Urban memory that preserves the spirit of the enlighteners -
The era of the enlighteners and the first reformers of Kazakhstan is coming to life here -
The Akhmet Baitursynov House Museum is one of the most soulful places in Almaty, where the past seems to keep its own breath. The modest house of the ancient urban development does not just preserve the memory of the great scientist and leader of the Alash movement: here you can feel the energy of a man who devoted his whole life to education, language and the formation of the Kazakh identity. On the street just below the museum is the Akhmet Baitursynov Square, where a monument to Akhmet Baitursynov is installed.
The museum is located at an altitude of 821 meters above sea level on the street of the same name next to the park of the same name in the central part of the city, on the city hill. When you go inside, it's like you're transported back almost a century, to the place where the first textbooks were created, reforms were born, and ideas emerged that changed the culture of an entire nation.
Today, the house museum welcomes guests with a calm, almost homely atmosphere. The modest building, hidden in the greenery of the old Almaty quarter, preserves under its roof the memory of the man who gave Kazakhstan the reformed alphabet, the first textbooks and the foundation of modern philology.
You can feel the spirit of the times inside – the quiet clink of an inkwell, the creak of a wooden floor, the rustle of pages, as if Akhmet Baitursynov had just left his office for a minute.
History
In the early 1930s, this house belonged to the merchant Zubov. It was here, on a small quiet street, that Akhmet Baitursynov lived with his family in 1933-1937. It was a difficult time for him, when he had already faced years of persecution, exile and constant restrictions. The house became a refuge, a place of rest and at the same time a working workshop, where the scientist continued to work on language research, translations, teaching aids and journalism.
After the tragic events of 1937, Baitursynov's name was banned for a long time. But already in the late 1980s, when his honest name was completely restored, the house was recognized as a monument of history and architecture. In 1993, the Memorial Museum was opened here, the first museum in the country dedicated to the legacy of the Kazakh language reformer, philologist, translator and one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century.
The museum's collection has been developing for decades. Today it has about five hundred materials, among which three hundred are original documents from state archives, rare photographs, personal belongings and unique manuscripts. It contains early editions of the Primer, the works of Forty Fables, Komar, Bayanshi, Er Sayin, textbooks on language and literature, materials from the Alash movement, as well as rare photographs of the scientist's family, friends and associates.
The museum itself occupies several rooms and a basement. Three rooms represent memorial exhibitions, one room is used as a lecture hall, and the lower floor serves as a workspace for employees. Since 2021, the house museum has been part of the Association of Museums in Almaty, which has given it a new development and expanded the possibilities of scientific work.
Atmosphere and exposition
Inside the house, a special museum silence has been preserved – such that even the soft rustle of paper can be heard. The former dining room became the first hall symbolically dedicated to the spiritual revival of Kazakh culture. Here you can see the insignia awarded to the scientist: the "Luminary of the Kazakh Language" award and the "Man of the Century" medal. These objects symbolize the recognition of Baitursynov as a language reformer and a man who restored the harmony and scientific basis of the Kazakh script.
In the second hall, the path of the thinker from his earliest years is revealed – school photographs, documents on graduation from the Orenburg school, pictures of Lake Akkol, which Baitursynov praised in his works, and the places where his father and brother rest. Here it is especially acutely felt how his character was formed: strict, honest, whole.
The third hall is the quietest and darkest. It is dedicated to the tragic page of the enlightener's life, his arrest and his last days. On the walls there is a copy of the arrest warrant and the last lifetime photo. The emotion here is literally felt physically; the space seems to take a pause, reminding of the price that many educators paid for the opportunity to tell the truth.
In the corner of the first hall there are Akhmet Baitursynov's personal belongings – a travel chest donated to the museum by his family of friends, an old suitcase belonging to scientist J. Otarbaev. These small details enliven the space in an amazing way, creating a sense of the presence of the owner of the house.
The identity of Akhmet Baitursynov
The name of Akhmet Baitursynov occupies a special place in the history of Kazakhstan. He was one of those rare people whose talent spanned several fields at once – science, literature, education and social activities. He is considered a reformer, thinker, poet, translator and the founder of Kazakh philological science. But above all, a man who consciously devoted his life to serving the people and preserving the Kazakh language.
Akhmet was born in Zhambyl region into a nomadic family, where from an early age he was able to feel the spirit of folk culture – folklore, oral traditions, poetic art. Education opened up a different world for him, and already in his youth his main life task was formed: to streamline the Kazakh script, make it accessible and modern. He became the author of the first systematic textbooks on grammar, phonetics and syntax of the Kazakh language, created an updated alphabet, developed teaching methods and proposed the scientific foundations that philologists use today.
Baitursynov was not only a scientist, but also an active educator. He advocated education in his native language, created educational materials for schools, and opened up opportunities for those who wanted to study, from nomadic children to urban students. He translated world literature, adapted Krylov's fables, wrote poetry, journalism, textbooks and research, many of which became the first in the history of Kazakh linguistics.
The tragedy of his life was the political repression that cut short his activities in 1937. But the memory of him turned out to be stronger than time. Today, Baitursynov is recognized as one of the greatest figures of Kazakh culture of the 20th century. His works continue to be republished, his ideas are studied at universities, streets, schools, research centers bear his name, and his house in Almaty has become a memorial filled with meaning and gratitude.
This museum is not just about the past. It's about a man who managed to leave a mark the size of an entire epoch.
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How to get there and visit -
The Baitursynov House Museum is located in Almaty at 60 Baitursynova Street, between Zhambyl Street and Shevchenko Street, Almaly district, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°14'46"N 76°55'37"E
Working hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10.00 – 19.00 (Monday is a day off)
Contacts: +7 727 292 10 89; +7 701 329 64 02
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Cultural Heritage and Legends: The Memory of the Heart
There is a touching story connected with this house about how Baitursynov planted trees in the courtyard, which today have become tall and sturdy, symbolizing the longevity of his ideas.
The staff of the house museum say that in the early morning, when the rooms are still dim, you can feel an unusual silence here - as if it holds the breath of a scientist. It is said that if you stand at the window of his office, you can hear a barely noticeable rustle, similar to the movement of sheets, and feel as if the owner of the house has just left for a minute and will soon return to his manuscripts. This slight vibration of silence is considered a special energy of the place, a memory of a man who devoted his whole life to enlightenment and the people.
The museum serves as a place of pilgrimage for students of philology and historians who come here for inspiration and to feel a connection with the great teacher of the Kazakh language.
Baitursyn readings are held here every year, and on memorial days, admirers of his talent gather to pay tribute to the man who laid the foundations of modern Kazakh writing and pedagogy.
The Akhmet Baitursynov House Museum is more than a museum, it is a place of strength and memory, where pages of the history of the Kazakh people come to life. Visiting this modest house provides a unique opportunity to understand the origins of modern Kazakh culture and feel a personal connection with one of its greatest figures.
Interesting nearby attractions:
• St. Nicholas Cathedral of Almaty;
• Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture;
• Karagaily Pine Park;
• Boluan Sholak Sports Palace;
• Central Stadium;
• Circus of Almaty;
• Mukhtar Auezov Drama Theatre;
• Monument to Mukhtar Auezov;
• Fantasy World Amusement Park;
• Biokombinat Square;
• Abai Avenue;
• Yesentai River.
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