State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Bozok”
The State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Bozok" is located on the outskirts of Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, near the Urker and Ilinka residential areas, close to Lake Buzukty. Covering a total area of 412 hectares, it is one of the largest open-air museums in Kazakhstan. The Bozok Museum-Reserve was established within the framework of the national program "Seven Facets of the Great Steppe." The main goal of the project is to preserve, restore, and widely promote ancient and medieval historical and cultural complexes. Additionally, the project aims to enhance the tourist potential of the capital, support small and medium-sized businesses, and create up to 1,000 seasonal jobs. The site features reconstructed structures from the Eneolithic to the Middle Ages, including residences, temples, dwellings, workshops, metal smelting furnaces, marketplaces, and petroglyphs. The main entrances to the complex are located in the south ("Dasht-i-Kipchak Gate") and the north ("Saryarka Gate"). The gates exceed 7 meters in height, and the entire complex is surrounded by a decorative fence 8.7 kilometers long.
The Bozok Museum-Reserve is a unique cultural complex that unites history and nature, archaeology and architecture, tradition and modernity. It offers a deep understanding of the past of the Kazakh steppe and Eurasia as a whole, remaining an invaluable legacy for future generations.
The Bozok settlement is one of the largest archaeological monuments reflecting the early and medieval history of modern-day Kazakhstan’s capital. It serves as a key scientific foundation for studying the country’s historical memory and cultural heritage. The monument is located in the Nura district, on the eastern shore of Lake Buzukty, in the central part of Saryarka, at the watershed of the Esil, Seleta, Shiderty, Nura, and Sarysu rivers. Geographically, this is a natural transit zone where numerous rivers flow into the Esil and where branches of the Great Silk Road once passed.
Bozok was first mentioned in 1816 in the travel notes of Siberian explorer Ivan Shangin. In 1929-1930, the first archaeological surveys were conducted by the renowned local historian Leonid Semenov. However, systematic archaeological research began only in 1998 under the leadership of academician Kemel Akishev. Since 1999, continuous excavations have been carried out.
The complex includes structures from various historical periods: a sacred site from the Turkic era, a medieval fortified town, necropolises from the Golden Horde period, Kipchak dwellings and winter camps, as well as developed irrigation systems. The archaeological zone covers about 40 hectares. Evidence suggests the area was first settled in the 7th century. In the 6th century, ancient Turks migrating westward from Mongolia established a military-administrative center on the eastern shore of Lake Buzukty. The central part consisted of three platforms arranged in the shape of a three-petaled flower, surrounded by moats 3-5 meters wide and 2-3 meters deep. Clay from the moats was used to build fortress walls with bases 8 meters wide, tops 5 meters wide, and heights of 2-3 meters.
In the 10th century, the site became a residence for Kipchak khans who reconstructed the existing structures and gave the town a new appearance, adding brick houses and watchtowers. Agriculture and horticulture developed in the eastern part of the settlement. The Kipchaks built irrigation canals that efficiently utilized the natural hydrological features of the Esil River and seasonal lakes.
One of the most remarkable discoveries is the burial of a noble warrior woman from the Golden Horde period, dated to the 13th-14th centuries. She was buried in a wooden sarcophagus, dressed in silk garments decorated with pearls and semi-precious stones. She wore silver bracelets, earrings, and a bokka headdress made of birch bark, covered in silk and adorned with pearls. The grave also contained an iron spear, a dagger, a silver bowl, and a bronze mirror - artifacts that attest to her high social status.
The historical and cultural significance of the Bozok site lies in its location at the intersection of caravan routes along the Great Silk Road, as well as its role as a religious-cultural center and military stronghold. The settlement existed from the 7th to the 17th century, serving variously as a sacred place for Turkic tribes, a Kipchak settlement, and an agricultural and craft production center. Artifacts uncovered during excavations - household items, weapons, jewelry, coins, and construction remnants - illustrate the processes of urbanization in medieval Kazakhstan.
Bozok is the first large-scale archaeological site to be thoroughly studied in the Kazakh steppe region. Its materials are of great importance for the medieval archaeology of Eurasia. The memorial structures at the site also shed light on the spread of Islam in the steppe regions of Saryarka.
In 2018, the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Bozok" was established on the site of the ancient settlement. Within its framework, a national open-air archaeological park project is being implemented. The project’s primary goal is the scientific reconstruction of the settlement and the promotion of ancient and medieval historical and cultural complexes across Kazakhstan.