# Oriental Bathhouse, Turkestan > The Oriental Bathhouse is a half-buried late-16th-century hammam in the Hazret Sultan reserve, a 2–3-minute walk south-west of the Yasawi Mausoleum. Nobody bathes here now — it has been a small museum since 1979. Allow about 20 minutes. Entry is on the reserve ticket: 5,000 ₸ for most foreign visitors, 2,000 ₸ for CIS citizens. Open daily 8:00–18:30. Web page: https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-bathhouse - City: [Turkestan](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan), Kazakhstan - YesGo score: 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 20 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Ticket (foreign visitors): 5,000 ₸ - Ticket (CIS citizens): 2,000 ₸ - Kazakh citizens: 1,000 ₸; students and pensioners 500 ₸, schoolchildren 300 ₸ - Bathhouse on the reserve ticket: Yes — the reserve’s price table lists the mausoleum, the Hilvet and the bathhouse on one ticket - Opening hours: Daily 8:00–18:30 - Summer (from 1 June): Daily 8:00–20:00 - Closed: Open every day; the reserve closes on 1 January - Guided tour: Group of up to 25: 5,000 ₸ in English - Audio guide: 1,500 ₸ - Where to buy: Reserve ticket desk, or the Ticketon and Davai Skhodim apps - Payment: Foreign Visa and Mastercard usually work in Kazakhstan; carry tenge cash for the desk - Dress and bags: Covered clothing; bags and backpacks go in lockers at the entrance - Location: 80–150 m south-west of the Yasawi Mausoleum, next to the Hilvet - Can you bathe here?: No — it is a museum and hasn’t worked as a bath since the 1970s - Coordinates: 43.29620, 68.27220 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1580–1590** — built under Abdullah Khan for pilgrims to the Yasawi Mausoleum (source: archaeology.kz (KazSRIC album, 2018); Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia) - **Until 1975** — local people still used it as a bath (some sources say 1979) (source: Hazret Sultan museum-reserve; Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia; archaeology.kz gives 1979) - **1979** — partly restored and opened as a museum, at the initiative of Uzbekali Zhanibekov (source: Hazret Sultan museum-reserve; Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia) - **9 rooms** — changing room, eight-sided washing hall, hot and cold rooms, water tanks and a furnace (source: Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia; archaeology.kz) - **5 domes** — over the main rooms of the half-sunken building (source: Hazret Sultan museum-reserve; Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia) - **17 × 15 m** — the footprint, about 4.8 m high (source: Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia) - **25 × 25 × 5 cm** — identical fired bricks throughout (source: Russian and Kazakh Wikipedia) - **Underfloor heating** — hot smoke from the furnace ran through flues under every floor (source: Russian Wikipedia (after the Kazakh Encyclopedia); archaeology.kz) - **Marble** — floors and platforms faced with marble slabs (source: Russian Wikipedia; archaeology.kz) - **National monument** — of history and culture of Kazakhstan (listed in 1982, per Russian Wikipedia) (source: Russian Wikipedia; archaeology.kz) ## Oriental Bathhouse tickets: what you pay There is no separate bathhouse price — entry comes with the single **Hazret Sultan reserve ticket**. Foreign visitors pay **5,000 ₸**; citizens of CIS countries pay 2,000 ₸, Kazakh citizens 1,000 ₸, students and pensioners 500 ₸ and schoolchildren 300 ₸, with ID. The reserve’s own price table groups the Yasawi Mausoleum, the Hilvet underground mosque and the Oriental Bathhouse on one ticket. That table predates the current prices, though, so we mark the point as “checking” — keep your ticket until you leave the reserve. An English-language tour for a group of up to 25 costs 5,000 ₸; an audio guide is 1,500 ₸. Buy at the desk or through the Ticketon and Davai Skhodim apps. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards usually work in Kazakhstan, but carry some tenge in cash for the desk; Kaspi, the local payment app, needs a Kazakh bank account. ## Opening hours The bathhouse is **open every day**, with no lunch break, on the Yasawi Mausoleum’s timetable. Since 1 September 2026 that is 8:00–18:30. In summer the reserve stays open longer: from 1 June 2026 the bathhouse, the mausoleum and the Hilvet were open 8:00–20:00. The one closing day the reserve announced for 2026 was 1 January. Go early or mid-afternoon: the rooms are small, and a single coach group fills the main hall. > **It’s a museum — you can’t take a bath here** The old bathhouse by the Yasawi Mausoleum stopped working in the 1970s; inside there is a display, with no water or steam. If you want a real hammam after a long drive, look for one of Turkestan’s working bathhouses or a hotel spa. Come here to see how a pilgrims’ bath worked four hundred years ago. ## How to get to the Oriental Bathhouse 1. Get to the main entrance of the Hazret Sultan reserve on Bekzat Sattarkhanov Avenue: about 25 minutes by taxi from Hazret Sultan Airport (HSA), 10–15 minutes from the train and bus stations. 2. Walk up the avenue to the [Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/khoja-ahmed-yasawi-mausoleum), about 3 minutes — the landmark you can’t miss. 3. Go round the mausoleum and head south-west for 80–150 m, 2–3 minutes; look for a cluster of low brick domes sunk into the ground. 4. Take the steps down to the door and show your reserve ticket. 