Shelek Historical and Local Lore Museum
The Shelek District Historical and Local History Museum was established in 1981 by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic as a branch of the State Central Museum of the Kazakh SSR (now the Republic of Kazakhstan). The museum building was constructed in the early 1900s. Until 1965, it housed the Abai Secondary School; from 1965 to 1972, it served as a boarding school; and from 1972 to 1979, it accommodated the district education departments. Between 1979 and 1981, preparations for the museum’s opening took place, and on May 5, 1981, it was officially opened to the public.
The museum has a total area of 855 square meters, with 233.1 square meters allocated to exhibition space. Currently, the museum holds 2,432 items in its main collection. The exhibition is divided into six main halls, each reflecting the historical development of the region, its cultural and spiritual life, and the contributions of local public figures.
Independence Hall - This hall presents the history of Kazakhstan’s declaration of independence, the formation of the sovereign state, and the significance of national symbols. It highlights the role of the First President, Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, in state-building. The exhibition includes photographs and materials on the life and career of Dinmukhamed Akhmetovich Kunaev, an academician, statesman, public figure, and thrice Hero of Socialist Labor. Books and publications released in honor of his 100th anniversary, as well as information about his family, are also on display. Additionally, visitors can view a geographical map of the Zhetysu region and photographs of its natural landscapes.
Archaeology Hall - This hall covers the period from the primitive communal system to the Turkic era. Highlights include a photograph of the "Golden Man" found near the city of Issyk in 1969, Turkic-era balbals (stone statues from the 5th-12th centuries), ceramic vessels, and other ancient household items discovered near the village of Shelek in 2016.
Nature of the Region Hall - This section provides information on the formation of the Kazakh Khanate and its historical figures-khans, biys (judges), batyrs (warriors), and kuishis (traditional musicians). It also features materials on the migration of Uyghurs and Dungans to Zhetysu in the late 20th century, as well as household items typical of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (e.g., cast-iron irons). Exhibits also include the flora and fauna of the Ile Alatau Mountains, medicinal plants used in Kazakh folk medicine, and technical equipment from the Soviet-era mobile cultural clubs (autoclubs).
Ethnographic Hall - This hall showcases the everyday life and culture of the Kazakh, Russian, Uyghur, and Chechen peoples. Notable items include a copper jug used by the Chechen people between 1710 and 1750, a copper samovar made at the Tula factory in the 1880s-1890s, a robe worn by Baltash-Qazi-the first person to open a mosque in Shelek during Soviet times-on his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1905, as well as a Quran and prayer beads.
"A Hero's Name Lives in the People's Memory" Hall - Approximately 5,000 people from the Shelek region were sent to the front during the Great Patriotic War. This hall contains personal belongings, photographs, clothing, and medals of war veteran Tole Kenzhebayev, as well as items belonging to participants of the war, the Chernobyl disaster cleanup, and other significant historical events.
"Honored by Labor" Hall - This hall highlights individuals who made significant contributions to the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, and sports during the Soviet era and the years of Kazakhstan’s independence. Exhibits include photos and materials about locals who participated in the Afghan war, the Chernobyl disaster response, and the December 1986 protests. Also featured are personal belongings and photographs of Turghanbek Stambekov, an honored citizen of Enbekshikazakh District and border service officer; the uniform of Colonel Turyssbek Dauletov Abdykadyruly; and awards and an album belonging to Almagul Abyrkysy Orynbetova, a veteran educator and key figure in the establishment of the museum.