# Shymkent Central Mosque > Shymkent Central Mosque, locally Aq Meshit or “the white mosque”, honours Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and opened in 2013 on the airport road. Entry is **free**; visitors of any faith are welcome outside prayer times in modest dress. Unofficially it opens about 6:00–21:00. Allow 30–40 minutes; a taxi from Ordabasy Square takes 15–20. Web page: https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/shymkent-central-mosque - City: [Shymkent](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent), Kazakhstan - YesGo score: 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Opening hours: ≈ 6:00–21:00; another listing says almost 24 hours - Non-Muslims: Welcome outside prayer times, in modest dress - Women: Headscarf, covered shoulders, skirt or trousers below the knee - Address: Tamerlanovskoe Highway 33, opposite Bekzhan Bazaar - Bus stop: Bekzhan Bazar, across the road - Buses: 1, 2, 6 and 12, according to a city guide - From Ordabasy Square: ≈ 7 km as the crow flies, 15–20 min by taxi - From the airport: ≈ 10 min by taxi — it is on the road into town - Wheelchair access: Ramps at the main entrances, per a travel guide - Time needed: 30–40 minutes - Coordinates: 42.35137, 69.52905 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **May 2013** — the mosque opened, at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s president with backing from the president of the UAE (source: Kazakhstan.travel national tourism portal; Welcome.kz; Muftyat.kz, 2014) - **4 minarets** — one at each corner, around a large white dome over the prayer hall (source: Kazakhstan.travel; Welcome.kz) - **8,000 or 3,000** — worshippers the prayer halls hold — the sources disagree (source: Kazakhstan.travel (8,000); Russian Wikipedia: Central Mosque (Shymkent) (3,000)) - **Sheikh Khalifa** — the mosque is named after the late UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (source: Kazakhstan.travel; OpenStreetMap; Wikidata) - **Aq Meshit** — “the white mosque” in Kazakh — a nickname from its white marble cladding (source: Welcome.kz; Kazakhstan.travel) - **Yurt** — the main prayer hall is shaped like a large Kazakh yurt (source: Muftyat.kz, 2014; Welcome.kz) - **≈ 2.5–2.7 ha** — the mosque grounds including the courtyard (source: Muftyat.kz, 2014 (over 2.5 ha); Russian Wikipedia (2.69 ha)) - **Ablution hall** — the complex also includes the imam’s house (source: Kazakhstan.travel; Russian Wikipedia) - **Bekzhan** — another local name, after the bazaar opposite; some call it the Sheikh’s Mosque (source: Welcome.kz; OpenStreetMap (Bekzhan Bazar stop)) - **2024** — the Seitzhan Kari Yeszhanuly Mosque opened for up to 12,000 — now the city’s largest (source: 24.kz, 2024; Kazakhstan.travel) > **Dress code: cover up** This is a working mosque, not a museum. Men need long trousers and sleeved tops — no shorts. Women should cover their hair, shoulders and arms and wear a skirt or loose trousers below the knee. Shoes come off at the prayer hall door. Bring your own scarf: we could not confirm that loaners are handed out. ## Shymkent Central Mosque opening hours There is no official visitor timetable. Unofficially the mosque is open **6:00–21:00** (Eurasia.travel lists those hours for weekdays), while another listing says it is open almost round the clock. As a working mosque it has no closing day, but the five daily prayers each take about 15–20 minutes, and visitors should wait in the courtyard until they finish. The easiest time is the middle of the day between prayers, or late afternoon, when the marble turns warm in the low sun and the courtyard fills with families. Avoid Friday around midday — the main congregational prayer of the week — and expect big crowds after sunset during Ramadan. Entry is free and there are no tickets. Donation boxes are optional. Money only matters for the taxi: fares are in tenge, Yandex Go lets you pay cash, and foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work in most hotels and larger shops in Shymkent, though small stalls at the bazaar opposite are cash-only. ## What is Aq Meshit? It is the city’s main congregational mosque, opened in May 2013 with funding from the United Arab Emirates and named after its then president, Sheikh **Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan**. Locals call it Aq Meshit — the white mosque — for its white