# Turkestan Citadel Walls > The Turkestan Citadel Walls are the 16th–19th-century mud-brick fortifications, with crenellations, a round tower and the East Gate, two minutes north-east of the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum. Allow 30–45 minutes to walk along and up them. There is no separate ticket, but you reach them through the mausoleum grounds: since 2026 foreign visitors pay **5,000 ₸** at the turnstiles, open daily 8:00–18:30 (until 20:00 in summer). A stretch by the gate is under repair until late 2026. Web page: https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-citadel - City: [Turkestan](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan), Kazakhstan - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Ticket for the walls: None sold separately — the walls stand inside the Azret Sultan reserve - Mausoleum grounds ticket: 5,000 ₸ for international visitors, 2,000 ₸ for CIS citizens (since 10 June 2026) - At the entrance: Turnstiles, a security check and your passport - Hours: Daily 8:00–18:30 (since 1 September 2026), summer 8:00–20:00 - Repairs: A 40 m stretch by the East Gate, due to finish November–December 2026 - Paying: Tenge in cash at the ticket desk; Halyk Bank ATMs on site - From the Yasawi Mausoleum: ≈ 150–200 m north-east, 2–3 min on foot - Time needed: 30–45 min; 2–3 hours with the mausoleum and nearby monuments - Coordinates: 43.29790, 68.27320 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **16th–19th century** — the dating of the citadel’s fortress wall and gate (source: Azret Sultan museum-reserve website; Russian Wikipedia: Wall of the Turkestan Citadel) - **1978–1980** — restorers rebuilt the north-eastern stretch of wall, the east tower and the gate (source: Azret Sultan museum-reserve website (1978–1979); Russian Wikipedia (1980)) - **National monument** — both the wall and the gate are listed monuments of national (republican) significance (source: Russian Wikipedia (Kazakh SSR decree of 1982); Azret Sultan museum-reserve website) - **1973** — the year archaeologists first studied the citadel’s fortifications (source: Azret Sultan museum-reserve website; Cultural.kz) - **Mud and fired brick** — the wall is unfired mud brick; the gate portal is fired brick laid in lime mortar (source: Russian Wikipedia: the articles on the Wall and the Gate of the Turkestan Citadel) - **40 m** — the unstable stretch by the East Gate being taken down and rebuilt in red brick (source: 24.kz, July 2026 — quoting the head of Kazrestavratsiya’s Turkestan branch) - **2003** — the Yasawi Mausoleum inside the citadel became a UNESCO World Heritage Site (source: English Wikipedia: Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi — 27th session of the World Heritage Committee, site no. 1103) - **19th century** — the Juma Mosque, 160 m south of the mausoleum, was built; restored in 1980 (source: Russian Wikipedia: Juma Mosque (Turkestan); Eurasia.travel; OpenStreetMap) - **17th century** — the mausoleum of Esim Khan, 12 m from the Yasawi Mausoleum, also inside the citadel (source: Russian Wikipedia: Mausoleum of Esim Khan; OpenStreetMap) - **2nd c. BC – 3rd c. AD** — the ancient layer of the citadel on Kultobe hill south of the mausoleum — the predecessor of today’s (source: Kultobe.com, 2021; E-history.kz) ## Are the Turkestan citadel walls free? There is no ticket for the walls themselves, but they stand inside the fenced grounds of the Yasawi Mausoleum. Since 2026 you enter through turnstiles with a passport and a security check, and from 10 June 2026 international visitors pay **5,000 ₸** and CIS citizens 2,000 ₸, according to the reserve and the regional administration. For foreign visitors the ticket covers the mausoleum grounds, the Yasawi Museum and the Hall of Rare Exhibits. Guides written before summer 2026 call the fortress free to explore; since the fence went up, ask at the desk which stretches you can still reach without a ticket. Kazakhstan residents pay 1,000 ₸, with discounts for students and pensioners. Paying: the ticket desk is cash-only in practice, so bring tenge — there are Halyk Bank ATMs on the site. Larger hotels, restaurants and supermarkets in Turkestan take cards — a local guide confirms Kazakh