Kazakhstan to safeguard ancient mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

Kazakhstan has placed the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi under state protection, recognizing the site’s historical significance. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has signed a governmental decree to formalize this action.

The official release states that the government has decided to include the Azret Sultan museum-reserve, which encompasses the mausoleum, on the list of sites under state protection due to its cultural and historical significance and to ensure its preservation.

Specialized internal affairs units will provide security for the facility. The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a 12th-century Sufi master, is located in southern Kazakhstan, in the northeastern part of Turkestan. The mausoleum is the first site in Kazakhstan to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It stands as one of the largest, best-preserved examples of Timurid architecture. This multifunctional structure serves as a mausoleum and a mosque, with the Main Hall, Kazandyk, topped by the largest conical-spherical dome in Central Asia.

Last summer, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay presented President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with confirmation certificates for including the Burabay and Markakol natural reserves on the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

In 2020, UNESCO inscribed Togyzkumalak, a traditional Kazakh board game, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.