Altynsarin memorial museum in Kostanay: 13,000 artefacts and a manuscript read by Kazakhs 140 years ago

As part of the Babalar Zholymen (“Walking in the Footsteps of the Ancestors”) expedition, an El.kz correspondent visited the Memorial Museum Ibrai Altynsarin, where documents rarely known to the general public are preserved.

The site where the educator established a school

The museum is located in the centre of Kostanay for a historical reason. It was here that Ybyrai Altynsarin established a school in 1884. Decades later, a museum building was constructed on the same site, becoming one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

The museum officially opened on 16 October 1991 pursuant to a decree of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2026, the institution marks its 35th anniversary. Its inauguration was timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the educator’s birth, giving the occasion special significance for the city.

One section of the museum reproduces the original school established by Altynsarin. Inside, a reconstructed memorial classroom features the educator seated at the teacher’s desk, while students’ notebooks are displayed on the desks facing the blackboard.

Honouring a distinguished native son

In Altynsarin’s homeland, his name has been given to a street, a school and a library, while two monuments commemorating the educator stand in Kostanay. His mausoleum is also located in the Kostanay Region.

The museum’s permanent exhibition is organised around three principal themes: Altynsarin’s biography, his public and educational activities, and his literary heritage. Dioramas and authentic artefacts illustrate the life and work of the prominent Kazakh educator during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Mausoleum on the banks of the Tobol river

Ybyrai Altynsarin passed away in 1889 and was buried near a lake that local residents referred to during his lifetime as the “Inspector’s Lake.” His mausoleum is situated approximately seven kilometres from the city of Kostanay on the right bank of the Tobol River.

The burial site is part of the family cemetery, where Altynsarin’s grandfather, parents and wife are also interred. In subsequent years, the Kostanay City Council officially designated the site as a protected burial place of the distinguished educator. In 1961, marking the 120th anniversary of his birth, a granite memorial stone was installed.

The mausoleum itself was constructed later in a traditional portal-and-dome architectural style using red brick. A granite memorial slab has been placed above the grave inside the structure. The memorial complex has undergone several restoration projects, during which two granite information panels were added - one displaying a map of the schools established by Altynsarin during his lifetime and the other featuring quotations reflecting his legacy.

Today, the mausoleum serves not only as a memorial site but also as a place of remembrance regularly visited by local residents and newly married couples wishing to pay tribute to the educator.

A manuscript worth visiting the museum for

The museum’s most valuable artefact is the manuscript Shariat-ul-Islam, compiled by Altynsarin in 1884 as an instructional text on the fundamentals of the Islamic faith. Written in the Kazakh language using the Arabic script, it includes translations of selected verses from the Qur’an that the educator considered particularly important for his students.

The manuscript explains the observance of religious obligations, the proper practice of charitable giving, and the principles of living in accordance with Islamic teachings. Although written in Arabic script, its language was deliberately adapted to ensure accessibility for Kazakh readers.

The original manuscript was donated to the museum in 2008 by the late Imam of the Maral Ishan Mosque, Ertai Kazhy. Museum specialists regard the document as one of the most valuable holdings in the institution’s archival collection.

Schools that transformed the Turgay region

In 1879, Altynsarin was appointed Inspector of Kazakh Schools of the Turgay Region. In this capacity, he initiated the establishment of educational institutions in Turgay, Irgiz, Kostanay and Aktobe. The museum displays a map identifying every school and educational institution founded under his leadership.

Today, the museum’s archival collection comprises more than 500 documents relating to the educator’s life and work. Many of these materials were assembled through the efforts of local historians and civic activists from Kostanay, who spent years locating documents in private collections and archival repositories.

Museum collection

The museum’s collection comprises approximately 13,000 artefacts, including archival documents, personal belongings, books, and household items dating from the period in which Altynsarin lived and worked.

For participants in the Babalar Zholymen expedition, visiting the museum and the mausoleum provided a unique opportunity to see first-hand the historical documents and memorial site associated with the development of education and the spiritual culture of the Kazakh Steppe one and a half centuries ago.