Photo tours in Kostanay region.

  “Like a brilliant meteor, a descendant of the Kazakh khans and at the same time an officer of the Russian army, Chokan Chingisovich Valikhanov, flashed over the field of oriental studies. Russian Orientalists unanimously recognized in his person a phenomenal phenomenon and expected great and important revelations from him about the fate of the Turkic peoples, but the premature death of Chokan deprived us of these hopes. In less than thirty years, he did what others could not do in their entire lives.

Orientalist, Academician Nikolai Veselovsky.

Trip from Kostanay to Petropavlovsk.

Village of Kuntimes is located at an altitude of 136 meters above sea level, located 12.4 kilometers northeast of the right bank of the Ubagan River, 41.2 kilometers northwest of the village of Sarykol, 36.3 kilometers northeast of the village of Krylovka, 116.5 kilometers northeast of the city of Kostanay, in the Sarykolsky district of the Kostanay region.
One of the sacred places is the village of Kuntimes. According to some studies, it was here that the ethnographer, traveler, scientist, diplomat, educator, public figure Chokan Valikhanov was born and spent the first years of his life.
It was the father of the future scientist, Genghis, who was in the service of the Russian Tsar, who appropriated such a poetic name for the village. No wonder he chose to stay here. After all, this is truly a steppe oasis.
The aul, surrounded on all sides by a pine forest, almost did not reach the rays of the sun, which is reflected in the name: “kun” - “sun”, “times” - “will not reach”. The settlement was founded in 1834 by Chingiz Valikhanov, who, in the year of his election as Sultan of the Amankaragai district, chose this valley as the place of his headquarters.
The legend says that on the orders of the Sultan, a clearing was cut here, which served as an exit and an entrance, while the rest of the forest was a reliable protection bestowed by nature. According to historical data, Chingiz had a pine house in the village of Kuntimes, where he and his family lived until 1842, and then moved to the Kushmurun fortress.
Not far from this house there was a mosque with a madrasah, which was founded and built by the father of Chokan Valikhanov in the year of his son's birth. Later it was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Only recently the villagers collected money and immortalized the point where the mosque stood.
They broke the alley, and prepared a pedestal for the monument. Caring residents of the village participated in the fair of ideas and received a grant for the creation of a monument to Chokan Valikhanov - half a million tenge.
In 2017, a monument to the young Chokan Valikhanov was erected. Academician Alkey Margulan wrote that it was in Kuntimes that Chokan Valikhanov was born in the 50s of the century before last, later the historian Manash Kozybaev confirms this in his writings.
n Soviet times, the name of the aul changed several times, and only on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Chokan Valikhanov, the historical name was returned to the village. The most important fact that the famous ethnographer was born here is called the maps of Chokan himself, where the area of ​​Kuntimes is designated by him as “bіzdіn uy” - “our home”.
Today Kuntimes is going through hard times. From the former greatness there were only faded traces. Many villagers left in difficult times, and now the village has only a couple of dozen houses. But the sincere love of local residents for their small homeland, reverent attitude to the history of the region explain their desire to see their village in the local list of shrines in Kazakhstan.
Given the historical significance and natural advantages of the area, the village of Kuntimes has the right to become a place for tourism and recreation not only for residents, but also for guests of the Kostanay region.
Geographical coordinates of village of Kuntemes: N53°38'41.00" E65°14'07.00"

Authority  and photos by:
https://library-rudny.kz/news/selo-kuntimes-mesto-rozhdeniya-chokana/

Photos by
https://www.ng.kz/modules/news/article.php?storyid=46333