5. Carry on to the [Hilvet underground mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-hilvet) next door and the [Rabiya Sultan Begim Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/rabiya-sultan-begim-mausoleum), a few minutes’ walk away. ## What is the Turkestan bathhouse? The Oriental Bathhouse (Kazakh **Shygys monshasy**) is a public hammam that archaeologists date to 1580–1590, the reign of Abdullah Khan. It was built for the pilgrims who came to the Yasawi Mausoleum and needed a full ritual wash before praying at the shrine. The building is half dug into the ground to hold the heat, so from outside you only see five low brick domes and an open porch, with no decoration. Inside are nine rooms of different sizes and dates. The floors were heated from below: smoke from an underground furnace flowed to a rotunda under the central platform, then out through radial flues to every room, while sloping floors drained the water away. It stayed in use for almost four centuries — the reserve says local people bathed here until 1975. In 1979 it was partly restored and opened as a museum, and it is now part of the Hazret Sultan museum-reserve and a listed monument of national significance. ## What to see inside - **The central washing hall** — eight-sided, under a dome on arches, with an eight-sided marble platform in the middle. The rotunda beneath it was the heart of the heating system. - **The changing room**, under a *balkhi* vault of square bricks — the same archaic technique as the cell in the Hilvet. - **The hot room**, with a broad platform for massage, and the rooms that held the hot and cold water tanks. - Bare brick walls: the plaster is gone, so you can read how the domes, arches and barrel-vaulted corridors were built. - Diagrams of the heating system and five oil paintings made for the 1979 opening, showing how people bathed here. - A calligraphy board with the chapter on bath etiquette from the medieval Persian book of advice, the *Qabus-nama*. - Bath-house kit from the 1970s and 1980s — towels, belts, caps, copper basins and jugs — and the traditional “earth pillows” in display cases. ## Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you are already in the reserve: it sits on the way between the mausoleum and the Hilvet, and 20 minutes inside show the everyday side of a pilgrim town. A real 16th-century building with working underfloor heating is rare in Kazakhstan, and it is engineering rather than another shrine. Keep expectations modest. The display is small, much of it dates from the 1970s, and the reserve itself says a full redisplay is planned. It isn’t worth a trip on its own. Children usually enjoy working out how the floor was heated — just hold small hands on the uneven steps. ## Bathhouse, Hilvet or mausoleum: what to fit in | Place | Built | Time needed | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Yasawi Mausoleum | 1389–1405 | about an hour | the main shrine, UNESCO World Heritage | | Hilvet | 12th-century cell, 15th–19th-century building | 20 minutes | half-underground Sufi mosque and retreat | | Oriental Bathhouse | 1580–1590 | 20 minutes | half-underground hammam, now a museum | All three are on the same reserve ticket and within 2–3 minutes of each other. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Reserve ticket bought, or tenge in cash - [ ] I’ll be there before 18:30 (20:00 in summer) - [ ] Allowed 20 minutes for the bathhouse - [ ] Covered clothing — it’s a reserve rule - [ ] Backpack can go in a locker - [ ] Ticket kept until I leave the reserve ## Turkestan’s historic sites compared Turkestan’s historic places rated by YesGo. - [Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/khoja-ahmed-yasawi-mausoleum) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 5,000 ₸ foreigners, 2,000 ₸ CIS - [Mausoleum of Rabiya Sultan Begim](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/rabiya-sultan-begim-mausoleum) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Yasawi zone ticket · 2,000–5,000 ₸ - [Turkestan Citadel Walls](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Reserve ticket: 5,000 ₸ for foreigners - [Turkestan Oriental Bathhouse](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-bathhouse) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · 5,000 ₸ foreigners · 2,000 ₸ CIS - [Hilvet Underground Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-hilvet) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · 5,000 ₸ foreigners · 2,000 ₸ CIS - [Arystan Bab Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/arystan-bab-mausoleum) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Small fee · amount not published - [Otrar](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/otrar) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · KZT 500, children KZT 200 - [Ukasha Ata](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/ukasha-ata) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry (unofficial) - [Sauran](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/sauran) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free (unofficial) ## The Hazret Sultan reserve in half a day The Yasawi Mausoleum, the underground Hilvet, the Oriental Bathhouse, the Rabiya Sultan Begim Mausoleum and the citadel walls — all on foot. