Sayram, South Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan
After the morning tour of Shymkent we then drove out 30 mins to the small outer town of Sayram which is eventually being absorbed into greater Shymkent. This is a much more traditional town made up mainly of Uzbeks.
The atmosphere was even less developed and traditional than Shymkent had been compared to modern Astana. First I wanted to get something to eat before more exploring.
We got some traditional baked samsa's. This is a pan central asian dish commonly sold on roadsides of lamb and onion baked in bread or pastry in a tandoor oven. It is similar to samosas from India which are fried rather than baked.
I've eaten lots of samsa at Uzbek restaurants in Korea and during my visit to Ubekistan. It cost 700T ($2) for both of us to have two each with tea.
Then we made our way thru the central bazaar to get to some of the local sights.
First we went to 'Kharashash-Ana' mausoleum of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi's mother. Not sure of the full history, perhaps the people that brought Islam to the region.
Over the next two days we would be following a pilgrims route so visiting all the sites of the saints is said to be like a mini Hajj pilgrimage.
We made our way thru some backstreets to a middle ages minaret. It was fun seeing all the vintage Lada's still being put to use.
Heading out from the centre we went to Ibragim-Ata mausoleum, again something to do with the first Muslims in the region from the 12th century.
Nearby was the Abdul Aziz tomb from the 8th century. Islam wasnt able to conquer so blended in with the locals. The nomads said their lifestyle does not allow them to pray five times and they kept their practice of spirit worship. They said their own nomadic prayer after Islamic prayers.
They were also selling horse milk along the roadside in old coke bottles and baking in the sun. The Uzbeks differed from the Kazakhs as they chose to settle and developed their skills in architecture and trade. The Kazakhs remained nomadic and their name translates as 'separatists'. They all originated from the Altai mountain region and spread out in nomadic tribes.
This region is also called Turkestan, a successor to the Golden Horde kingdom. Turkestan spreads to Xinjiang in western China where using the name 'Turkestan' is forbidden. China is not happy Kazakhstan has re-adopted the name in this region.
2025-05-22