Archaeological sites of Ulytau.

"We don't understand ruins until we ourselves become ruins."

Heinrich Heine.

Architectural and archaeological heritage of Ulytau.

The mausoleum of Kustabay and Zhanul is located on the ancient necropolis of Duzen Sandybai, 705 meters from the right (western) bank of the Kara-Kengir River, 4.1 kilometers southwest of the village of Kokolen, 19.1 kilometers northwest of the village of Malshybai in the Ulytau district of the Karaganda region.
“Among the gravestones, attention is drawn to two small mausoleums erected at the ancient cemetery of Dyuzen Sandybai on the graves of Zhuzden's sons - Kustabay and Zhanul. The latter, in terms of volume and composition, are designed as domed structures (gumbez) ​​with small primitive peshtaks.
On the main axis there are small arched niches, in the depth of which, in the back wall, entrances inside are also arranged in the form of arched openings. For the architectural design of the facades, simple means were used: curly brickwork and ceramic stamped with patterns 32 x 32 cm tiles for the frieze.
Their drawing is primitive, rough, in the form of "toothed" and T-shaped fillets. Figured "Christmas tree" masonry is applied on the smooth surface of the side walls. The interiors of the premises are simply decorated in brick.
The overlaps of their chambers are made with cone-shaped domes, erected by traditional methods - with the help of swing arches in the corners of the premises. The materials for both sites were adobe and burnt bricks of a new sample - vershok measurement; the latter was used only for facing the outer and inner surfaces of walls, arches and domes.
In appearance, both structures make a good impression, but large errors were made in the work; the cladding is made without bandaging with the main adobe part, so it peels off and falls off. Both mausoleums were built in the late 90s of the XIX and early XX centuries.
Both monuments reflected the influence of the progressive methods of the Russian art of construction."
Geographic coordinates of the Kustabay mausoleum: N48 ° 28'55.42 "E67 ° 38'07.38"

Authority:
G.G. Gerasimov. "Architectural monuments of the valley of the Kara-Kengir river in Central Kazakhstan". Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. Alma-Ata. 1957.

Photos by
Alexander Petrov.