Astana - National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened in Astana on the initiative and direct order of Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev. At present, the collection comprises over 175 thousand exhibits.
On 17 March 1998, an expanded meeting of the State Commission for the Celebration of the Year of National Unity and National History was held, at which the Head of State addressed intellectuals, personalities from the fields of art, literature and religion and for the first time announced the idea of creating a national museum and also laid down the basic structures of the future museum. At an expanded meeting of the Public Council for the Implementation of the Cultural Heritage Programme, the Astana Akimat and the Ministry of Culture and Information, on the instructions of the President, began the practical steps to establish a museum of international standing.
The construction of the museum was financed by JSC KazMunayGas. The main contractor was the company “Basis Project LTD”, the design was developed by the South Korean company “Desiqn be Art” in cooperation with the Kazakh designers, and the construction work was successfully carried out by the Turkish company “Turkuaz Construction” LLP.
The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened in July 2014 with the participation of the President in Astana and harmoniously blended into the overall picture of Independence Square, which unites the symbol of statehood – the monument “Qazaq Eli”, the Palace of Peace and Harmony, the National Art University and the mosque “Khazrat Sultan”.
The amazing building consists of seven blocks with different heights from two to eight floors and a total area of 74 thousand square metres. Thus, the exhibition area is 14 thousand square metres and the volume of the museums is 5 thousand square metres.
The halls of ancient and medieval history, history, gold, ethnography, independent Kazakhstan, Astana and modern art introduce visitors to the history of the country. In addition to the exhibition halls, there is a research institute “Ұltyk Miras – National Heritage”, restoration workshops, laboratories, museums, venues for temporary exhibitions, libraries with reading rooms, a conference hall with simultaneous translation equipment.
The exhibition of the Ancient and Medieval History Hall presents tools and objects of daily life from the Stone Age, archaeological objects from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and artefacts from the medieval history of Kazakhstan (ceramics, numismatics, tools), providing an overview of the ancient and medieval history of the country. The exhibition of the History Hall presents the history of Kazakhstan from the XV to the XX centuries, showing the main stages of the history of the founding and development of the Kazakh Khanate, as well as the history of the uprisings of the Kazakh people for national liberation.
The exposition of the Gold Hall shows gold objects of the ancient nomads of Kazakhstan – unique finds from archaeological excavations. The Golden Man, the Sarmatian warrior from Atyrau found on the Issyk burial mound, as well as priceless finds from the sites of Chilikty and Berel and the cemetery of Taldy arouse genuine admiration for the ancient nomadic culture. The exhibition in the Hall of Ethnography presents a variety of jewellery, traditional costumes, a traditional Kazakh dwelling – a yurt – and also everyday objects of the Kazakh people. An exchange fund will also be set up, making it possible to acquire rare exhibits from abroad.
The history of the emergence and development of independent Kazakhstan is of great interest to visitors. In this respect, the chronicle of a quarter of a century of struggles for independence and the search for new ways is reflected most clearly in the halls of Independent Kazakhstan and Astana. The halls of independent Kazakhstan present the history, politics, economy, culture and art of the country that succeeded the ancient Turks and found its way to development in many ways.
The exhibition in the Astana Hall, which tells the story of the development of Kazakhstan’s young capital, attracts special attention. The recent history is told in the language of photos, plans, diagrams, models, archival documents and objects. In the Astana Hall, a unique dynamic Astana model and media floor will take centre stage, forming a colourful show together with a large curved screen. The trilingual multimedia guide is a faithful companion, effortlessly guiding visitors through all the halls of the museum.