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/khoja-ahmed-yasawi-mausoleum) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 5,000 ₸ foreigners, 2,000 ₸ CIS 2. [Hilvet Underground Mosque](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-hilvet) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · 5,000 ₸ foreigners · 2,000 ₸ CIS 3. [Turkestan Oriental Bathhouse](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-bathhouse) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · 5,000 ₸ foreigners · 2,000 ₸ CIS 4. [Mausoleum of Rabiya Sultan Begim](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/rabiya-sultan-begim-mausoleum) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Yasawi zone ticket · 2,000–5,000 ₸ 5. [Turkestan Citadel Walls](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Reserve ticket: 5,000 ₸ for foreigners ## Not to be confused The medieval bathhouse by the mausoleum is not the new Oriental Bath complex in Turkestan — a working bathhouse of nearly 3,000 m² where you can actually bathe after a long drive. In 2020 archaeologists also uncovered a small 18th–19th-century bath in the old town’s shahristan, south of the mausoleum; that is a separate dig. ## Tips - Slot it in between the Yasawi Mausoleum and the Hilvet — they are 2–3 minutes apart, so there is no detour. - On a hot day it is one of the coolest spots in the reserve, being half underground. - Look at the eight-sided platform in the main hall — the bathhouse’s heat came up from beneath it. - Take the reserve’s audio guide: there are few signs, and the heating system needs explaining. - Watch your step and your head: the floors slope, the steps are uneven and some doorways are low. - Carry tenge in cash for the desk and the reserve’s shops. ## Questions ### How much does it cost to visit the Turkestan bathhouse? There is no separate price — entry is on the Hazret Sultan reserve ticket: 5,000 ₸ for foreign visitors, 2,000 ₸ for CIS citizens and 1,000 ₸ for Kazakh citizens. ### What are the opening hours? The same as the Yasawi Mausoleum: daily 8:00–18:30, and 8:00–20:00 in summer. It is open every day except 1 January. ### Can I take a bath or a steam there? No. The bathhouse stopped working in the 1970s and has been a museum since 1979. For a real hammam, use one of Turkestan’s working bathhouses. ### Where is the bathhouse? Inside the Hazret Sultan reserve, south-west of the Yasawi Mausoleum and next to the Hilvet underground mosque. Sources give 80 to 150 m — a 2–3-minute walk. ### Is the Oriental Bathhouse worth visiting? If you are at the Yasawi Mausoleum anyway, yes — it takes 20 minutes and shows how a 16th-century pilgrims’ bath was heated. The display is small and dated, so it isn’t worth a special trip. ### How old is the bathhouse? Archaeologists date it to 1580–1590, under Abdullah Khan. Wikipedia gives a wider 16th–18th-century range, because rooms were added at different times. ### How long do you need there? About 20 minutes. With the Yasawi Mausoleum, the Hilvet and the Rabiya Sultan Begim Mausoleum, the reserve takes half a day. ### How was the bathhouse heated? Hot smoke from an underground furnace flowed to a rotunda under the central platform, then through radial flues under the floors to every room. The flues had heat-storing pockets and exhaust shafts. ### How do I get there? Take a taxi to the main reserve entrance on Bekzat Sattarkhanov Avenue (about 25 minutes from the airport), then walk past the Yasawi Mausoleum to the south-west. ## How we checked Prices come from the reserve’s notice of 10 June 2026; hours from its notice of 28 August 2026 (8:00–18:30 from 1 September) and the summer notice of 1 June 2026, which names the bathhouse. The website footer still says 09:00–18:00, the visitor rules 9:00–18:00 and 8:00–20:00 in summer, and an older price table 08:00–19:00; we show the latest notice. That the bathhouse is on the main ticket comes from the reserve’s price table, which predates the current prices, while the 10 June notice only names the mausoleum grounds, the Yasawi Museum and the Hall of Rare Exhibits — hence “checking”. Smaller conflicts: the bath worked until 1975 per the reserve and Wikipedia, until 1979 per archaeology.kz (Informburo even says 1987); the distance from the mausoleum is 80 m per Kazakh Wikipedia and archaeology.kz, 150 m per Russian Wikipedia, so we say 80–150 m; the museum opened in 1979 per the reserve and Wikipedia, “since the 1980s” per archaeology.kz. Dating: 1580–1590 per the archaeologists, 16th–18th century in Russian Wikipedia’s summary. The 1982 listing year appears only in Russian Wikipedia. Card payment is based on general information about Kazakhstan and was not checked at the reserve desk. ## Sources - Hazret Sultan museum-reserve (Әзірет Сұлтан): notice on prices from 10.06.2026 (Ministry of Culture and Information order No. 242-nq of 25.05.2026); price pages and ticket page, 02.11.2026 - Hazret Sultan museum-reserve: notices on summer hours from 01.06.2026, on hours from 01.09.2026 (28.08.2026) and on the 1 January 2026 closure; visitor rules - Hazret Sultan museum-reserve: “16th-century exhibition — the Oriental Bathhouse”, exhibitions department, 23.09.2025 - Russian Wikipedia: Баня восточная (Туркестан) (after the Kazakh Encyclopedia); Kazakh Wikipedia: Шығыс моншасы (Түркістан) - archaeology.kz: Eastern bathhouse in Turkestan (after the KazSRIC album, 2018) - Wikidata Q12570809 - Tengrinews — on the new Oriental Bath complex in Turkestan; Zakon.kz and New Times, 13.08.2020 — on the 18th–19th-century bath found in the shahristan --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.