Y.М. Kariyev

Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan

 

On new scientific achievements of National program “Cultural heritage” in investigating archaeological monuments in Kazakhstan  

 

National program "Cultural heritage" was developed on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev. In 2003 in the address to the people of Kazakhstan the Head of state instructed to elaborate a special program aimed at creating an integrated system for studying the great cultural heritage of Kazakhstan, valuable Fund of humanitarian education in the state language, provision of recreation of historical, cultural and architectural monuments, generalization of the centuries-old experience of national literature and writing.

The realization of the program was begun in 2004 with an expected duration of two years. Later there were developed two more stages of the program: 2007-2009 and from 2009 till 2011.

    National program "Cultural heritage" has become the basic document in the field of development of spiritual and educational activity, strategic national project, which determined the state approach to culture. Kazakhstan was the first among post-Soviet countries have implemented the realization of this huge project.

The goal of the national program "Cultural heritage" is the studying, restoration and preservation of historical and cultural heritage of the country, revival of historical and cultural traditions and propaganda of cultural heritage of Kazakhstan abroad.

The program was implemented in several directions:

- the reconstruction of historical and cultural and architectural monuments of particular importance for the national culture;

- archeological research;

- scientific work in the field of cultural heritage of Kazakh people;

- summarizing of the centuries-old experience of national literature and writing, creating deployed artistic and scientific series.

From 2004 to 2011 within the program "Cultural heritage" were carried out extensive archaeological research in practically all territory of Kazakhstan on the monuments wide chronological range - from the Paleolithic age to the late Middle ages. Each study is rich with their scientific achievements, the following are just some of the most significant in the opinion of the author results of the study of the monuments of different epoch.

There were studied the monuments of the Stone age – Shoktas, Koshkurgan and Maybulak. The results of research are showed that in territory of Eurasia from the Pacific ocean in the East to the Atlantic ocean in the West, from around 700-800 thousand  BC and up to 100-150 thousand BC there was a well-pronounced microindustria of stone tools, exciting periods of the Acheulian and Moustiers i.e. early and middle Paleolithiс period (2,  315-316).

 Thereу were carried out researches on the monument to the first horse-breeders of the Neolithic epoch in Botay settlement. These studies showed that Kazakhstan has entered a zone of horse domestication - this outstanding for the history of mankind process (1, 161-165). 

On the cemetery of the early iron age Berel on the territory of Kazakh Altai were conducted excavations of burial mounds and graves in permafrost (3, 203-207). There were obtained unique, perfectly preserved samples of ancient applied art (2, 272-277). And later after the reconstruction these artifacts occupied an honorable place in the exposition of the Presidential Museum.

   On the Ustyurt plateau in Western Kazakhstan was studied the settlement Toksanbay.  By results of researches it was recognized that this monument had been a protourban settlement of early Bronze Age (6, 222-223).

   On the settlement Koylyk (Kayalyk, Kaylyk) in Jetysu - medieval urban center of Karluk State, which was a kind of meeting place and coexistence of world religions - Buddhism, Christianity and Islam (7, 81-85), was discivered cathedral mosque of ХІІ-ХІІІ AD и mausoleum of ХІ-ХІІ AD, which were covered with carved bricks. This is one of the brightest monuments of Islamic architecture in Kazakhstan (1, 103-107).

Also there was conducted archaeological and conservation work on complex Akyrtas near the city of Taraz in southern Kazakhstan (4, 258-261). This is the only stone structure in Kazakhstan is the Grand Palace, built by the Arab architects, invited by the Karluks after the battle of Talas in 751 AD (1, 212-220).

Research on medieval settlement Talhir near the city of Almaty in southeastern part of  Kazakhstan showed that this medieval town was one of the centers of metallurgy and metal working in Central Asia, whose masters knew manufacture of damask steel (1, 107-112; 5, 146-150).

According to the results of the national program "Cultural heritage" archaeological research has shown, that it is a major component of the study, restoration and preservation of spiritual and material heritage of the past. As a result of archaeological research conducted in the framework of the program "Cultural heritage", received enormous material, found a lot of new information, allowing a deeper understanding and knowledge of the history of Kazakhstan. From the start of the program "Cultural heritage" 2004 were held over forty archaeological research on the monuments of all historical periods and periods that enriched science valuable data, considerably supplemented and corrected ideas about the ancient history of Kazakhstan and Eurasia in General.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

1.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие-2004». Алматы, 2005. 200 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage-2004". – Almaty, 2005. 200 pp.

2.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2005 году. Алматы, 2006. 322 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2005. – Almaty, 2006. 322 pp.

3.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2006 году. Алматы, 2007. 218 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2006. – Almaty, 2007. 218 pp.

4.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2007 году. Алматы, 2008. 308 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2007. – Almaty, 2008. 308 pp.

5.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2008 году. Алматы, 2009. 268 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2008. – Almaty, 2009. 268 pp.

6.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2009 году. Алматы, 2010. 259 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2009. – Almaty, 2010. 259 pp.

7.    Отчет об археологических исследованиях по государственной программе «Культурное наследие» в 2010 году. Алматы, 2011. 148 с. \\ Report about archeological investigations by state program "Cultural heritage" in 2010. – Almaty, 2011. 148 pp.