Kegen District Historical and Local Lore Museum
Museums play a significant role in human life by preserving and promoting spiritual and material culture, as well as conducting research and educational activities.
A museum is an institution engaged in collecting, studying, and preserving monuments of natural and historical heritage, as well as objects of material and spiritual culture that have educational and cultural value.
From its first days, the museum has operated in the following five main areas:
1. Scientific research and collection activities
2. Collection and fund management
3. Exhibition and curatorial work
4. Public education and outreach
5. Publishing and media activities
The museum was founded in 1987 under the name “Historical and Ethnographic Museum.” The building housing the museum was formerly the residence of Oraz Zhandosov, the first secretary of the Kegen District Committee (1933-1934) and an active participant in the establishment of Soviet power in Kazakhstan. After Kazakhstan gained independence, the museum was renamed the Raiymbek District Historical and Local Lore Museum in 2011.
In 2012, the museum building was fully reconstructed and officially opened on August 22, 2014. Following the division of the Raiymbek and Kegen districts in 2018, the museum received its current name - Kegen District Historical and Local Lore Museum.
At the entrance to the museum, a special composition titled “The Tree of Eternal Life” is installed. The museum consists of four exhibition halls:
• Nature of the Region Hall
• Ancient and Medieval History Hall
• Soviet Period History Hall
• Independence Hall
Nature of the Region Hall. The exhibition begins with displays dedicated to prominent scholars and explorers such as Shokan Ualikhanov, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, N.M. Przhevalsky, N.A. Severtsov, and I.V. Mushketov.
Mini-dioramas depicting the origin of life on Earth are presented, along with finds proving the existence of large mammals during the Cenozoic era, including a mammoth tusk and bone fragments. Stuffed animals and birds native to the district are also displayed.
The hall is complemented by images of Khan Tengri Peak, the Kolsai Lakes, and the Charyn Canyon. An exhibition complex dedicated to educator and zoologist-naturalist Dosan Duankulov is featured.
Ancient and Medieval History Hall. The exhibition begins with a diorama illustrating the appearance of the first humans. A dedicated exhibition complex honors Zhaken Taimagambetov, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor.
Stone tools from the Neolithic period found in the region are displayed, along with stone sculptures and original stones known in science as the “Kegen Inscription.”
Materials related to archaeologist and Doctor of Historical Sciences Kemel Akishev are presented, including photographs of gold artifacts found near Zhalauly village in 1988 and a reconstruction of the “Golden Man” from the Issyk burial mound.
A separate section is devoted to the ancient city of Chigu (Kumtokei), a major trade, cultural, and political center along the Silk Road, featuring a personal exhibition of academician Karl Baipakov.
The hall also presents exhibits dedicated to heroes, judges (biys), poets (zhyraus), and folk healers of the Dzungar invasion period.
Soviet Period History Hall. The exhibition begins with the Karkara Fair and the 1916 Karkara uprising, followed by materials on the establishment of Soviet power, collectivization, confiscation of property, famine, and political repression.
It includes exhibits dedicated to Oraz Zhandosov, Nurbapa Omirzakov, academicians Akai Nusipbekov and Kenes Nurpeisov, and concludes with sections honoring veterans of the Great Patriotic War and home-front workers.
Independence Hall. The exhibition opens with materials dedicated to 16 Heroes of Socialist Labor, the renowned writer Berdibek Sokpakbayev, and the eminent poet Mukagali Makatayev.
It also presents exhibits on distinguished figures in education, healthcare, agriculture, public and state service, including Zamanbek Nurkadilov, the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the State Symbols of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as achievements in sports, theater, and the arts.
The museum houses personal belongings of the classic of Kazakh children’s literature, writer Berdibek Sokpakbayev, which he used during his work at the newspaper Kazakh Adebiýeti, the Baldyrgan magazine, the Shaken Aimanov Kazakhfilm Studio, and the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan.