The plein air practice took place in the spiritual capital — the city of Turkistan.

From May 25 to June 4, 2025, first-year students of the “Architectural Design” and “Graphic Design” educational programs completed their academic internship at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University in the city of Turkistan. The practice was supervised by Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences and Associate Professor Sandugash Zhumanovna Turikpenova.

On the first day of the internship, students became acquainted with the interior and exterior of the university building, the material and technical base of the “Fine Arts” department, the educational workshops, students' creative works, and the faculty members.

The main objective of the internship was to develop students' skills in drawing, sketching, and painting through creative observation in natural environments, as well as in historical and modern urban spaces. The practice also aimed to enhance spatial perception, compositional thinking, and the ability to represent form and color.

During the internship, students created sketches and drawings using various techniques (graphite, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, charcoal, colored pencils), allowing them to freely apply artistic methods in depicting the urban environment. A special masterclass on the art of “Ebru” was conducted for the students by Professor Ahmet Töre from Trabzon University (Turkey). Within a short time, the students learned the basics of this traditional technique and produced a variety of artworks.

Turkistan stands out not only for its rich cultural heritage and architectural landmarks but also for its modern architectural complexes. Students explored the Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, the historical old town area, and newly constructed modern facilities. They studied architectural ensembles from both graphic and architectural perspectives, created technical drawings, and painted their interpretations. The intricate aspects of the mausoleum’s construction were thoroughly explained in a masterclass by Yassawi University’s senior lecturer of the “Fine Arts” department and honored cultural worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yermek Bakhytzhanovich Mambetayev.

The internship in Turkistan gave future designers a unique opportunity to creatively understand the harmony between history and modernity. As a result of the practice, students enriched their creative portfolios, strengthened their artistic vision, and gained hands-on experience in combining artistic taste within historical and cultural contexts with elements of contemporary design.