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{{Infobox historic building
| name                = Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi
| image               = Ханака Ахмеда Ясави 2010 027.jpg
| image_size          = 320px
| caption             = View of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan, Kazakhstan.
| map_type            = Kazakhstan
| map_caption         = Location in Kazakhstan
| building_type       = Mausoleum
| architectural_style = Timurid, by Khawje hossein shirazi
| location            = [[Turkistan (city)|Turkistan]], Kazakhstan
| coordinates         = {{coord|43|17|35|N|68|16|28|E|display=inline,title}}
| start_date          = 14th century
| completion_date     = 
| opened_date         = 
| inauguration_date   = 
| renovation_date     = 
| demolition_date     = 
| destruction_date    = 
| height              = 
| architectural       = 
| url                 = 
| embedded            = {{designation list | embed = yes
   | designation1 = WHS
   | designation1_offname = Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi
   | designation1_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2003 (27th session)|2003]] <small>(27th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
   | designation1_type = Cultural
   | designation1_criteria = i, iii, iv
   | designation1_number = [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1103 1103]
   | designation1_free1name = State Party
   | designation1_free1value = [[Kazakhstan]]
   | designation1_free2name = Region
   | designation1_free2value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia|Asia-Pacific]]
}}
| references          = 
}}

'''The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi''' ({{lang-kz|Қожа Ахмет Яссауи кесенесі, ''Qoja Axmet Yassawï kesenesi''}}) is an [[unfinished building|unfinished]] [[mausoleum]] in the city of [[Turkistan (city)|Turkestan]], in southern [[Kazakhstan]]. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by [[Timur]], who ruled the area as part of the expansive [[Timurid Empire]],<ref name=timurid /> to replace a smaller 12th-century mausoleum of the famous [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] poet and [[Sufi]] mystic,<ref name=roi>{{cite book
  | last = Ro'i  | first = Yaacov
  | authorlink =   | coauthors = 
  | title = Islam in the Soviet Union: From the Second World War to Perestroika
  | publisher = Columbia University Press
  | year = 2000  | location = New York  | page = 373
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iEJg6Ivwt2wC&pg=PA373&lpg=PA373&dq=yasawi%2Bturkic
  | isbn = 0-231-11954-2}}</ref> [[Khoja Ahmed Yasawi]] (1093&ndash;1166). However, construction was halted with the death of Timur in 1405.<ref name=whs />

Despite its incomplete state, the mausoleum has survived as one of the best-preserved of all [[Architecture of Central Asia#Timurid architecture|Timurid constructions]]. Its creation marked the beginning of the Timurid architectural style.<ref name=brittanica2 /> The experimental [[Axial symmetry|spatial arrangements]], innovative architectural solutions for [[Vault (architecture)|vault]] and [[dome]] constructions, and ornamentations using [[glazed tiles]] made the structure the prototype for this distinctive art, which spread across the empire and beyond.<ref name=whs />

The religious structure continues to draw pilgrims from across Central Asia and has come to epitomize the [[Kazakhs|Kazakh national identity]].<ref name=whs /><ref name=hazrat /><ref name=geopolitical /> It has been protected as a [[Monument|national monument]], while [[UNESCO]] recognized it as the country's first site of patrimony, declaring it a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2003.<ref name=inscribe />
[[File:Yasavi ark.svg|thumb|left|280px|Location of the mausoleum within the town's defensive walls.]]
==Location==
The Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi is situated in the north-eastern part of the modern-day town of Turkestan (formerly known as Hazrat-e Turkestan),<ref name=whs>{{cite web | title = ICOMOS Evaluation of Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi World Heritage Nomination |publisher = World Heritage Centre | url = http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/1103.pdf |accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref><ref name=hazrat>{{cite web | title = Turkestan Kazakhstan city  | url = http://aboutkazakhstan.com/turkestan-kazakhstan-city.shtml|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> an ancient centre of [[Camel train|caravan]] trade known earlier as Khazret and later as Yasi,<ref name=brittanica>{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica Micropædia Volume 12 | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. | year =1995 | location =USA | page =56 | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-85229-605-3 | author = }}</ref> in the southern part of Kazakhstan. The structure is within the vicinity of a historic [[citadel]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Archaeological monuments of Turkistan | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e08_arch_monuments.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> which is now an [[archaeological site]].<ref name=whs />

Remains of medieval structures such as other mausoleums, [[mosque]]s and [[Public bathing|bath houses]] characterize the archaeological area.<ref name=whs /> To the north of the Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi, a reconstructed section of the citadel wall from the 1970s separates the historical area from the developments of the modern town.<ref name=whs />

==History==
[[File:Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Hazrat-e Turkestan, Kazakhstan.jpg|thumbnail|262px|Backside view of mausoleum where [[Persian miniature painting]] can be best observed.]]

===Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi===
{{main|Khoja Akhmet Yassawi}}
Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (Khawaja or Khwaja (Persian: خواجه pronounced khâje) corresponds to "master", whence Arabic: خواجة khawājah), also spelled as Khawajah Akhmet Yassawi, was the 12th-century head of a regional school of Sufism, a mystic movement in [[Islam]] which began in the 9th century.<ref name=whs /> He was born in Ispidjab (modern [[Sayram (city)|Sayram]]) in 1093, and spent most of his life in Yasi, dying there in 1166.<ref name=roi /> He is widely revered in [[Central Asia]] and the [[Turkic languages|Turkic-speaking]] world for popularizing Sufism,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-10235/Ahmed-Yesevi |title=Encyclopædia Britannica (2007): Related Articles to "Ahmed Yesevi, or Ahmad Yasawi, or Ahmed Yasavi (Turkish author)", accessed March 18, 2007 |publisher=Britannica.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref> which sustained the diffusion of Islam in the area despite the contemporary onslaught of the Mongol invasion.<ref name=whs /> The theological school he created turned Yasi into the most important medieval enlightening center of the area.<ref name=khoja /> He was also an outstanding poet, philosopher and statesman.<ref name=khoja /> Yasawi was interred in a small mausoleum, which became a pilgrimage site for [[Muslim]]s.<ref name=timurid /><ref name=khoja>{{cite web | title = Khodja Akhmed Yasawi: Life and Philosophical heritage | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e11_khodja.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref>

===New mausoleum===
[[image:View of the Mosque of Hazrat in the town of Turkestan.JPG|thumb|262px|A view of the mausoleum, ca. 1879.]]
The town of Yasi was largely spared during the [[Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia]] in the 13th century.<ref name=yasi /> Overtime, the descendants of the Mongols settled in the area and converted to Islam.<ref name=timurid /> The town then came under the control of the [[Timurid Dynasty]] in the 1360s.<ref name=whs /> Timur (Tamerlane), the founder of the dynasty, expanded the empire's realm to include [[Mesopotamia]], [[Iran]], and all of [[Transoxiana]], with its capital located in [[Samarkand]].<ref name=whs /> To gain the support of local citizens, Timur adopted the policy of constructing monumental public and cult buildings.<ref name=yasi>{{cite web | title = History of the town of Yasy - Turkestan | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e06_yasy_city.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> In Yasi, he put his attention to the construction of a larger mausoleum to house Yasawi's remains,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.tcl?entry_id=DIA1011 |title=Yasavi (Shrine of Ahmed Yasavi), ArchNet Dictionary of Islamic Architecture |publisher=Archnet.org |date= |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref><ref name=complex>{{cite web | title = Architectural complex of Khodja Akhmed Yasawi | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e10_mausoleum.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> with the intention of glorifying Islam, promoting its further dissemination, and improving the governance of the immediate areas.<ref name=complex />