marble, or simply the Sheikh’s Mosque or Bekzhan, after the market across the road. From outside you see a big white dome and four slim minarets at the corners. Inside, the main hall takes the form of a yurt, a nod to Kazakh tradition in an otherwise Gulf-style building. An ablution hall and the imam’s house complete the complex. Capacity figures vary: the national tourism portal says 8,000 worshippers, Russian Wikipedia says 3,000. For years it was called Shymkent’s largest mosque, but in 2024 the Seitzhan Kari Yeszhanuly Mosque on Nazarbayev Avenue opened for up to 12,000, and the title moved there. ## How to get to Shymkent Central Mosque 1. The simplest way is a **taxi**: 15–20 minutes and about 9 km by road from Ordabasy Square. In Yandex Go, type “Central Mosque, Tamerlanovskoe shosse 33” or just pick the white mosque pin. 2. By bus: the city guide Welcome.kz lists routes **1, 2, 6 and 12**. Check in the 2GIS app whether your number runs from your stop in the centre — Shymkent reroutes buses fairly often. 3. Get off at **Bekzhan Bazar** — the mosque is right across the road; use the traffic lights. 4. From the airport a taxi takes about 10 minutes, and the mosque is on the way into town, so it makes an easy stop on arrival or before your flight out. 5. To get back, flag a car by the Bekzhan market or book one again in the app. ## Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you are heading to or from the airport: a 30–40-minute stop barely adds to the trip, and this is one of Shymkent’s most recognisable buildings. A special trip out from the centre is worth it mainly for fans of mosque architecture or for a sunset photo of the white dome. Do not expect history: the building is barely a decade old. For old Shymkent, go to the [Citadel](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/shymkent-citadel) mound or spend half a day at [Sayram](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/sayram), with its mausoleums and the Khizr minaret. In the centre, the gold-domed [Abdulhamid Kattani Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/kattani-mosque) by Ordabasy Square fits into any walk. ## What to see - **The white marble façade** — the best angle is from the forecourt, with all four minarets in the frame. - **The dome** — huge and ribbed, bright white by day and floodlit after dark. - **The yurt-shaped prayer hall** — look up: the vault and chandeliers echo the inside of a Kazakh yurt roof. - **The courtyard and arcades** — calm, shaded and a good place to sit between prayers. - **The mosque café**, open to visitors according to travel guides — tea before you move on. - **Bekzhan Bazaar across the road** — fruit, dried fruit and household bits, an everyday Shymkent market. ## Shymkent’s mosques compared | Mosque | Where | Opened | Capacity | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Central (Sheikh Khalifa) | West, Tamerlanovskoe Highway 33 | 2013 | 8,000 or 3,000, by source | | Seitzhan Kari Yeszhanuly | New business district, Nazarbayev Ave 366 | 2024 | Up to 12,000, plus 10,000 outside | | Abdulhamid Kattani | Centre, by Ordabasy Square | 1997 (built from 1995) | 1,000 or 2,000, by source | From Kazakhstan.travel, 24.kz, Russian Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap; for the Kattani Mosque, Russian Wikipedia (dates), Kazakh Wikipedia (1,000 worshippers) and Mosqpedia (2,000). ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Long trousers or skirt, shoulders covered - [ ] A headscarf for women - [ ] Clean socks — shoes come off - [ ] Not Friday around midday - [ ] A taxi app on your phone - [ ] 30–40 minutes set aside ## Shymkent’s places of worship compared Every place of worship in Shymkent rated by YesGo. - [Abdulhamid Kattani Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/kattani-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Shymkent Central Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/shymkent-central-mosque) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Sayram](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/sayram) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Shrines free; museum fee not published ## From the white mosque into the centre The mosque on the way in from the airport, then Ordabasy Square with the Kattani Mosque and the Citadel mound. