National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the oldest and largest museums not only in Kazakhstan but also in the entire Central Asian region. Currently, the museum’s collections hold about 300,000 items that represent the historical, archaeological, ethnographic, numismatic, and artistic heritage. With seven main stationary exhibition halls, the museum carries out a large-scale exhibition function, covering the paleontological past, as well as the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary history and material-spiritual cultural heritage of Kazakhstan.

The formation of the museum collection dates back to the 1830s, when the Museum of the Orenburg Region was established in Orenburg under the Niepluev Military School. One of the initiators of its creation was the famous linguist, author of the "Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language," Vladimir Ivanovich Dal. In the following years, the museum's collection was supplemented by the collections of the Orenburg Regional Museum (1924), the Zhetysu Regional Museum (1929), and the Republican Anti-Religious Museum (1941).

In 1920, after the proclamation of the Kazakh Autonomous Republic, a government decree officially established the Kazakh Central Regional Museum in Orenburg. In 1929, in connection with the transfer of the republic’s capital to Almaty, the museum was relocated to the new administrative center. This process marked the final establishment of the modern National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 1944, the institution received the status of a I category museum and the official name - the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Initially, the museum was located in the building of the Ascension Cathedral - a unique architectural monument built between 1904 and 1907 according to the design of the outstanding architect A.P. Zenkov. In 1985, a modern building was constructed specifically for the needs of the museum, designed by architects Yu. Ratushny, Z. Mustafina, and B. Rzagaliyev. The total area of the new museum complex exceeds 20,000 sq. m, of which about 7,000 sq. m is allocated for exhibition halls. This building is recognized as one of the best museum facilities in Central Asia and Kazakhstan.

A significant contribution to the formation of museum collections was made by outstanding figures of culture, literature, art, as well as historians and public figures of Kazakhstan. Among them are Akhmet Baitursynov, Akai Nysanbaev, Gabit Musrepov, Kurmangali Badyrov, Alkey Margulan, and others. Conducted ethnographic and historical expeditions in various regions of the country allowed for the collection of valuable materials reflecting the way of life, traditions, artistic culture of the Kazakh people, and the history of the multinational population of Kazakhstan.

Each year, the museum receives more than 130,000 visitors, conducts over 100 lectures, organizes around 30 exhibitions, and implements various cultural and educational events and initiatives. Since 2008, a scientific library has operated at the museum, founded at the initiative of Nursan Alimbay. With the support of UNESCO, the museum launched the "Museologist" program for electronic cataloging and documentation of the collections, which became an innovation in museum practice in Central Asian countries.

The National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan occupies a special place in the museum space of the country as a leading institution that plays a key role in the preservation, study, and popularization of national historical and cultural heritage.