bank cards, foreign Visa and Mastercard are less certain — while the bazaar wants cash. Local QR apps such as Kaspi need a Kazakh bank account, so they are no help to most visitors. > **The East Gate stretch is under repair until late 2026** In July 2026 the state restoration agency Kazrestavratsiya began taking down a 40 m stretch of wall by the East Gate: it was cracking and leaning 10–15 cm further off its axis each year. It is being rebuilt on a concrete base, with completion promised for November–December 2026. Expect fencing near the gate and use the stairs further north. ## How to get to the Turkestan citadel walls 1. From Hazret Sultan International Airport (HSA), about 22 km from the old town, take a taxi — roughly 25 minutes. From the railway and bus stations on the west side of town it is 10–15 minutes by taxi to the reserve’s main entrance on Bekzat Sattarkhanov Avenue. 2. City buses also serve the reserve and Amir Timur Street (stop: Amira Timura, north-east of the walls). Check current route numbers in the 2GIS app rather than old maps. 3. Pass the turnstiles with your passport and buy a ticket. The Yasawi Mausoleum is about 3 minutes’ walk from the entrance. 4. From the mausoleum, walk east past the small domed tombs of Esim Khan and Tauke Khan. After 150–200 m to the north-east — 2–3 minutes — you reach the crenellated wall and the arched East Gate. 5. Climb the wide staircases on the inner side, either side of the gate. If that stretch is fenced off for repairs, follow the wall north to the next open stairway. ## Can you walk on top of the walls? Yes. The wall was built with a fighting walkway along the top, and broad staircases inside the citadel lead up to it on both sides of the East Gate. 2026 walking guides to Turkestan recommend the climb for the best panorama of the Yasawi dome. In 2026, though, the section by the gate is closed for rebuilding, and the open stretches can change as digs move. There is no railing on top, only the merlons, so hold small children by the hand and don’t sit on the edge. Turkestan summers are fierce and there is no shade up there: go right after opening or late in the afternoon. After rain the clay steps get slippery. ## What the walls and gate are The citadel is the walled upper town of old Turkestan, the enclosure that holds the Yasawi Mausoleum; the shahristan and rabad suburbs lay around it. What survives is the fortress wall east of the mausoleum, a listed national monument inside the Azret Sultan museum-reserve. Archaeologists have studied it since 1973 and found three building phases: 14th–16th, 17th–18th and 19th–20th century. The East Gate is a pointed-arch portal flanked by two stair towers, with loopholes and merlons like the wall. Unlike the mud-brick wall, the portal is fired brick in lime mortar, with wooden double doors between a stone plinth and a timber lintel. According to Russian Wikipedia, the walls once formed a pentagon with sides of about 150 m, and surviving stretches stand up to about 10 m high, reinforced inside with horizontal tree trunks. The walkways and ramps date from the 19th century. Later that century the wall lost its military role and crumbled quickly; the moats and bridges vanished. What you see today are fragments restored in 1978–1980 on original foundations — an honest reconstruction, not untouched medieval masonry. ## What to see - **The East Gate** — the arched portal with two stair towers, the citadel’s signature photo. - **The wall walk** — from the top you see the turquoise dome of the [Yasawi Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/khoja-ahmed-yasawi-mausoleum), the khans’ tombs and the new city beyond. - **Merlons and loopholes** — the defensive details run along the whole walkway. - **The round tower** — it has a room inside under a timber ceiling and served both as a buttress and a firing platform. - **The tombs of Esim Khan and Tauke Khan** — small domed mausoleums between the Yasawi Mausoleum and the wall; Esim Khan’s dates from the 17th century. - **[Rabiya Sultan Begim Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/rabiya-sultan-begim-mausoleum)** — about 60 m south-east of the main mausoleum. - **The Juma Mosque** — a 19th-century square hall with an