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Shymkent Central Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/shymkent-central-mosque) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 2. [Ordabasy Square](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/ordabasy-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 3. [Abdulhamid Kattani Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/kattani-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 4. [Shymkent Citadel](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/shymkent-citadel) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 1,000 ₸ for foreign visitors ## Good to know Don’t mix it up with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi or with the central mosques of Almaty and Astana. Ak-Meshit near Shymkent is also the name of a cave, not this mosque. The city’s biggest mosque is now Seitzhan Kari Yeszhanuly on Nazarbayev Avenue. ## Tips - Stop on the way from or to the airport — the mosque then costs you almost no extra time. - Shoot from the forecourt to get all four minarets in; at sunset the marble glows. - Don’t photograph people at prayer; ask before taking pictures inside. - Women: keep a scarf in your bag so you are not hunting for one at the door. - Keep some tenge in cash for the taxi and the bazaar stalls. - Afterwards, head to [Ordabasy Square](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/shymkent/ordabasy-square) — the old centre is all walkable from there. ## Questions ### What are the Shymkent Central Mosque opening hours? There is no official timetable. Unofficially it is open about 6:00–21:00, and one listing says almost 24 hours. Visitors should wait outside during the daily prayers. ### Can non-Muslims visit the Central Mosque? Yes. It is open to people of all faiths and nationalities. Dress modestly, women cover their hair, and come between prayers. ### What is the dress code? Men: long trousers and sleeves, no shorts. Women: headscarf, covered shoulders and arms, skirt or trousers below the knee. Shoes off at the prayer hall. ### Is there an entrance fee? No, entry is free. Donations are optional. ### Where is Shymkent Central Mosque? At Tamerlanovskoe Highway 33 on the western edge of the city, opposite Bekzhan Bazaar — about 7 km from Ordabasy Square and 10 minutes from the airport. ### How do I get to the Central Mosque? A taxi from the centre takes 15–20 minutes. A city guide lists buses 1, 2, 6 and 12 to the Bekzhan Bazar stop. ### Is Shymkent Central Mosque worth visiting? Yes as a 30–40-minute stop on the airport road. It is a modern building, so don’t come for history. ### When was the mosque built? It opened in May 2013, with backing from the UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. ### Is it the largest mosque in Shymkent? Not any more. Since 2024 the Seitzhan Kari Yeszhanuly Mosque, for up to 12,000 worshippers, is the biggest in the city. ## How we checked Opening date, name, minarets, dome and marble are checked against Kazakhstan.travel and Welcome.kz; the yurt-shaped hall against Muftyat.kz and Welcome.kz. Capacity disagrees — 8,000 on Kazakhstan.travel, 3,000 on Russian Wikipedia — so we show both; we did not use an azan.kz note cited for 8,000, because it describes a different, newer mosque. There are no official hours: Eurasia.travel gives 6:00–21:00 on weekdays and another listing almost 24 hours, both unofficial. Bus numbers come from Welcome.kz only, ramps and the café from travel guides; all are marked as being checked. Dress rules are the general ones for Kazakh mosques given in guides. Distances and the Bekzhan Bazar stop are from OpenStreetMap. ## Sources - Kazakhstan.travel national tourism portal: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Central Mosque (AQ MESHIT) — address, opening, architecture, capacity - Welcome.kz: Shymkent Central Mosque, 2023 — local names, architecture, buses - Muftyat.kz: Shymkent. Central Mosque of South Kazakhstan Region, 2014 — yurt-shaped hall, grounds - Russian Wikipedia: Central Mosque (Shymkent); Wikidata Q117303547 - Eurasia.travel: The Central Mosque (Ak-Meshit) — hours, ramps, café - Bucketlistly: 9 Awesome Things to Do in Shymkent — hours, taxis - 24.kz: The largest city mosque opens in Shymkent, May 2024 - Kazakhstan.travel: Seitzhan Kari Yeszhankuly Grand Mosque — address - OpenStreetMap — mosque building, address and bus stops --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.