The new mausoleum was begun in 1389.<ref name=whs /> Timur imported builders from cities which he laid waste during his campaigns, including [[mosaic]]-workers from [[Shiraz]] and stonemasons and [[stucco]]-workers from [[Isfahan]].<ref name=timurid /> The master builders were led by Khwaja Hosein Shirazi from [[Iran]].<ref>
{{cite book
| last = Bozorg-nia
| first = Zohreh
| title = Mimaran-i Iran
| year = 2004
| page = 140
| isbn = 964-7483-39-2
}}</ref> It was reported that Timur himself participated in the design of the structure,<ref name=timurid>{{cite web | last = Dickens | first = Mark | title = Timurid architecture in samarkand | url = http://www.oxuscom.com/Timurid_Architecture.pdf|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref><ref name=complex /> where he introduced experimental spatial arrangements, types of vaults and domes. These innovations were later implemented in the religious edifices of other cities.<ref name=whs /> However, the mausoleum was left unfinished, when Timur died in 1405.<ref name=whs />
[[Image:Turkestan.jpg|right|262px|thumb|The dome of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's mausoleum is the largest in Central Asia.]]
===Decline and preservation===
When the [[Timurid Empire]] disintegrated, control of the immediate territory passed on to the [[Kazakh Khanate]], which made Yasi, then renamed Turkestan, its capital in the 16th century.<ref name=geopolitical>{{cite web | title = Geopolitical importance of Turkestan in Historical Retrospect | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e02_geo_policy.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref><ref name=capital>{{cite web | title = Turkestan - the capital of the Kazakh Khanship | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e07_turkest_cap.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> The khans (Turkic for "ruler") sought to strengthen the political and religious importance of Turkestan to unify the nomadic tribes within the young state.<ref name=capital /> Hence, as the khanate's political center, ceremonies for the elevation of the khans to the throne and missions from neighboring states were received in Turkestan.<ref name=geopolitical /> The Kazakh nobility also held their most important meetings to decide state-related matters in the capital.<ref name=capital />
[[image:Yasavi plan.svg|thumb|280px|left|Plan of Mausoleum.]]
The town, situated on the border of the nomadic and settled cultures,<ref name=geopolitical /> flourished as the khanate's largest trade and craft center.<ref name=capital /> Fortifications were erected to safeguard this commercial role,<ref name=geopolitical /> including the 19th-century construction of defensive walls around the unfinished mausoleum,<ref name=whs /> which became an important landmark and pilgrimage center of the town. In the succeeding centuries, Turkestan and its historic monuments became connected with the idea of the Kazakh state system.<ref name=capital /><ref>{{cite web | title = History of Turkistan in the medieval manuscripts and written sources | url = http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e09_mid_age_turk_city.htm|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> Political struggles and the shift in overland trade in favor of maritime routes soon led to the town's decline, before it finally passed on to the [[Russian Empire]] in 1864.<ref name=whs />

[[File:General View of Sultan Akhmed Yassavi's Mausoleum from the Southern Side. Turkestan, Syr Darya Oblast..tif|right|262px|thumb|General View of Sultan Akhmed Yassavi's Mausoleum from the Southern Side (historic photo, created on around 1865-1872)]]

The town was eventually deserted; a new town center was developed west of the area, built around a new [[railway station]].<ref name=whs /> The territory came under [[Soviet Central Asia|Soviet rule]] by the 20th century. The new administration carried out preservation and restoration work on site,<ref name=whs /> although they considered it more as an architectural rather than a spiritual structure. Hence, the mausoleum was closed to the devotees who came to pay homage to Yasawi.<ref name=timurid /> Nevertheless, the local khoja based at the mausoleum allowed pilgrims to secretly enter the structure at night.<ref name=roi2>{{cite book
  | last = Ro'i
  | first = Yaacov
  | title = Islam in the Soviet Union: From the Second World War to Perestroika
  | publisher = Columbia University Press
  | year = 2000
  | location = New York
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iEJg6Ivwt2wC&pg=PA373&lpg=PA373&dq=yasawi%2Bturkic
  | isbn = 0-231-11954-2}}</ref> Beginning in 1922, several commissions took part in the technical investigation of the building.<ref name=complex /> Regular maintenance has been in place beginning in 1938, while a series of restoration campaigns were started in 1945, with the last one being held from 1993 to 2000.<ref name=whs /> Among the latest conservation steps implemented were the replacement of the structure's clay foundation with [[reinforced concrete]], the consolidation of walls, the waterproofing of the roofs, and the layering of new tiles, based on historic designs and patterns, on the domes.<ref name=whs /> The continuous conservation works have been in place when Kazakhstan gained its independence. The building is protected as a national monument and is included on the List of National Properties of Kazakhstan. The site is under the administration of the Azret-Sultan State Historical and Cultural Reserve Museum, in charge with the safeguarding, research, conservation, monitoring and maintenance of the mausoleum.<ref name=whs />

==Architecture==
The unfinished state of the Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi, especially at the entrance portal and sections of the interior,<ref name=complex /> allow for the better architectural scrutiny of how the monument was designed and constructed.<ref name=whs /> The structure is rectangular in plan, measuring 45.8 × 62.7 m (150.3 × 205.7&nbsp;ft), and is 38.7&nbsp;m (127.0&nbsp;ft) high. It is oriented from the south-east to the north-west.<ref name=whs />

