The squat, blue-domed Wedding Palace is a useful landmark.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museum of Victims of Political Repression
1.32 MILES
This small museum documents Soviet oppression in Kazakhstan, from the dekulakisation (Soviet campaign of political repression from 1929 to 1932) and…
Regional Museum of Southern Kazakhstan
5.01 MILES
In its shiny new quarters on the northern outskirts of the city, this regional museum has well-presented, trilingual displays on local geology, Iron Age…
Tauelsizdik sayabagy
0.41 MILES
Tauelsizdik sayabagy, accessed by footbridge from the tall, Mother Earth–topped Independence Monument, was inaugurated in 2011 for the 20th anniversary of…
Alleya Slavy
1.42 MILES
In Abay Park, two tall concrete pillars lean on each other above an eternal flame, and the alley is lined with plaques bearing the names of the more than…
Bazar Samal
3.15 MILES
Of several new markets around the city fringes, Bazar Samal, next to Samal bus station, is the biggest and most interesting, with a particularly colourful…
Abdul-Aziz Baba Mausoleum
7.91 MILES
The occupant of the three-domed Abdul-Aziz Baba Mausoleum is believed to have been a leader of the Arabic forces that brought Islam to the Sayram area in…
Karashash-Ana Mausoleum
7.85 MILES
The 13th-century Karashash-Ana Mausoleum is where Akhmed Yasaui’s mother lies beneath the central tombstone.
Central or Upper Bazaar
0.14 MILES
The central bazaar is now somewhat diminished after the conversion of its outlying sprawl into parks and the removal of many traders to markets on the…
Nearby Shymkent attractions
1. Central or Upper Bazaar
0.14 MILES
The central bazaar is now somewhat diminished after the conversion of its outlying sprawl into parks and the removal of many traders to markets on the…
2. Independence Monument
0.24 MILES
This monument consists of a tall, red granite column topped with the figure of Mother Earth.
3. Altyn Shanyrak
0.4 MILES
The tall Altyn Shanyrak monument in the middle of Independence Park – a sort of tall, metallic funnel – represents the central roof opening of a yurt.
4. Tauelsizdik sayabagy
0.41 MILES
Tauelsizdik sayabagy, accessed by footbridge from the tall, Mother Earth–topped Independence Monument, was inaugurated in 2011 for the 20th anniversary of…
5. Museum of Victims of Political Repression
1.32 MILES
This small museum documents Soviet oppression in Kazakhstan, from the dekulakisation (Soviet campaign of political repression from 1929 to 1932) and…
6. Alleya Slavy
1.42 MILES
In Abay Park, two tall concrete pillars lean on each other above an eternal flame, and the alley is lined with plaques bearing the names of the more than…
7. Bazar Samal
3.15 MILES
Of several new markets around the city fringes, Bazar Samal, next to Samal bus station, is the biggest and most interesting, with a particularly colourful…
8. Regional Museum of Southern Kazakhstan
5.01 MILES
In its shiny new quarters on the northern outskirts of the city, this regional museum has well-presented, trilingual displays on local geology, Iron Age…