Ancestral heritage: National Museum of Kazakhstan displays unique collection

A unique exhibition of the honored figure of Kazakhstan and famous collector Azat Akimbek opened in the National Museum of Kazakhstan. The ‘Ata-Mura’ exposition is presented in four sections. The first section includes samples of Kazakh folk art and everyday life from the twelfth to nineteenth centuries. These are clothes, household utensils, dishes, weapons, equestrian equipment, antique carpets and jewelry. The second section includes more than 200 ancient manuscripts collected throughout Central Asia. These are ancient books in Arabic, Persian and Chagatai languages. The third section is a collection of paintings, graphics and sculptures of the last century. Works by famous artists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are among them. The last, fourth, section consists of ancient black-and-white photographs that reflect the architecture and everyday life of the city of Verny, current Almaty, from 1887 to 1963. The collector’s exhibition is presented at the National Museum for the first time. He collected more than 1,500 exhibits for half a century.

“There is a history behind every object. In front of me, there is a famous Kazakh matchlock gun, popularly called ‘kara myltyk’. This amazing thing came into being during the Dzungar invasion, during the grueling battles, when the Kazakhs, our ancestors, defended their land. So, this gun is about 400 years old. ‘Kara myltyk’ is an outstanding piece of weaponry. Right in front of us, there is, and it is even hard to believe, a gear of the Kazakh guy Mergen for hunting leopards. And here are the snowmobiles,” said the collector.

Akimbek had previously showcased his antiques in museums of such countries as Japan, Turkey, Hungary, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The Ata-Mura  exhibition was opened with the support of the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports and will last for two months.