The primary material used for the building is ''[[ganch]]''&mdash;fired brick mixed with [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]], [[gypsum]] and [[clay]]<ref name=whs />&mdash;which was made in a plant located in Sauran.<ref name=complex /> Layers of clay reaching a depth of 1.5&nbsp;m (4.9&nbsp;ft), to prevent the water penetration, were used for the original foundation.<ref name=complex /> These were replaced with reinforced concrete in modern restoration works.<ref name=whs /> The main entrance to the mausoleum is from the south-east, through which visitors are ushered into the 18.2 × 18.2-m (59.7 × 59.7-ft) Main Hall, known as ''Kazandyk'' (the "copper room").<ref name=whs /><ref name=complex /><ref name=daytrip>{{cite web | title = Daytrip to Turkestan | url = http://www.wild-natures.com/turkestan.html|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> The section is covered by the [[List of largest domes in the world#Famous large domes|largest existing brick dome in Central Asia]], also measuring 18.2&nbsp;m (59.7&nbsp;ft) in diameter.<ref name=daytrip /> At the center of the ''Kazandyk'' is a [[bronze]] [[cauldron]], used for religious purposes.<ref name=complex /> The tomb of Yasawi is situated on the central axis at the end of the building in the northwest, with the [[sarcophagus]] located exactly at the center of the section, which has a double dome ribbed roof &mdash;the inner dome being 17.0&nbsp;m (55.8&nbsp;ft) high and the outer dome being 28.0&nbsp;m (91.9&nbsp;ft) high.<ref name=complex /> The dome exterior is covered with hexagonal green glazed tiles with gold patterns.<ref name=complex /> The interior is adorned with alabaster stalactites, known as ''[[muqarnas]]''.<ref name=whs /> Additional rooms in the structure, totaling more than 35,<ref name=daytrip /> include meeting rooms, a refectory, a library, and a mosque, which had light blue geometric and floral ornaments on its walls.<ref name=complex /> The mausoleum's exterior walls are covered in glazed tiles constituting geometric patterns with [[Kufic]] and Suls epigraphic ornaments derived from the [[Qur'an]].<ref name=whs /> Initial plans also called for the addition of two [[minaret]]s, but this was not realized when construction was halted in 1405.<ref name=whs /><ref name=complex />
{{-}}

==Legacy==

===Birth of Timurid Architecture===

The construction of the mausoleum provided important advances in building technology, displaying unsurpassed records of all kinds in terms of its vaulted constructions and artistic innovations.<ref name=whs /> The achievements derived from the mausoleum's erection, together with the Timurids’ patronage of music, [[calligraphy]], Persian [[Persian miniature|miniature painting]], [[literature]], and various scientific pursuits,<ref name=timurid /> gave birth to a distinct Islamic artistic style, to be known as Timurid.<ref name=brittanica2 />

The spacious structure employed a radially symmetrical plan for spatial arrangement. The visual balance created by the precise construction became a characteristic aesthetic feature of Timurid buildings&mdash;one which would famously be adopted by the [[Mughal Architecture]] of India, especially in the gardens and structures of [[Humayun's Tomb]] and [[Taj Mahal]], both commissioned by descendants of Timur.<ref name=humayun>{{cite web | title = Humayun's Tomb | url = http://www.indiapicks.com/Heritage/Humayun/Humayun-E-Humayun_Tomb.htm|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref>
[[File:Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi in Turkestan, Kazakhstan.jpg|thumb|262px|Entrance to mausoleum. Typical architecture of Timurid type.]]
The double dome technique executed in the mausoleum made possible the huge domes of the Timurid era.<ref name=holy>{{cite web | last = Saxena | first = Manjari | title = The holy shines through the glazed walls | publisher=Gulf News | date=2009-08-20 | url = http://www.gulfnews.com/weekend/design/10341331.html|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref> The dome is created by employing a squinch, or corner bracketing, that allows for the transition from a square, octagonal or 16-sided base to a dome top.<ref name=holy /> Indeed, the mausoleum's main dome remains the largest existing brick dome in Central Asia.