octagonal central column, 160 m south of the mausoleum next to the [Hilvet](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-hilvet). - **Kultobe hill** — excavations of the 2nd-century citadel south of the mausoleum, the ancestor of the walls you are standing on; worth a glance on the way out. > **Dress for a holy site** The walls are a secular building, but you walk past the Yasawi Mausoleum, one of Central Asia’s great pilgrimage shrines. Cover shoulders and knees; women need a headscarf for the mausoleum and mosques. Keep your voice down near the graves and don’t photograph people at prayer. ## Is it worth it, and how long do you need? Yes, as a 30–45-minute add-on to the Yasawi Mausoleum: it is two minutes away and gives you the best view of the dome. It is not a reason to come to Turkestan on its own — for a real, un-rebuilt medieval walled city, give half a day to [Sauran](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/sauran), 45 km north-west. The easiest way to see the reserve is one loop: the mausoleum, the wall and gate, then south to Rabiya Sultan Begim, the [bathhouse](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/turkestan-bathhouse) and the Hilvet — 2–3 hours in all. In the evening walk 10 minutes east to [Keruen Saray](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/keruen-saray) for dinner and the canals. Pilgrims traditionally visit the [Arystan Bab Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/arystan-bab-mausoleum) near Otrar before Yasawi, so if you are doing both, plan the day trip south first. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Passport with me — no ID, no entry at the turnstiles - [ ] Tenge in cash for the ticket - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered, a scarf for the mausoleum - [ ] Arriving in the morning, before the heat - [ ] Shoes with grip for the stairs - [ ] Water and a hat in summer - [ ] 30–45 min for the walls, 2–3 hours for the whole reserve ## Turkestan’s historic sights compared Every historic place in Turkestan 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 - [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 - [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 - [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 Azret Sultan reserve in half a day The Yasawi Mausoleum, the citadel walls and gate, Rabiya Sultan Begim, the Hilvet and an evening at Keruen Saray. 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. [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 3. [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 ₸ 4. [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 5. [Keruen Saray](https://yesgo.io/kazakhstan/turkestan/keruen-saray) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free entry; rides and shows extra ## Good to know You may see the walls called the Citadel, Hazrat-e Turkestan or Tsitadel Qamal Qabyrgasy — all the same place. Kultobe, just south of the mausoleum, is a separate and much older dig. The Shahristan fortress with its 19th-century Takiya Gate ringed the wider town and is not part of the citadel. ## Tips - Climb the wall after visiting the Yasawi Mausoleum: from up here you see the whole building, including its unfinished main portal. - The classic shot is through the arch of the East Gate towards the blue dome, with the morning sun behind you. - Keep your passport handy — it is checked for everyone at the turnstiles, foreigners included. - In summer come at opening time; there is no shade on the walls and the clay heats up by noon. - Want genuine ruins with no rebuilding? Spend half a day at Sauran. - After dark, head east to Keruen Saray — that is where Turkestan spends its evenings. ## Questions ### Is the Turkestan citadel free to visit? There is no separate ticket for the walls, but they are inside the fenced mausoleum grounds. Since 10 June 2026 international visitors pay 5,000 ₸ and CIS citizens 2,000 ₸ at the turnstiles. ### Can you walk on the walls in Turkestan? Yes, staircases inside the citadel lead up to the walkway on both sides of the East Gate. In 2026 the stretch by the gate is closed for rebuilding, so use the stairs further north. ### How do I get to the citadel walls? Take a taxi to the reserve entrance on Bekzat Sattarkhanov Avenue — about 25 minutes from the airport, 10–15 from the station. Then it is 3 minutes to the Yasawi Mausoleum and 2–3 more to the wall. ### What are the opening hours? Since 1 September 2026 the reserve is open daily 8:00–18:30, and 8:00–20:00 in summer. Come in the morning to be safe. ### How long do you need at the citadel? 