The spread of Islam into the territory of Central Asia and Kazakhstan led to the establishment of a significant cultural unity from Baghdad to the Syr Darya and Semirechye. The Silk Roads also contributed to this development. Numerous merchants brought various goods, while itinerant scientists broadened the horizons of people and facilitated the transfer of crafts, science, and art. Vasily Bartold was one of the first scholars to emphasize this connection between religious missionary work and international trade. Islam as a religious study, worldview, and life The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Sagyndykova Symbat129 style became prominent in the south of Kazakhstan and Semirechye in the second half of the 8th through the 9th centuries, as confirmed by the archeological excavations of ancient settlements in the south of Kazakhstan at the Otrar and Turkestan oases (Baypakov 2012, p.284). From this time, mosques became an ubiquitous and important detail of urban development in the region. The construction of the mosque also was the guarantee of posthumous bliss.

For more specialized information, please download our Webzine SILKROADIA VOL. 3 NO.1, and read ‘The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi’ written by Sagyndykova Symbat is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head for Scientific and Innovative Activity and International Relations of the Department of Archeology, Ethnology and Museology in AlFarabi Kazakh National University. The article was translated from Russian to English by Azhibayeva Dana, specialist in the Department of International Cooperation.

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