Deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the plenary session considered in the first reading the draft law "On the special status of the city of Turkestan".
The grounds for the development of the draft Law were the recognition of the city of Turkestan by the Organization of Turkic States as the spiritual capital of the Turkic world, as well as the need to preserve the historical appearance of the city and objects of historical and cultural heritage.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baybazarov, the main innovations of the bill are the creation of a reserve of archaeological monuments in the city of Turkestan, reimbursement of part of the budget for craftsmen in the field of national handicrafts and restrictions on construction around the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.
The Maslikhat of Turkestan will approve the urban planning regulations, the design code of the city, the rules for the formation of architectural appearance and urban planning, the order of use of symbols on the territory of Turkestan, etc.
27 competencies in 3 areas will be transferred to the Akimat of the city. The first of which is focused on regulating the issues of preserving the cultural heritage and spiritual development of the city, ensuring the preservation of historical and cultural heritage sites.
The second is to apply the standards of construction around the Mausoleum and the uniform style of construction in the city.
The third area is aimed at regulating issues of promoting tourism activities and creating favorable conditions for its development, adapting transport and engineering infrastructure to ensure accessibility of tourist attractions.
In addition, a related draft law has been developed, which provides for amendments and additions to the Land Code, the Laws "On Architectural, Urban Planning and Construction activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan", "On the protection and use of historical and Cultural Heritage sites", "On tourism activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan".

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/economy/press/news/details/905135