Walking in the tombs and mausoleums of Sayram was a peaceful experience. It is said that this is the “city of countless saints”, and indeed there was a profusion of famous mausoleums. Each was surrounded by a graveyard full of wild flowers. In the mausoleum of Ibrahim Ata, the father of the famous mystic and poet, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, was this spectacular inflorescence, the flowers opening from the bottom up. There were several of these plants growing in the immediate vicinity of the tomb. What was this plant, I wondered. An inflorescence in the form of a dense spike like this seems to point to some species of the foxtail lilies (genus Eremurus).
That would fit; they are native to central Asia. Could I narrow it down to a single species? If I tried perhaps I would guess Eremerus robustus, a native of the nearby Tien Shan mountains. The tall stem bearing the spike fitted descriptions of the plant (this species is said to be the tallest in the genus), as did its long leaves. Photos of the flowers also matched, but since there is quite a variation in flower colour, a mismatch wouldn’t have told me anything. I think I will tentatively go with this identification.
Don't hold your breath 