Excursions to museums of North Kazakhstan region.

“In multi-tribal St. Petersburg, in which Nevsky Prospect was tried to be handed over to us by several churches of other faiths, for exercising our proclaimed freedom of religion, in St. Petersburg we have a rarity of Kyrgyz: there are hardly five of them here. They wear pan-European military uniforms and, with the exception of only one person, do not announce their existence in anything special. This one is still a young cavalry officer, it seems a staff captain by rank, a cavalier of St. Vladimir by award, a sultan by birth, Chokan by name, Chingizovich by patronymic, Valikhanov by surname from the Siberian Kirghiz, he made a scientific trip to Kashgar, and this winter “I read at one of the meetings of the Geographical Society an extract from the report on my journey, full of independent erudition and truly humane views.”

"Modern Chronicle of the Russian Messenger" 1860.

Museum of Shokan Valikhanov in Sarymbet.

Historical and Ethnographic Museum named after Ch. Valikhanov is located at an altitude of 235 meters above sea level, located on Valikhanov Street, 6, in the northern part of the village of Syrymbet, Aiyrtau district, North Kazakhstan region.
The museum is a cultural and educational enterprise that purposefully collects, stores, and exhibits historical objects. The building was built in 1929, made of logs. The area is 320 square meters. The museum consists of 11 rooms. There are 6530 exhibits, which are divided into main and auxiliary.
The museum was opened in 1985, in November, during the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Kazakh scientist. Consists of six exhibition halls. In the first room there are photos and documents telling about Chokan’s famous ancestors and relatives.
A pedigree compiled by Chokan is shown, as well as a pedigree whose author is Zhangali Kulushev, the grandson of Zhakyp, Chokan’s brother, dating back to 1983. The second hall is dedicated to his studies in the cadet corps, where he became friends with G.N. Potanin, here in Omsk, he meets S.F. Durov, later, in Semipalatinsk, establishes friendly relations with F.M. Dostoevsky.
The exhibition shows drawings, facsimiles, documents, notes of the young scientist, testifying to his first travels in 1984 - 1897. In the same room, Chokan’s multifaceted personality as a traveler, geographer, ethnographer, historian, orientalist and artist is revealed. Theoretical material is accompanied by exhibits from the museum's collections.
The third hall tells about the famous trip of Chokan Valikhanov to Kashgar (!858 0 1859), which brought him fame as a brave traveler. The fourth hall is dedicated to the participants of the Second World War.
Fifth hall “Art Gallery”.
In one of his notes, Chokan Valikhanov describes a Kazakh yurt. The sixth room shows a yurt with its interior decoration.
Here you can see the carpet of Shokan Ualikhanov in a single copy, woven by the Alma-Ata factory named after V. Tereshkova, a portrait of Abylaykhan - the great-grandfather of Sh. Ualikhanov, a document conferring the title of nobility on Shyngys Ualikhanov in 1859, a formal list of his service, photographs of the solemn crown-laying ceremony Alexander II ascended the throne.
A separate room is dedicated to the research activities and travels of Shokan Ualikhanov, where there is a map of the Kazakh steppe compiled by Shokan, sketches of rock paintings.
The Historical and Ethnographic Museum named after Ch. Valikhanov is a monument of republican significance.
The work of the museum staff is aimed at collecting scientific literature, articles and other material evidence of the life and work of Sh. Ualikhanov, his relatives, associates and transmitting this valuable historical information through exposition and organization of exhibitions.
Every year within the walls of the museum literary readings and lectures are held on the topic: “Shokan (Muhammad-Hanafiyya) Valikhanov”, “Sh.Sh. Ualikhanov in St. Petersburg in the circle of Russian writers”, “Omsk affairs”, “Going all the way from the beginning - notes of a local historian”, etc.
Address of Historical and Ethnographic Museum named after Ch. Valikhanov: 
North Kazakhstan region, Aiyrtau district, village. Syrymbet (Ayrtau branch of State Scientific Enterprise “Kokshetau”). Head: Kulbaev Ualikhan Kairullinovich. Contact phone: 8 (71533) 283 18. 
Geographic coordinates of Historical and Ethnographic Museum named after Ch. Valikhanov: N53°29'09 E67°59'27

Authority: 
“Official tourism website of the Aiyrtau district of the North Kazakhstan region” http://op-airtau.sko.kz/ 
Guide to tourist sites of the North Kazakhstan region. Department of Tourism and Sports of the North Kazakhstan Region. 2012.

Photos by:
Book “Shokan Valikhanov” Publishing house “Golden Book”, 2016.