Literary museum of Ilyas Zhansugirov

The Ilyas Zhansugurov Literary Museum was opened in 1984 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Kazakh poet, playwright, prose writer, feuilletonist, satirist, journalist, translator, and public figure Ilyas Zhansugurov. Initially, the institution operated under the name “I. Zhansugurov Literary Museum.”

The museum is housed in a building constructed in the early 20th century, specifically between 1905 and 1907. This house has a rich history: in 1918, it hosted the headquarters of Mamontov’s Red Guard detachment; in 1919, the district office of the “Koshshy” Union; and in 1920, the district department of public education. The building holds significant historical and cultural value, as it was precisely here that Ilyas Zhansugurov worked from 1920 to 1923.

Today, the museum is a branch of the state municipal public enterprise “Mukhamedzhan Tynyshbaev Historical and Local History Museum of the Zhetysu Region.”

The museum’s exhibition halls include the following sections:

1. “The Environment Where I. Zhansugurov Was Born and Raised” 

2. “Formation of the Poet’s Civic Persona and Development of His Writing” 

3. “The Poet’s Working Room”

4. “The Poet’s Creativity” 

5. “Ilyas Forever in Memory” 

6. “Followers of Ilyas Zhansugurov” 

The museum’s collection contains over 6,000 historical and cultural artifacts related to the poet’s life and work. Among them are the poet’s personal documents, his typewriter, a carpet, a cloak, a replica of his cane, household items, manuscript collections, books published in different years, as well as works by researchers dedicated to Ilyas Zhansugurov’s legacy.

One of the museum’s most valuable exhibits is the kobyz that inspired the poet to write his poem “Kui” in 1929. This sacred musical instrument belonged to the kobyz player and shaman Molyqbay Baysakuly. According to legend, Baysakuly saw a pine tree in the Zheldikaragai pass that produced sound in the wind and ordered a kobyz to be made from it. The instrument is made of pine and metal, decorated with a silver pattern, and strung with horsehair. Until 1930, the kobyz was kept in the home of the kobyz player’s daughter-in-law, Adaskan-apa.

In recent years, the museum’s collection has been enriched with several significant artifacts. Among them are the poet’s shirt, as well as Ilyas Zhansugurov’s passport and the last photo taken of him in prison, which were discovered through joint work with the Information and Analytical Center of the Department of Internal Affairs of Almaty Region.