In April of this year, the Abai Literary and Memorial Museum in Semey celebrated its 85th anniversary.
This cultural institution, which provides comprehensive information about the life and creative path of the great poet, was established in April 1940.
This was the first literary and memorial museum in the history of Kazakhstan. It was founded at the suggestion of the great Kazakh writer and academic Mukhtar Auezov, ahead of Abai’s 95th anniversary. The museum was established based on the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Kazakh SSR on April 1, 1940, and officially opened on October 16 of the same year during a festive event.
FIRST STEPS
Initially, from 1940 to 1944, the museum was located in the house of Bekbai Baisov. From 1944 to 1967, it moved to the house of Aniyar Moldabayev. Abai used to stay in these houses during his visits to Semey. To this day, only Aniyar Moldabayev’s house has been preserved.
In 1967, on the eve of Abai’s 125th anniversary, the museum was transferred to the house of merchant Roman Ershov, one of the city’s architectural monuments, built in the style of Abai’s era.
In 1990, by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR, the museum was reorganized into the “Zhidebai-Borili” State Historical-Cultural and Literary-Memorial Reserve-Museum. Today, the museum has the status of a literary-memorial museum and has become one of the major reserve-museums in the country.
DEPARTMENTS SPREAD ACROSS HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS
Each branch of the “Zhidebai-Borili” State Historical-Cultural and Literary-Memorial Reserve-Museum has its own unique features. These branches are not limited to Semey city but are spread throughout the region.
The museum in Semey itself is a complex. In Zhidebai, there is Abai’s house-museum, the “Abai-Shakarim” memorial complex, the “Shakarim Hunting Lodge” museum, and a 6,400-hectare reserve area. In Borili, there is the Mukhtar Auezov House-Museum. In the village of Makanchi, Urzhar district, the Aset Naimanbayuly Museum also operates as part of this state reserve-museum.
The first director of the museum was the well-known Abai scholar Khaim Mukhamedkhanov, who managed it from 1947 to 1951.
THE FIRST GUARDIAN OF ABAI’S HOUSE
Mukhamedkhanov’s dedication and contribution to Abai’s heritage caught the attention of Mukhtar Auezov early on. Being highly perceptive in recognizing talent, Auezov saw Mukhamedkhanov’s honesty and passion for research and placed great trust in him. Starting from the late 1930s, he entrusted Khaim with the important task of researching and collecting the works of Abai and his disciples, as well as preparing to establish a museum.
Mukhamedkhanov accepted the task wholeheartedly. Together with his colleague Boris Akerman, he traveled for months across the Shyngystau region in a truck, meeting elders who had seen Abai or heard stories about him. They recorded old memories and stories and tried to find the original versions of his poems.
During these trips, they also found household items related to Abai, rare manuscripts, and other artifacts. As a result, around 500 items were collected, each with scientific documentation. This was a significant achievement for that time.
ARTIFACTS DONATED BY ABAI TO A LOCAL MUSEUM
According to the museum’s records, the main collection of the reserve-museum consists of items Abai donated to a local history museum in 1885. Today, about 30 of those items are preserved in the museum’s collection.
Currently, the director of the “Zhidebai-Borili” State Historical-Cultural and Literary-Memorial Reserve-Museum is Ulan Sagadiev. According to him, the cultural institution is actively working to promote Abai’s legacy.
“The museum is one of the major cultural centers that has been promoting Abai’s heritage across the country. Since the mid-20th century, it has grown under the guidance of national figures like Mukhtar Auezov, Khaim Mukhamedkhanov, and Arkham Iskakov,” he says.
According to him, one building in the Semey museum complex functions as the “Abaitanu” (Abai Studies) center. It includes the “Abaitanu” hall, an art gallery, and an exhibition hall. The center also has a 25-seat small conference room. The gallery hosts rotating themed exhibitions based on artwork from the museum’s collection, and solo exhibitions by local and national artists are also organized. Various events and roundtables take place in the “Abaitanu” hall, and special Abai Studies lessons are held for university students and schoolchildren.
“This cultural center has always played a vital role in researching and collecting information about Abai and his students. Many respected scholars and contributors have written articles, defended dissertations, and published books on Abai’s creative works. Their efforts continue today, and much more is still to be done,” says Ulan Sagadiev.
— Dana Nurmukhanbet, Adyrna
