The Culture of Kazakhstan

Thousands of years ago, an original culture which revered nature was born in the nomadic society in the very centre of Eurasia, within the limitless steppe among high mountains and lakes. It appeared as a result of the merging of the cultures of Mongolian and Turkic people and later it was enriched by elements of Islamic and Persian world-views. During that period, Kazakhstan did not exist as a state. However, a centuries-old cultural community had already been formed. The term “Kazakh”, which means “free”, appeared later in the 14th – 15th centuries. As a result of a passionate yearning for defining the position of this culture among other cultures, with which they had something in common and at the same time were different, it became necessary to unite many tribes of the steppe into something integral and united on the basis of the similarity of behavior, language (the Turkic language) and places of residence. So, before the state appeared, a free nomadic culture existed, which was based on the practical knowledge of reality and spiritual concepts in quite difficult conditions of permanent movement in expanse and time. The representatives of the nomadic ethnic groups of the step were not the exclusive members of this culture since the representatives of other cultures also entered it. Since that moment, the culture has been developing as an original Kazakh one, which maintains the traditions, customs, language, etc. and as a culture of Kazakhstan, which includes the features of numerous nations (more than 130) residing today in the country. Today, the culture of Kazakhstan represents a complex of aesthetic values of the Kazakh people, conveyed in original and different spiritual and material forms.

As a result of its nature, the culture provides us with the development and enrichment of creative potential and with an individual place in the family of national cultures.

 

National Arts and Crafts

 

The area of the nomadic culture of the people, their notion of the world and its beauty, the ways and forms of adaptation to nature and climatic conditions of the Great Steppe are embodied in the traditional works of talented craftsmen. The sublime form is the yurt, which is a perfect kind of demountable and portable house, which is carried by horses and camels. The inner and outer decorations of the yurt are embellished with carpets and embroidered things made of felt.

Everyday objects were made of felt, wood, leather and metal.

Clothes. Men’s clothes: velvet chapan, belt with embroidery, skullcap, felt caps.

Women’s clothes: dresses similar to tunics and sleeveless jackets made of cotton, silk and velvet.

Jewellery. Goldsmiths (zergers) used casting, engraving, repousse and chasing, filigree, niello, granulation and enamel when making jewellery of gold and white silver.

The national ornament, which is used in jewellery, is a unique language of the Kazakh people, enriched with deep meaning.

Music

 

Ancient Kazakh musical instruments include the dombra and kobyz (stringed musical instruments played by plucking), the saz-syrnai, which is a clay flute and the sabyzgy, which is a cane flute. Korkyt is the creator of the kobyz and kyuy, a genre of music. Musicians. Great Kazakh dombra players and Kyuy performers include AsanKaygy (15th century), Tattimbet, Dauletkerey, and Kurmangazy, among kobyz players there is Ykylas (19th century), and NurgisaTlendiyev (20th century).

Folk singers. Great singers include Zhayau Musa, Akan Sere, Amre, Madi, Kenen (19th- 20th centuries) and ShamshiKaldayakov (20th century).

New genres. World fame has been gained by such composers of the professional school as E Brusilovsky (author of “KyzZhibek”, the first national opera), E Rakhmadiyev (the creator of the “symphonic kyuy” genre), virtuosi Zhaubakirova, pianist, A. Musakhodzhayeva and M Bisengaliyev, who are violinists, E Serkebayev, B Tulegenova, A Dnishev, E Kurmangaliyev, who are opera singers, and R Rymbayeva, a diva. There are three theatres of opera and ballet, a number of symphony orchestras and a great number of folk orchestras and groups in Kazakhstan.