role in global civilization, key stages of the city’s thousand-year history, and the decisive role of Yasawi’s heritage in shaping Turkistan as a major spiritual center.
The Yasawi Museum is a space of spiritual reflection, cultural education, historical insight, and aesthetic experience. By visiting the museum, you step closer to the heart of Turkic civilization, the essence of Yasawi’s teachings, and the millennia-old spiritual identity of Turkistan.
Hall of Rare Artifacts
The Hall of Rare Artifacts presents unique items preserved for centuries within the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, artifacts that have retained the spirit of their time to this day. These are not merely historical objects, but witnesses to the architectural, artistic, and craft traditions of different eras.
One of the most valuable exhibits is the Tomb Chamber Door, one of the two surviving doors of the mausoleum dating back to the 14th century. This door is an outstanding example of medieval carved wooden doors. It opens from both sides, is decorated with bone inlays, reinforced with metal fittings, and adorned with gilded inscriptions.
The Arabic and Persian inscriptions on the door were first fully deciphered, studied, and translated into Kazakh by the textual scholar Saipulla Mollakanagatuly. At the top of the door, within two carved square panels, a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is written in Thuluth script among floral motifs. At the center, on a semi-column, a Persian inscription in Kufic script reads: «Blessed be.» The bronze plates and metal bands feature circular inscriptions in Thuluth script, arranged within geometric medallions encircling the door.
Another key part of the exhibition includes 12th-century terracotta tiles, used as decorative elements during the mausoleum’s earliest phase. The 14th-century glazed ceramic tiles, created during the era of Amir Timur, shaped the monument’s current monumental appearance. Reconstructed glazed ceramics produced in the 20th century using ancient technologies are also displayed.
Among the historically significant artifacts are bronze lamps donated to the mausoleum by Amir Timur in 1399, as well as dome finials that were integral architectural elements of the complex for centuries. The exhibition also features 19th-century copper cauldrons used within the mausoleum complex.
The display is further enriched by traditional Kazakh women’s jewelry, reflecting the nation’s distinctive cultural identity, and a replica of the bronze finial of Amir Timur’s banner (Lauha) - a symbol of authority and spiritual succession.
One of the most valuable items in the Hall of Rare Artifacts is a wooden column from a mosque built during the period when Turkistan served as the capital of the Kazakh Khanate. This artifact was added to the museum collection in 1954 after the demolition of the Alkhoja-Ata Mausoleum. Some sources suggest that Alkhoja-Ata was the son-in-law of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.
This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to encounter authentic artifacts preserved within the mausoleum walls for centuries and to appreciate the greatness of the nation’s historical and cultural heritage.
Available Excursion Routes
1. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, Kultobe settlement, medieval bathhouse, Khalwa underground mosque
2. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, Khan’s Residence, Ethno-village
3. Yasawi Museum, Hall of Rare Artifacts
4. Ukash Ata Mausoleum, Ukash Ata Well, 1,200-year-old mulberry tree in Karnak
5. Ukash Ata Mausoleum, Ukash Ata Well, 1,200-year-old mulberry tree in Karnak, Shammit-Ishan Mosque-Madrasa
Visitor Rules and Regulations
1. Follow all instructions given by museum staff.
2. Store handbags, backpacks, travel bags, and cases in designated lockers.
3. Large carry-on items are not permitted inside museum premises.
4. Keep your ticket until the end of the visit and present it upon request.
5. Report any situations that may pose a risk to visitors or museum safety.
6. Inform staff if unattended items are found.
7. Visitors must wear modest clothing.
8. Children and school groups must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Ticket Refund Policy
Tickets may be refunded up to 15 hours before the scheduled visit time from the date of purchase.
Free admission applies to:
• Persons with Group I or II disabilities
• Children under 18 with disabilities and their accompanying persons
Fees
• Foreign citizens of CIS countries - 1,500 KZT
• Foreign citizens of other countries - 2,000 KZT
Excursions:
• Yasawi Museum
Kazakh & Russian - 3,000 KZT
English - 5,000 KZT
Schoolchildren (Kazakh, Russian, English) - 1,000 KZT
• Hall of Rare Artifacts
Kazakh & Russian - 3,000 KZT
English - 5,000 KZT
Schoolchildren - 1,000 KZT
