00:02From snow camp peaks to ancient Silk Road cities, the Turkestan region is where Kazakhstan's nature, history and spirituality come
00:10together.
00:11Welcome to Kazakhstan. Welcome to Modern Nomads.
00:18Modern Nomads has already explored Turkestan in Mausoleum of Hoca Ahmed Yasawi, a renowned 12th century Sufi poet and mystic.
00:26This time, we explore more of the Turkestan region, starting in Sayramugam National Park in the western Tianshan Mountains.
00:37Up here, the cool mountain air and alpine meadows offer a refreshing escape from the heat of southern Kazakhstan.
00:48These mountains attract climbers from around the world.
00:51Along the trails, commemorative plaques send us quiet reminders of the challenges these peaks can bring.
00:57Today, most visitors come to hike, camp and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
01:02It was really cool. We didn't make it up to the second lake, but the first lake we camped at
01:06for two nights. It was amazing.
01:07Beautiful. We saw some goats in the morning. Like a big group of 30 goats, I think.
01:14While Mark trails make it easy to explore the park, rangers ask visitors to keep noise down to protect the
01:21park's rare wildlife.
01:48More than 71,000 visitors have explored the public life.
01:52Park this year, with accommodation available for even more. Our next stop is the ancient city of
01:58Otrar, once one of the greatest cities along the Silk Road. These gates lead into the 200-hectare
02:10ruins of the medieval city of Otrar. Today all that's left are the wind, the sand and the remains
02:16of its streets. But with a little imagination, it's not hard to picture how this once thriving city
02:21coming back to life. Inside the citadel, the city's most heavily fortified district, we stepped into what
02:27was once a residential neighborhood. Here, reconstructed homes revealed the advanced technologies that existed
02:34centuries ago. Just beyond the houses stood the public bathhouse with this bathing
02:51pools. Within a short walk were the mosque, central square and the palace of Berzibekhan. As one of the
02:58Silk Road's busiest trading hubs, Otrar welcomed hundreds of merchants and travelers every day.
03:28Excavations are still underway, and archaeologists continue to uncover Otrar's past. Here, the
03:34Mokhtar Koja and his team are excavating the remains of the oldest mosque discovered in the city so far,
03:40dating back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
04:02With a 2,000-year history, Otrar was once a thriving Silk Road city before the Mongol invasion in the
04:0913th century. Rebuilt and inhabited for centuries, its story can now be explored
04:14through the ruins and artifacts at the Otrar Museum.
04:20Another remarkable site nearby is the mausoleum of Arshtan Bab, the 12th century spiritual teacher of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. Today,
04:29it remains an important place of pilgrimage. The current structure is the fourth known reconstruction of the original mausoleum.
04:36These are two original 14th century columns. The mausoleum once had six, but only these have stood the test of
04:44time.
04:44This year, the Turkestan region ranked among Kazakhstan's top five domestic tourism destinations for the first time, as more travelers
04:52discover its unique blend of history and nature.