The use of glazed tiles, mosaics, patterned brickwork, and Islamic calligraphy was also influential.<ref name=holy /> Advances in [[pottery]] techniques allowed for the mass production of glazed tiles used for various decorative functions.<ref name=timurid /> Among the techniques devised for tile decoration are:<ref name=religious>{{cite web | title = Religious Architecture of the Timurids | url = http://web.mit.edu/4.614/www/h15.html|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref>
* ''[[Banna'i|Banna’i]]'' technique: the "builder's technique," consists of revetment of glazed bricks set within unglazed ones to form geometric patterns
* ''Haftrangi'': a technique that permits the creation of multi-colored patterns on the same tile before firing without letting the colors mix
* ''[[Faience]]'': a patterned arrangement of closely fitted small pieces of tiles which have surface glaze of different colors
The employment of tiles and ''muqarnas'' bear strong influence from Iran, where many of Timur's architects were from.<ref name=timurid /> The covered surfaces create visual effects based on how the observer would view the building, and "read" the calligraphic messages.<ref name=holy /> 
{{cquote| Timurid tile work did not merely embellish a building as an 'applied' decoration. Rather, in the hands of the architect it was viewed as an intrinsic element of its conception, as a perfect object. Most tile patterns were based on a complex system of proportions and measurements or ''girih''. Skilled artisans permutated the ''girih'' system and produced highly sophisticated and fractal 'quasi-crystalline' wall patterns. Historians also narrate how building settings combined with theatrical props such as silk curtains, awnings, vertical screens and lamps reflecting in giant mirrors to produce memorable spaces.|200px||Dr. Manu P. Sobti|School of Architecture and Urban Planning, [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]]<ref name=holy />}}
The tile work was also used to obscure the structural joints of the building.<ref name=holy /> The use of [[turquoise]] and azure-blue as the prominent color of choice for many structures were meant to contrast with the bright sunlight of the Central Asian desert.<ref name=holy />
[[File:Timurid domes.JPG|thumb|262px|right|Prominent examples of Timurid domes: from Turkestan's Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, ''left'', and from Samarkand's Gur-i Amir, ''right''.]]
The mausoleum's construction at a time when many other Central Asian settlements had been experiencing building sprees under Timur's political ideology<ref name=whs /> allowed for the exchange of ideas and techniques across the empire. Master builders and laborers from the conquered cities congregated to build projects. The employment of Persian architects in leading the major construction activities resulted in the introduction of Persian elements in the Timurid style. This and the Timurids’ general patronage of the arts have made them the greatest patrons of Iranian culture.<ref name=history>{{cite web | publisher=History.com Encyclopedia | title = Islamic art and architecture | url = http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=212940|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref>

The landmark architectural and artistic solutions realized in the erection of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi were immediately utilized in other building endeavors, such as contemporary works in Samarkand, [[Herat]], [[Meshed]], Khargird, Tayabad, [[Baku]] and [[Tabriz]].<ref name=brittanica2 /> It is thought that the peak of Timurid Architecture could be found in the buildings of Samarkand.<ref name=timurid /> Timur filled his capital with both secular and religious monuments, as well as a plethora of gardens, which featured stone walls and floors with elaborate patterns and palaces outfitted with [[gold]], [[silk]] and [[carpets]].<ref name=timurid /><ref name=builders /> Among these are:<ref name=religious />
* [[Bibi-Khanym Mosque|Bibi-Khanum Mosque]]: the world's largest mosque when it was completed in 1404;<ref name=bloody>{{cite news | last = Stratton | first = Mark | title = Uzbekistan: On the bloody trail of Tamerlane | date=2006-07-09 | publisher=The Independent | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/uzbekistan-on-the-bloody-trail-of-tamerlane-407300.html|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref> it displays Timur's concern for monumental effect and theatrical arrangement
* [[Gur-e Amir|Gur-i-Amir Mausoleum]]: the burial place of Timur; it contains a double shell dome for the achievement of a vertical effect
* [[Shah-i-Zinda|Shah-i Zinda Complex]]: a funerary complex presenting the pinnacle of every tile technique known to the Timurids
* [[Registan]]: considered the pinnacle of Timurid architecture;<ref name=bloody /> a broad plaza fronted by the towering edifices of three ''[[Madrasa|madrassas]]'' (Islamic schools), even if none of them were commissioned by Timur himself and were built in a later period by Ulug Beg and Governor Yalangtush.

