Earlier, we shared the history of the museification and the first exhibitions of several historical monuments under the National Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museum “Aziret Sultan” — including the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Eastern Bathhouse, the Juma Mosque, and the underground complex “Qiluet.” Today, we conclude this series with the story of another historic building — the Museum of the History of Turkistan — and its early museum-exhibition development.

The building that houses the museum is linked to the arrival of the Russian Imperial Army in Turkistan in 1864. It was constructed in 1905 and originally served as barracks for lower-ranking officers of the 1st Rifle Battalion of the Turkistan garrison. During the Soviet period, it housed the city’s “Elastik” sewing factory, which operated until the 1990s.

After Kazakhstan gained independence, the factory closed due to the economic crisis, and the building was abandoned. It fell into disrepair and was partially dismantled by looters. In 1989, the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi was reorganized into the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Aziret Sultan.” Its protection zone was established, and historical monuments began to be officially listed. At that time, the barracks building was also incorporated into the museum-reserve, and restoration and conservation efforts were initiated.

In 1995, Aziret Sultan and the A.Kh. Margulan Institute of Archaeology established the Turkistan Archaeological Expedition. Its main goal was to study medieval settlements and burial sites in the Turkistan region, collect materials for the future museum, and determine the age of the city.

In 1998–1999, the “Kazproektrestavratsiya” Institute, led by K.K. Tuyakbayev, carried out a full restoration: 38 windows and 11 doors were replaced, the interior was divided into nine functional sections, including workspaces for staff and restorers, a ticket office, guides’ rooms, and technical facilities. For the exhibition, 24 large and 32 small showcases, 16 square and 16 octagonal stands were prepared, along with painting and decorative works.

A thematic-exhibition plan (TEP) was developed under the leadership of M. Abdesh, with the participation of archaeologists E. Smagulov, M. Tuyakbayev, and A. Yerzhigitov.

The exhibition of the Museum of the History of Turkistan was structured into eight thematic sections:

1. “Ancient Times” – Stone, Bronze, and Early Iron Ages;
2. “Turkic Era”;
3. “Shaugar–Shoitobe City”;
4. “Yasy–Kultobe City”;
5. “Khoja Ahmed Yasawi — Pir of the Turkic Peoples”;
6. “Old Turkistan”;
7. “Turkistan — Capital of the Kazakh Khanate”;
8. “Turkistan — Spiritual Center of the Turkic World.”

In 2004, after archaeological excavations in several sites of the Turkistan oasis, another exhibition space was created on the territory of the museum-reserve — the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. Its unique feature was that the exhibition was arranged inside the fortress walls. It displayed archaeological finds, photographs and drawings of medieval towns, excavation scenes, and a large painting (by M. Tuyakbayev) depicting the 5th–6th century city of Sıdak Ata.

The exhibition of the Museum of the History of Turkistan underwent two re-expositions. The most recent one began in 2019 when Turkistan became the regional center. At that time, the main office building of the museum-reserve was demolished, and its storage and scientific library were moved to the Museum of the History of Turkistan. Because the exhibition space was reduced, part of the halls was used for temporary thematic exhibitions. For some time, the museum no longer fully reflected its original concept.

In June 2025, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a decision was made to modernize the exhibition in line with contemporary standards. A new thematic-exhibition plan for the Museum of the History of Turkistan, based on modern technologies, is currently under development.

Author: R. Zhuzbayeva, Exhibition Organizer.