Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
5 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
6 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
7 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
8 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Kazakhstan Zharkent Zharkent Mosque

Zharkent Mosque

This unique wooden mosque resembling a Chinese pagoda was said to be built without the use of nails.

Zharkent, Kazakhstan

Added By
Tiffany Devoy
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Mosque Exterior   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Mosque Exterior   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
The minbar, in front of the mihrab   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Stairway to women’s gallery   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Mosque Interior   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Original Mosque Entrance   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Pagoda-style minaret   Theophania / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Visitors could be forgiven for assuming they’d accidentally crossed the border from Kazakhstan into nearby China when they come across this unique former mosque, current museum.

The Zharkent mosque dates to around 1886, not long after the town was officially settled as a far-flung outpost of Tsarist Russia. Zharkent was a small Uighur settlement prior to official Russian township status and the mosque was sponsored by a wealthy local Uighur merchant, Valiakhun Yuldashev.

Yuldashev needed an architect who would comply with his demands to create a mosque and madrasa built entirely out of wood, using no nails. He chose Chinese architect Hong Pik. According to one local rumor, Hong Pik had created such astounding buildings in China that his life was threatened by customers who didn’t want anyone else to have what they had. Rather than forfeit his life or his livelihood, Hong Pik fled to Zharkent, the farthest place he could find a new customer. A competing legend claims that when Hong Pik finished his work and returned to China, he was executed for giving away Chinese architectural secrets.

No one really knows what happened to the architect, but his creation still stands, built with wood from fir trees in the nearby Tien Shan mountains.

The complex includes a madrassa and a mosque. According to the local tour guide, while classrooms were segregated by gender, instruction was available to both girls and boys.

The mihrab (prayer niche) and original main entrance to the mosque are similar in style to Central Asian Islamic architecture found throughout Central Asia. But the minaret, mosque exterior, and minbar (pulpit) are more like  Chinese pagodas in design and decoration. Many of those decorations feature plants and flowers, contravening Muslim rules that limit depictions of living things in religious buildings.

It can hold some 1,000 worshipers, with women using the top floor gallery and men on the main floor. During Soviet times, when religious observances were discouraged and even banned, the mosque was re-purposed for various uses including a store, a cinema and even stables. Eventually they turned it into a museum, which it remains today.

The mosque has undergone repairs over the years to repair damage from wear and tear and several earthquakes. While it may have originally been constructed without nails, they have been added in various stages of repair and restoration. Inside the old classrooms are additional exhibits of local art and artifacts from the Kazakh and Uighur people who lived in the area before the Russians.

Know Before You Go

In the Latin alphabet Zharkent is alternately spelled Djarkent and Jarkent, and during Soviet times was renamed Panfilov, after a World War II war hero. It reverted to Zharkent in 1991. Depending on your map, you may find the town under any of these names.

The museum is open most days from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for guided tours, but hours posted on the door may reflect changes. While guided tours seem to be required, your guide may only speak Russian and/or Kazakh. The entrance fee is 300 Tenge per person, with another 500 Tenge requested if you want to take pictures inside the mosque. Although the “per person” or “per group” rules on the latter fee seem to be negotiable.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars

A 2-Week, 4-Country Odyssey.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Theophania

Published

November 25, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/%D0%96%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82+%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%88%D1%96%D1%82%D1%96/@44.163205,80.000038,17z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x387fa424870934a7:0xbebf34bf9715c25!2z0JbQsNGA0LrQtdC90YIg0LzQtdGI0ZbRgtGW!8m2!3d44.1629768!4d80.0003646!3m4!1s0x387fa424870934a7:0xbebf34bf9715c25!8m2!3d44.1629768!4d80.0003646
Zharkent Mosque
Zharkent
Kazakhstan
44.162977, 80.000365

Nearby Places

Kieli Agash (Sacred Tree) of Auliyeagash

Auliyeagash, Kazakhstan

miles away

Aktau Mountains

Kazakhstan

miles away

Charyn Canyon

Raiymbek District, Kazakhstan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Asia

Places 32
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Kieli Agash (Sacred Tree) of Auliyeagash

Auliyeagash, Kazakhstan

miles away

Aktau Mountains

Kazakhstan

miles away

Charyn Canyon

Raiymbek District, Kazakhstan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Asia

Places 32
Stories 5
Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.