The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan is the place to start your acquaintance with Almaty, even if you have only one day. It is located in the city center, in a monumental building, and gives a complete picture of what happened on this territory over the past thousands of years. And don`t worry that it will be boring: among the exhibits are gold jewelry, nomadic armor, stone slabs with ancient drawings, and much more.
History and Building of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan
This museum has a rich and interesting history. Its collections began to be gathered back in the 1830s in the city of Orenburg — they were then part of the museum of the Neplyuevsky Military School. One of the organizers of that first collection was the famous linguist and author of the "Explanatory Dictionary" Vladimir Dal.
The museum moved to Almaty later, and in 1931 it first opened its doors to visitors in the building of the former Ascension Cathedral — a unique architectural complex built according to the design of the famous architect Andrei Pavlovich Zenkov in 1904–1907.
The modern building in which the Central Museum of Kazakhstan is located today was built in 1985 according to the design of architects Yu. Ratushny, Z. Mustafina and B. Rzagaliev. Its total area is 17,557 square meters, and spacious exhibition halls are located on three floors. The central place in the architectural composition is occupied by a huge space under the main dome — an impressive atrium several floors high, which serves not only as the lighting center of the building, but also as a venue for temporary exhibitions and ceremonial events. The architectural appearance of the museum is considered one of the best examples of modern architecture in the city.
Exhibitions of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan
The museum exhibition is built on a chronological principle: moving from hall to hall, you seem to flip through the pages of history.
The hall of paleontology and archaeology presents the oldest evidence of life on the territory of Kazakhstan — from the bones of fossil animals to tools of primitive people.
The hall of historical ethnography covers the period from the 10th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Here you can trace how the culture of the Kazakh people was formed, see household items, national costumes and traditional crafts.
The third hall is dedicated to more recent history: it is divided into two parts — the ethnography of the peoples of Kazakhstan and the period of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.
The hall "Modern Kazakhstan" tells about the development of the country during the Soviet period and after gaining independence.
Main Exhibits of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan
The museum`s collection is so extensive that it deserves special attention. Here are just a few of the most interesting sections:
Petroglyphs from different regions of Kazakhstan are ancient rock paintings that were brought to the museum from settlements and sanctuaries. On the stones you can see hunting scenes, images of animals — horses, camels, mountain goats and snow leopards, as well as solar signs and mysterious geometric figures left by unknown artists thousands of years ago.
Models of medieval mosques and tombs give an idea of the monumental architecture that existed on the territory of Kazakhstan. You can see what religious structures of different eras looked like — from simple mausoleums to complex portal-dome structures characteristic of the cities of the Great Silk Road.
Warrior clothing and weapons are one of the most impressive parts of the exhibition. Here are presented the armor of Saka and Turkic warriors: leather and metal cuirasses, pointed helmets, heavy swords, sabers with curved blades, battle axes, compound bows with arrows and round shields. Some examples are richly decorated with engraving and inlay.
Household items from steppe settlements of the 3rd–8th centuries — these are iron cauldrons for cooking, spearheads, bridles, stirrups, knives and battle axes. They tell about the daily life of nomads, their military campaigns and craft skills. Among these items there are specimens surprisingly well preserved, which give an idea of the life of the Turkic and Turgesh tribes.
The Most Valuable Exhibits and the "Golden Man"
Of particular interest to visitors are the halls "Open Fund" and "Archaeological Gold of Kazakhstan". Here are displayed unique jewelry found during excavations of ancient burial mounds. These gold decorations amaze with the fineness of their workmanship — animal figurines, intricate ornaments and elegant earrings, bracelets and breast decorations.
One of the most valuable exhibits is the "Golden Man" ("Altyn Adam"). However, it is worth knowing: the famous golden warrior, who became a symbol of Kazakhstan, is not an exhibit of the Central State Museum of Almaty in ordinary times. The original, found in the Issyk kurgan in 1969, is kept in the capital of the country — Astana, in the National Museum. In Almaty you can see a high-quality copy that conveys all the details of this amazing armor made of gold plates.
Section of Gold Jewelry of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan
The collection of gold jewelry at the Central Museum is no less impressive. Here are presented decorations from excavations of Saka burial mounds and other archaeological sites — massive grivnas, earrings with filigree, bracelets and breast ornaments. Many of them are made in the animal style — an art characteristic of ancient nomads, where every detail has symbolic meaning.
Ethnographic Section of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan
The ethnographic hall is one of the most interesting for getting acquainted with the traditional culture of the Kazakhs. A Kazakh yurt with a reconstructed interior is installed in the center of the hall — and visitors are allowed to go inside to feel the atmosphere of a nomadic dwelling. Next to the yurt there are scenes from everyday life: on the male side, hunting with a golden eagle is demonstrated — here you can see a stuffed bird and mannequins of a man with a boy, and on the female side — work at a loom.
Around the yurt there are display cases where household items and crafts are systematized: separately presented are military attire (helmets, chain mail, sabers, bows), horse equipment, hunting gear (guns, snares, traps, a blindfold and mitten for the golden eagle), agricultural tools (millstones, sickles, scythes), as well as national clothing, objects of Islamic worship (prayer rugs, the Koran) and ancient musical instruments.
Modern History of Kazakhstan
In the hall of the Central Museum of Kazakhstan dedicated to modern history, events of the 20th century and modern times are reflected. A significant part of the exhibition tells about Kazakhstan during the Great Patriotic War: documents, awards, weapons and personal belongings of soldiers are presented here, reminding of the contribution of Kazakhstanis to the victory. Another part of the hall covers the period of the republic`s development in the Soviet era — industrialization, the development of virgin lands, the construction of large factories and the formation of science. The exhibition concludes with materials about the path to independence in 1991 and the development of sovereign Kazakhstan.
In addition to the main halls, the museum has a hall of anthropology and a memorial hall of Nikolai Khludov — a famous Russian artist whose life was closely connected with Kazakhstan.
The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan has collected exhibits from the Stone Age to the present day: rock paintings, iron tools of Turkic tribes, gold jewelry of the Saka, models of medieval mausoleums, weapons and armor of nomads, ethnographic materials and documents of the 20th century. The museum has three floors, more than 200 thousand storage items and several thematic halls, each of which gives its own slice of history. For those who want to understand Kazakhstan deeper than through postcards and souvenirs, this is a must-stop in Almaty.
