Khilvet Underground Mosque
Қылует жерасты мешіті
An underground retreat where Yasawi is said to have lived in seclusion in his later years, a small semi-subterranean mosque and a must-visit for pilgrims.
“Khilvet” means a place of seclusion. Legend has it that at the age of 63, Yasawi believed he had reached the age of the Prophet Muhammad, and from then on he spent the rest of his life in an underground meditation chamber. The surviving building is a semi-subterranean mosque begun in the 12th century and restored many times. Visitors descend from ground-level steps into a prayer hall and a narrow meditation cell. It lies within the reserve on the southwest side of the Yasawi Mausoleum. Admission is low-cost or included in the combined ticket. Visitors must remove their shoes and keep quiet inside.
Opening hours
About 09:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Juma Mosque, Turkistan
- Mausoleum of Rabiga Sultan Begim
- Mausoleum of Esim Khan
- Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi
- Kultobe Settlement
- Keruen Saray
- Ukasha Ata
- Otrar