Shymkent is located on the South part of Kazakhstan and has the population of almost a million people. Shymkent grew as a market center for trading on the great silk route and counted as one of the most ancient cities in Central Asia. Moreover, it is surrounded with old cities as Otyrar (now Sairam), Yassy (now Turkestan), Syganak and others.
The city had a name Chernyaev in 1914 and after ten years it was renamed to Shymkent. Its name comes from Persian and Tajik words which were later adopted to Kazakh language “cheman” — “Shym” which means turf, “kand” — city, and together is means “city in the grass or turf”.
Nowadays, the city is well-known for its fresh and delicious fruits, hot weather, green spaces and hospitality of local people.
If you like ancient constructions and the history, you should visit old city of Turkestan. It is situated 160 km north-west of Shymkent between Kyzylorda to the north and Tashkent to the south.
Known to historians as Yassy and Shavgar, this city was the capital of the Kazakh khanate. There is one of the most famous monuments in Turkestan— The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi. He was a Turkic poet and the person who had a great influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Also, you can see the railway station built in 1903 during the construction of the southern branch of Orenburg-Tashkent railroad.
You can also see amazing photos of Turkestan here
Sergei Kim:
“Shymkent is one of the biggest cities in Kazakhstan with the population of almost a million of citizens. This warm and hospitable city is developing and growing and you can see new attractions, memorials and parks.
The landscape of South region of the Republic of Kazakhstan is very beautiful and picturesque. What I like the most are the lake Sairam Su and Aksu”.
