The Karasay District Historical and Local Lore Museum

The history of the Karasay District Local History Museum dates back to the 19th century. The building was originally constructed in 1899 as a parish school for the children of Cossacks and Russians-early settlers from the Voronezh province and Siberia.

In September 1937, the building was transformed into a Kazakh secondary school. In 1945, it was named after the great Kazakh poet and thinker Abai, in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The museum consists of 8 exhibition halls and a foyer. The foyer welcomes visitors with an exhibit dedicated to the Independence of our Homeland. The halls titled “The President’s Childhood,” “School Years,” “Student Years and Early Career,” and “N.A. Nazarbayev - The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan” focus on the biography and professional journey of the Head of State, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The museum also highlights the rich, three-thousand-year history of the Karasay region through halls such as “Archaeology,” “Historical Hall,” “Formation of Kaskelen and Kaskelen District,” and “Karasay District in the Modern Era.”

Since its opening, the museum has consistently served visitors.

The First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, visited the museum three times: in 2000, 2002, and most recently in the spring of 2015. The museum houses 2,285 important and valuable photo-documentary and material relics related to the district’s history, as well as exhibits telling the story of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s youth before he rose to global prominence. Of these, 1,079 items are registered in the main collection, and 1,206 in the auxiliary collection.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the museum staff, the museum was twice awarded the title of "Best Museum" among museums in Almaty Region-in 2015 and 2018. In 2021, at the online festival Rukhani Kazyna - 2021, the museum won the nomination for “Best Regional (City) State Museum of Regional Significance.”