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How Nauryz Became a National Celebration in Kazakhstan: A History in Archival Photographs

Spring solstice as an astronomical phenomenon was noticed by man in ancient times. It became associated with the rebirth of nature, the arrival of a new cycle. This cosmic phenomenon was especially honored in the cults of Indo-European tribes, ancient Slavs, and Celtic tribes. The holiday has taken its rightful place in the cultures of Central Asia - since ancient times it has been celebrated by Iranians, Afghans, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, Uighurs, Kyrgyz, and Kazakhs. It is worth noting that even Muslims in the region recognize the significance of the ancient holiday. Restoration of traditions With the advent of Soviet power, Nauryz was recognized as a relic of tribal rituals and banned. According to official sources, the ban was in effect from 1926 to 1987. In 1987, in the territory of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which was part of the USSR, the holiday was resumed, albeit informally. This is evidenced by photos of springtime Almaty (then called Alma-Ata, the capital of the Union Republic). [caption id="attachment_30001" align="aligncenter" width="582"] The first celebration of Nauryz in Alma-Ata. Students of the Alma-Ata Zooveterinary Institute – participants of the theatrical performance. Alma-Ata 1987[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30002" align="aligncenter" width="530"] Horse racing at the Nauryz festival in the village of Narynkol. Alma-Ata region, 1988[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30003" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Participants and guests of the Nauryz holiday playing the Kazakh national game “Togyzkumalak”. Alma-Ata 1988[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30004" align="aligncenter" width="537"] A participant in an archery competition during the Nauryz holiday. Alma-Ata 1988[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30005" align="aligncenter" width="527"] Participants of the republican aitys dedicated to the celebration of the national holiday, Nauryz. Alma-Ata, 1988[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30006" align="aligncenter" width="428"] At the opening of the national holiday Nauryz. Alma-Ata, 1988[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30007" align="aligncenter" width="430"] "Altybakan" - national swing, installed by students of the Alma-Ata Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages for the Nauryz holiday. Alma-Ata, 1989[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30008" align="aligncenter" width="446"] People's Artist of the USSR Roza Baglanova (center foreground) with war veterans during the celebration of Nauryz. Alma-Ata region, Kegen district, 1989[/caption] Years of Independence In 1991 Nauryz in Kazakhstan gained official recognition. By the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the day of the vernal equinox - March 22 - was declared the day of the national spring holiday “Nauryz meiramy”. Ten years later - in 2001 - Nauryz became a public holiday and was included in the list of national holidays. Since 2009, three days have been set aside for its celebration in Kazakhstan, which were declared non-working days. This status has been maintained to this day. [caption id="attachment_30010" align="aligncenter" width="528"] Students performing national dances during the celebration of Nauryz at the Almaty branch of the St. Petersburg Humanitarian University of Trade Unions. Almaty, 2014[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30011" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Theatrical performance during the celebration of Nauryz. Almaty, 2018[/caption]

Heritage History research Science

Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpaev: Pioneer, Patriot, and Kazakh Visionary

Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpaev, a Kazakh scholar, politician, and visionary, has returned to the spotlight with the publication of his book The History of the Kazakh People in Kazakhstan. This book, originally written in Russian in 1925 under the title Materials on the History of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh People, was republished in Kazakh in 2023 by AmalBooks. The work explores the origins of the Kazakh tribes, the development of Kazakh statehood, and the nation’s rich history. Tynyshpaev was a towering figure in Kazakh history. Born on May 12, 1879, in the Lepsinsky district of Semirechyenskaya Oblast, he rose to prominence as one of the founders of the Alash movement. Beyond his roles as a historian and scholar, he was Kazakhstan’s first railway engineer, a deputy in the Second State Duma of the Russian Empire, and a leading contributor to the construction of the Turkestan-Siberian Railway. He also served briefly as deputy chairman of the Alash Autonomy government. The Central State Archive of Kazakhstan preserves three unique photographs that capture moments from Tynyshpaev’s extraordinary life. The first photograph, dated around 1900, shows a young Tynyshpaev as a student of the Imperial Institute of Railway Engineers in St. Petersburg, where he studied from 1900 to 1905. This image, taken at the Leibin and Sons photo studio in Verny (now Almaty), reflects his early academic promise. In the second photograph, Tynyshpaev is seen among representatives of the Kazakh student intelligentsia studying at universities in St. Petersburg (he is seated third from the left). The archive dates the document between 1903 and 1909 and includes the following caption: "Dosmukhamedov Kh. (third row, third from the left) - student of the Imperial Military Medical Academy of St. Petersburg; Tynyshpaev M. (second row, second from the right) - student of the Imperial Institute of Railway Engineers named after Alexander I with fellow countrymen." Upon studying this document, we identified Zhansey (Zhihansha) Alimuratovich Seydalin — a student of the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University (third row, second from the left). He later became a public figure, lawyer, and member of the national Alash party. Also present in the photograph is the first Kazakh woman to receive higher education at St. Petersburg universities — Gulsum Asfendiyarova (second row, left). Today, Gulsum Asfendiyarova is known as the first Kazakh female doctor with a higher education, an organizer of the healthcare system in the Turkestan region, a medical educator, and the elder sister of Sanjar Asfendiyarov — a renowned doctor, political figure, scholar, and professor, after whom the medical university in Almaty is now named. Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpaev studied at the Imperial Institute of Railway Engineers in St. Petersburg from 1900 to 1905. Kh. Dosmukhamedov studied at the Imperial Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg from 1903 to 1909. Zh. Seydalin studied at St. Petersburg University from 1900 to 1904. Asfendiyarova studied at the Women’s Medical Institute in St. Petersburg from 1902 to 1908. Based on these facts, it can be assumed that the photograph was taken in 1903 or 1904 when all the mentioned...

