Shalkar District Historical and Local Lore Museum

The Shalkar District Historical and Local History Museum is a municipal state institution under the jurisdiction of the State Institution "Department of Culture, Archives and Documentation of Aktobe Region." The museum was officially established on November 6, 1987. The building housing the museum was originally constructed in 1955. In accordance with Decree No. 24 dated October 21, 1986, the building was adapted to meet the needs of a museum and was officially opened in this new capacity.

Initially, the museum was organized on a voluntary basis, comprising four exhibition halls and housing approximately 500 exhibits. Today, the museum's structure has significantly expanded: it now consists of 8 sections, and its collection has grown to 12,790 items. The total area of the museum is 390 square meters. Modern technological innovations have been introduced into the museum's operations in line with contemporary requirements.

Main Exhibition Halls of the Museum:

1. "Ethnography" Hall - This hall features household items passed down through generations, works of traditional applied art by craftsmen, and traditional furniture. The exhibition is designed to showcase the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Kazakh people.

2. "Batyrlar" (Warriors) Hall - This section is dedicated to the lives and heroic deeds of ancestors who defended their native land from both internal and external threats. It presents materials on notable warriors and regional defenders.

3. "Öner" (Art) Hall - Contains information about cultural and artistic figures who contributed to the spiritual life of the district: representatives of the local press, composers, the renowned kuishi Kazangap, akyns and zhyrshys (traditional singers), veteran teachers, sports masters, and data on local historical monuments.

4. "Agriculture of the 1920s-1940s" Hall - Highlights the development of agriculture in the region, the history of the railway industry, victims of political repression, and events of the Civil War within the territory.

5. "Great Patriotic War" Hall - This exhibition provides information on participants of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), soldiers of the 101st Rifle Brigade, partisans, home front workers, veterans of the Afghan War, and border guards.

6. "Independence" Hall - Dedicated to Kazakhstan's achievements during the period of independence. Exhibits include materials on Heroes of Socialist Labor, prominent medical professionals, major generals, state symbols, and the activities of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.

7. "Nature" Hall - This hall features materials related to the region’s natural wealth: local flora and fauna, Lake Shalkar, the history of the Aral-Syrdarya Experimental Station, mountaineering, and other aspects of the ecological heritage.

8. "Rukhani Zhangyru" (Spiritual Revival) Hall - Designed within the framework of the First President’s "Rukhani Zhangyru" program. The exhibition includes historical and cultural artifacts such as ceramic jugs, old utensils, saddles, coal irons, traditional Kazakh boots (saptama), slippers (kebis), spinning tools, combs, and other ethnographic items of daily life.