The National Museum of Kazakhstan Offers a Unique Opportunity for Those Who Wish to Discover the Country
The National Museum of Kazakhstan Offers a Unique Opportunity for Those Who Wish to Discover the Country
The National Museum of Kazakhstan introduces visitors to the country’s deep-rooted past and cultural richness with over 220,000 historical artifacts on display.
Architecturally resembling the shape of a bird, the museum is located in the same area as some of the symbolic landmarks of the capital Astana, including the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, Kazakh Eli Square, the Palace of Independence, the Hazrat Sultan Mosque, and the National University of Arts.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, the National Museum has hosted more than 7 million visitors during this period.
Spanning eight floors, the museum sheds light on various historical periods of Kazakhstan, the cultural richness developed by ancient civilizations that lived on these lands, and the shared deep-rooted Turkic history. More than 220,000 artifacts are exhibited throughout the museum.
The Museum’s Highlight: "The Golden Man"
The museum stands out as one of the first places visited by foreign tourists arriving in the capital.
The “Gold” hall, where thousands of pure gold items from around 2,500 years ago are displayed, fascinates visitors with its grandeur. Kazakhstan’s first “Golden Man” is also located in this hall.
Museum guide Aydana Serik stated that the “Golden Man,” unearthed from the Issyk kurgan in southern Kazakhstan, was actually a Saka prince (or warrior) around 17–18 years old, and was buried covered from head to toe in gold items.
Serik said, “We welcome a large number of visitors every day who come specifically to see the Golden Man, the highlight of our museum. It has been confirmed that he was a Saka prince who lived on these lands about 2,500 years ago. Nearly 4,000 gold items were found on his body and in his burial. All of these can be seen in this hall.”
“Ancient Turkic Civilization” Hall
Serik also noted that gold items unearthed from graves in western Kazakhstan, most of which date back to the Sarmatian period, are also on display.
She added that the museum features an “Ancient Turkic Civilization” hall dedicated to the shared Turkic history, where valuable artifacts reflecting the spiritual and cultural life of ancient Turkic states are exhibited.
An Artifact Found Nowhere Else in the World
Serik drew attention to the significance of the Altai Mountains in ancient Turkic history, saying, “In this hall of our museum, we exhibit many artifacts discovered through archaeological excavations carried out in the foothills of the Altai Mountains — considered the golden cradle of Turkic civilization in our country.”
She also noted that the museum houses a unique artifact not found in any other museum in the world, concluding:
“At our museum, we exhibit the bones and saddle of horses ridden by Saka warriors between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, discovered at the Berel kurgan in the foothills of the Altai Mountains by Kazakh archaeologist Zeynolla Samashev. These horse bones and saddle, preserved due to the discovery of the frozen kurgan, demonstrate that equestrian culture developed on these very lands.”