30–45 minutes for the walls and gate. With the Yasawi Mausoleum, Rabiya Sultan Begim, the bathhouse and the Hilvet, plan 2–3 hours. ### How old are the Turkestan citadel walls? They date from the 16th–19th century on older foundations, with building layers back to the 14th century. The visible stretches were restored in 1978–1980. ### Why is there construction by the East Gate? A 40 m stretch was cracking and leaning 10–15 cm a year. Kazrestavratsiya is rebuilding it on a concrete base, due to finish in November–December 2026. ### Do I need to cover up? Not for the wall itself, but you pass the Yasawi Mausoleum and mosques on the way. Cover shoulders and knees; women should bring a headscarf. ### Can I pay by card? Don’t count on it at the ticket desk — bring tenge in cash. There are Halyk Bank ATMs on the site, and larger hotels and restaurants in town take cards. ## How we checked Dates, building phases and restoration are checked against the Azret Sultan reserve’s own page and Russian Wikipedia; the restoration year differs (1978–1979 vs 1980), so we give 1978–1980. We give no total length: Wikipedia describes a pentagon with sides of about 150 m, while the Qozgal walking guide quotes a 1.8 km loop — different measurements. The 10 m height and the gate description rest on Wikipedia alone (citing the Kazakhstan monuments compendium), so they appear in the text, not the facts. Fares come from the reserve’s notice of 10 June 2026, cross-checked with New Times. Hours come from the reserve’s notice of 28 August 2026 (8:00–18:30 from 1 September) and its summer notice of 1 June 2026 (8:00–20:00); the site footer still says 09:00–18:00, Aviasales.kz gave 9:00–18:00 and OpenStreetMap 8:00–19:00 — we show the latest notice. No source says outright whether you can reach the walls without a ticket: A Social Nomad calls the fortress free, but since the grounds were fenced in 2026 the way in is through the turnstiles. Sources disagree on whether the Juma Mosque is still used for prayer, so we leave its status out. The 2026 repairs are from 24.kz, quoting the head of Kazrestavratsiya’s Turkestan branch. The reserve’s site, Kazinform, Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, Cultural.kz and Eurasia.travel would not open directly, so we read their text in search results; English Wikipedia confirms a 1970s reconstruction of the wall. Walking distances are measured on OpenStreetMap; we give no bus numbers. ## Sources - Azret Sultan National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve: The Fortress Wall of Citadel, 16th–19th centuries — dating, layers, 1978–1979 restoration - Russian Wikipedia: Wall of the Turkestan Citadel; Gate of the Turkestan Citadel; Wikidata Q125869075 - Russian Wikipedia: Juma Mosque (Turkestan); Mausoleum of Esim Khan - English Wikipedia: Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi - 24.kz: restoration of the citadel wall by the Yasawi Mausoleum begins, 14 July 2026 - Hazret Sultan museum-reserve: notice on prices from 10.06.2026 (Ministry of Culture and Information order No. 242-nq of 25.05.2026); notices on hours from 01.09.2026 (28.08.2026) and on summer hours from 01.06.2026 - New Times: Visiting the Yasawi Mausoleum gets more expensive, 12 June 2026 — fares from 10 June - Kazinform and Kazakhstanskaya Pravda: fencing and turnstiles at the mausoleum grounds, 2026 - Aviasales.kz: What to see in Turkestan, March 2026 — hours and card payments - A Social Nomad: The Ultimate Turkestan Travel Guide, updated August 2026 — cash, ATMs, dress - Qozgal: walking routes in Turkestan, 2026 — climbing the walls - Kultobe.com: How Turkestan began, 2021; E-history.kz — the ancient Kultobe citadel; Cultural.kz — the 1973 studies - Eurasia.travel: Juma Mosque, Turkestan - OpenStreetMap — wall, gate, tombs and bus stops --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.