scientist World Cultural Heritage life and culture History Cultural Heritage

CNN Report on Ibn Sina Sparks Central Asian Nationality Debate

A recent CNN report referring to the scholar Ibn Sina as an Uzbek scientist has ignited controversy in Central Asia, particularly in Tajikistan. Tajikistan’s Minister of Culture, Matlubakhon Sattoriyon, strongly criticized the report, calling it a “distortion of reality.” Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath who made groundbreaking contributions to medicine, logic, physics, mathematics, and other sciences. Born in 980 in the village of Afshona near Bukhara, an area now part of Uzbekistan, he died in 1037. Over his lifetime, he authored more than 450 works, with about 240 surviving to this day. His most renowned book, The Canon of Medicine (Tib qonunlari), served as a standard medical text in Europe and the Islamic world for centuries. While the Ibn Sina segment was actually created not by CNN itself but by the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, Sattoriyon accused CNN of disregarding historical facts and described the report as another example of what she called the “appropriation” of Tajik's scientific and literary heritage. “This is an insult not only to the Tajik people but also to the history and culture of Persian literature worldwide,” she said. The minister urged Tajik scientists and intellectuals to counter such claims with evidence, though she also dismissed CNN’s report as “just a TV channel’s material with no historical basis,” pointing out that it does not reflect Uzbekistan’s official stance. In Uzbekistan, reactions to the controversy varied. Sherzodkhon Kudratkhuja, Rector of the University of Journalism and Mass Communications, acknowledged the shared history of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and called for moderation. “At a time when Central Asia is strengthening its unity, we must all approach such issues carefully,” Kudratkhuja said. He emphasized that Ibn Sina is commonly described as a scholar born in Bukhara, a region now within Uzbekistan’s borders, but suggested that he should be seen as a figure representing the entire Central Asian region. Bobur Bekmurodov, Chairman of Uzbekistan’s “Yuksalish” movement, expressed disappointment with Tajikistan’s criticism. “The legacy of figures like Ibn Sina belongs to the entire region and the world,” Bekmurodov said. He urged Central Asian nations to focus on shared challenges such as climate change, economic growth, and security rather than divisive historical disputes. Azamat Ziyo, Director of the Institute of History at Uzbekistan’s Academy of Sciences, echoed calls for regional unity. “There is no written evidence about the nationality of many historical figures in Central Asia, including Ibn Sina. What matters is their contribution to science and humanity, not their nationality,” he stated. Ziyo also appealed to politicians to avoid interfering in historical scholarship. “The science of history is the business of historians. We should rely on objective, source-based research rather than political interpretations,” he said. He emphasized the importance of collaboration among historians from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan to address shared historical legacies. Drawing on his 40 years of research into the history of Central Asian statehood, Ziyo explained the complexity of national identities in the region. “During the reign of the...