The mausoleum is thus seen as a prototype,<ref name=whs /> marking the beginning of a new architectural style,<ref name=brittanica2>{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica Macropædia Volume 22 | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. | year =1995 | location =USA | page =94 | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-85229-605-3 | author = }}</ref> which culminated in the monuments of Samarkand,<ref name=timurid /> but was also continuously developed as in the case of India's Mughal Architecture.<ref name=humayun /> Indeed, the Timurids’ outstanding achievement in architecture is encapsulated in an Arab proverb from one of Timur's buildings, "If you want to know about us, observe our buildings."<ref name=timurid /><ref name=builders /> It is also for this reason that UNESCO has recognized the mausoleum as a World Heritage Site in 2003,<ref name=inscribe>{{cite web | title = Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi|publisher = World Heritage Center | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1103|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref> following the same international recognition for the sites of Samarkand, Humayun's Tomb and Taj Mahal.
[[image:Syr-Darya Oblast. City of Turkestan. Main Niche in the Mausoleum Leading to the Tomb of Saint Sultan Akhmed Iassavi WDL3586.png|thumb|262px|The interior view of the Mausoleum of [[Ahmad Yasavi]].]]
===Religious and cultural importance===
The larger mausoleum which Timurid ordered further enhanced the shrine's religious importance. During the Kazakh Khanate, prominent personalities chose to be buried within the immediate vicinity of the monument.<ref name=whs /><ref name=complex /> Among these are Abulkhair, Rabi'i Sultan-Begim, Zholbarys-khan, [[Kazakh Khanate#Esim Khan (1598–1628)|Esim-khan]], Ondan-sultan (the son of Shygai-khan), [[Ablai Khan]], Kaz dauysty Kazbek-bi.<ref name=geopolitical /> The mausoleum's holy reputation also reached foreign lands. In the early 16th century, Ubaydullah Khan, the successor to [[Muhammad Shaybani|Muhammad Shaybani Kahn]] of the neighboring [[Khanate of Bukhara|Uzbek Khanate]], stopped at the mausoleum before his battle against [[Babur]], who would later become the founder of the [[Mughal Empire]]. He swore that if he were to emerge victorious, his rule would fully follow the [[sharia]] law.<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Khalid
| first = Adeeb
| title = Islam After Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia
| publisher = University of California Press
| year = 2007
| page = 29
| location = Los Angeles
| isbn = 0-520-24927-5}}</ref>
Despite the public closure of the monument during the Soviet era, the mausoleum has continued to draw pilgrims once the order was lifted. Up to contemporary times, the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi has remained an object of pilgrimage for Kazakh Muslims.<ref name=hazrat /><ref name=builders>{{cite web | title = The timurids as builders | url = http://www.mansurovs.com/Umid/Main/Uzbekistan/History/Builders/builders.html|accessdate=2009-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Turkistan | url = http://www.silkroadandbeyond.co.uk/turkistan.html|accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> Hence, the town of Turkestan became the second Mecca for the Muslims of Central Asia<ref name=hazrat /><ref name=geopolitical /> Indeed, the mausoleum's importance to the town is attested by Turkestan's former name, Hazrat-e Turkestan, which literally means "Saint of Turkestan," a direct reference to Yasawi. However, it is considered to be blasphemous to compare [[hajj]] to [[Mecca]] with three pilgrimages to Turkistan. There is no supporting evidence either from [[Quran]] or [[Hadith]] that this place is holy and three pilgrimages to Turkistan is equivalent to one [[hajj]] to [[Mecca]].

As the capital of the preceding Kazakh Khanate, which saw the emergence of the distinct Kazakh nationality,<ref name=geopolitical /><ref name=capital /> Turkestan remains the cultural heart of modern Kazakhstan. Being the burial site for the Sufi theologian and the khanate's Kazakh nobility, the mausoleum has further enhanced the town's prestige.<ref name=timurid /> The continuance of the Kazakh nation and Central Asian Islamic faith in modern times are testaments to the [[History of Kazakhstan|historical]] and [[Culture of Kazakhstan|cultural importance]] of Turkestan, with the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi at its center.<ref name=khoja/> Perceived as one of the greatest mausoleums of the Islamic world, it has survived and remains a significant monument both to faith and architectural achievement in the region.

==See also==
* [[History of Kazakhstan]]
* [[Islamic architecture]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan]]
* [[Persian architecture]]
* [[History of Persian domes]]

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi}}
*[http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/turkestan/e10_mausoleum.htm Detailed information on the town and mausoleum]
*[http://www.kufic.info/architecture/yasawi/yasawi.htm Square Kufic decoration on the Yasawi mausoleum]
*[http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=9063 Photos of the site and brief architectural description]
*[http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/1103.pdf Detailed 2003 UNESCO report]
*[http://www.simaosavait.com/index.php?post/2010/10/21/Ville-sainte-de-l-Islam-%3A-Turkestan%2C-au-Kazakhstan-et-le-mausolee-de-Khoja-Ahmed-Yasavi Photo reportage (in French)]

{{World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan}}
{{Timurid Empire}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mausoleum Of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi}}
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1405]]
[[Category:Mausoleums in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Ziyarat]]
[[Category:Dargahs]]
[[Category:Domes]]
[[Category:Timurid Empire]]