Cultural Heritage History Art and Culture Kazakh Art Central Asian Art

Amre Kashaubaev and the Mystery of an Old Photograph

In Kazakhstan, the musical talent of Amre Kashaubaev is well known. Thanks to him, European audiences were introduced to the live melodies of Kazakh music when Kashaubaev performed Kazakh songs at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts of 1925 in Paris. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the first recordings of Kazakh music were made between 1903 and 1909 during the travels of the German explorer Richard Karutz in Turkestan. His book, Among the Kirghiz and Turkmens in Mangyshlak, published in 1911 in Russia, was edited by Vasily Radlov, a renowned ethnographer, archaeologist, and educator of German origin, who was also a pioneer in Turkology. However, it was only in 1925, thanks to Kashaubaev’s talent, that Europeans could hear Kazakh folk songs performed live. The fate of this man is very similar to the destinies of thousands of talented individuals in the early years of the Soviet Union, whose creative works could not fit into the "Procrustean bed" of communist ideology. [caption id="attachment_27972" align="aligncenter" width="1279"] Amre Kashaubaev and his wife Orazke, Kzyl-Orda, 1926.[/caption] Amre Kashaubaev was born in 1888 in the Abraly district of the Semipalatinsk region. His first professional attempt to become a singer was a public performance at a fair near the village of Koyandy, not far from the modern city of Petropavlovsk, at a festival of Kazakh oral art. Through his songs, Kashaubaev’s art became famous throughout Kazakhstan. Anatoly Lunacharsky, then the People’s Commissar for Education, personally invited him to participate in concerts at the International Exhibition in Paris. Kashaubaev also actively participated in the creation of the first Kazakh professional theater. In April 1927, he gave a concert in Moscow, followed by a performance in Frankfurt. He frequently performed on the radio, singing Kazakh folk songs and enchanting listeners with the beauty and depth of his voice. His theatrical performances also garnered great interest. Today, archival institutions and museums in Kazakhstan hold only a few photographs and documents depicting Kashaubaev. This is because many documents were destroyed by his colleagues and relatives due to his political persecution by the Bolsheviks. His trip to Paris proved to be fatal for the singer since it drew the attention of the Soviet state security agencies. During the Paris exhibition, the talented singer met Kazakh political dissident Mustafa Shokay, who in 1917 had been the Chairman of the Kokand Autonomy — a state entity that lasted for six months in the Turkestan region of the Russian Empire. Moreover, Shokay was an active member of the Alash Party, which the Soviets deemed bourgeois and whose members were subjected to repression. Although Kashaubaev was not imprisoned for his ties with political opponents of the Bolsheviks, he faced significant pressure from the authorities. On December 6, 1934, he was found dead on the streets of Alma-Ata. The cause of his death remains unknown. Within the archival fonds of The Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents, and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan, we believe there...

memory Parliament History Politics Heritage

Kyrgyz MP Urges Parliament to Preserve Lenin Monument in Bishkek

Kyrgyz parliamentary deputy Iskhak Masaliyev has called on his fellow parliamentarians to refrain from debating the removal of the Vladimir Lenin monument in Bishkek’s Old Square. Speaking during a parliamentary session, Masaliyev emphasized that the proposal to dismantle the statue is both untimely and dismissive of Lenin's historical contribution to the formation of Kyrgyz statehood. Masaliyev reminded lawmakers that while the collapse of the Soviet Union granted independence to many nations, Soviet governance played a pivotal role in establishing the foundations of statehood for certain republics, including Kyrgyzstan. He outlined the historical context of the early 20th century, noting that the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan was then divided - part of it belonging to the Russian Empire and the other to the Kokand Khanate. According to the MP, the October Revolution was instrumental in creating the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast, which later evolved into the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and, eventually, an independent Kyrgyz state. “Many nations of the world still do not have their own territory. We, on the other hand, have a state with clearly defined borders, and Vladimir Lenin’s role in this is significant. I say this not as a politician, but as a historian,” Masaliyev declared. The MP expressed concern about modern society’s increasing disregard for history, noting that a substantial portion of the Kyrgyz population - around 30 to 40 percent - lived during the Soviet era and were shaped by its values. Erasing the memory of that period, he argued, is both impractical and disrespectful to the past. Masaliyev also pointed out the proximity of Lenin’s monument to a statue of Turdakun Usubaliyev, a prominent Soviet-era statesman and reformer. He argued that commemorating Usubaliyev and other notable figures from the Soviet period while removing Lenin’s monument would be inconsistent, as all were part of the same ideological framework underpinned by Lenin’s leadership. “We must understand that we cannot simultaneously honor some of them while rejecting the memory of others,” Masaliyev stressed. In closing, Masaliyev urged his colleagues to shelve the debate over the Lenin monument, suggesting that the parliament’s focus should instead be directed toward more pressing national issues. The discussion surrounding the Lenin statue gained momentum after parliament deputy speaker Nurbek Sydygaliyev proposed its removal, arguing that the square is named after Turdakun Usubaliyev and should honor his legacy exclusively.

International Cooperation Cultural Heritage History Art and Literature

Uzbekistan Receives Historic Manuscript Copies from Malaysia

Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage will soon be added to with facsimile copies of ancient manuscripts provided by Malaysia. This initiative is part of a collaboration between the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan and Malaysia’s International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization. During a recent visit to Malaysia by an Uzbek delegation, the Center’s Director, Firdavs Abdukhalikov, received copies of two invaluable works: Abu Rayhan Beruni's At-Tafhim and Abulkasim Firdavsi's Shahnameh, both transcribed during the Timurid era. Abdukhalikov believes this initiative aligns with broader efforts to promote humanitarian values and preserve Uzbekistan’s historical heritage. “The copies of manuscripts received today will further enrich the exposition of our center,” he stated. Beruni’s At-Tafhim, originally transcribed in 1197, holds immense significance for world science. Meanwhile, the Timurid-era transcription of Firdavsi’s Shahnameh, produced in the 15th century, reflects the traditions of book printing from that period and showcases the distinctive features of Kamoliddin Behzod’s renowned school of miniature painting. These manuscripts will be displayed at the Center for Islamic Civilization, which was established eight years ago to celebrate the contributions of Uzbek scholars to global civilization and to preserve the nation’s rich cultural legacy.