Kazakhstan’ Rich Past Sets Stage for Bright Future
Kazakhstan has a rich past. Its geographical and geopolitical position has played a vital role in promoting the country’s development. Located in the center of Eurasia, Kazakhstan has long found itself at the crossroads of the world’s most ancient civilizations and trade routes. It has been a land of social, economic and cultural exchange between East and West, North and South, and between the major players in Eurasia. At different stages of its history, various states emerged and developed in the land which became today’s Kazakhstan. All contributed to Kazakh culture.
A thousand years before the Christian era, the nomadic Skythian-
Saka civilization prospered on the Central Asian steppes. Many
of their cultural monuments have survived till present days. The
most impressive are tools and things of everyday life made in gold
and bronze in the “wild animals style” extracted from burial
mounds in different regions of Kazakhstan. The royal tomb of the
“Golden Warrior Prince” of the Saka civilization, found in the
ancient town of Issyk close to Almaty, is famous for its integrity,
beauty, elegance and craftsmanship. The motifs of this cultural
treasure have become the basis of the modern Monument of
Independence erected in Almaty in 1990s.
In later centuries, the steppes were home to a powerful state
formed by the Huns. Their empire greatly influenced the
geopolitical map of that time. The Great Roman Empire in Europe
eventually fell from the blows of the Attila the Hun’s daring warriors.
Later, the Huns were replaced on the steppes by Turkic tribes.
They founded several large states known as “kaganats” stretching
from the Yellow Sea in the East to the Black Sea in the West.
These states were distinguished by a culture progressive for that
time. They were based not only on a nomadic economy but also
on an oasis urban culture with rich trade and handicraft traditions.
During this time, cities and caravanserais were founded in the
oases of Central Asia, the territory of South Kazakhstan and
Central Asia. They stood along the famous trade route known
as the Great Silk Road which connecting Europe and China.
Other trade routes were also important including the route along
the Syr Dariya River to the Aral Sea and the South Urals as well
the so called “Sable Road” from South Western regions of Siberia through Central Kazakhstan and the Altai region. It was through trade on the “Sable Road” that the Middle East and Europe were supplied with expensive furs. Major cities and trade centers founded on these routes included Otrar (Farab), Taraz, Kulan, Yassy (Turkestan), Sauran, and Balasagun.
The Great Silk Road not only stimulated
the development of trade, it also became
a conduit for progressive scientific and
cultural ideas. For example, the great
philosopher Al-Farabi (870-950) was greatly
influenced by the culture of the trade routes.
Born in the Farab district, Al-Farabi was
dubbed in the East “the Second Teacher”
after Aristotle for his profound researches in
philosophy, astronomy, musical theory and
mathematics. The outstanding scholar of
Turkic philology Mahmud Kashgari lived
here in the 11th century. He created the
three-volume “Dictionary of Turkic Dialects”
which summed up Turkic folklore and
literature heritages.
In the 11th Century, Yusup Balasaguni of
the town of Balasagun, a famous poet and
philosopher, wrote “Kutaglu Bilig” (“A
Knowledge that Brings Happiness”) which
is recognized as having played an important
role in the development of modern social,
political and ethical conceptions. The Sufi
poet Hodja Ahmet Yassaui, who lived in the
12th century, wrote a collection of poetic
thoughts “Divan-i-Khikmet” (“Book of Wisdom”).
He is famous throughout the Muslim world.
Part of the cultural legacy of that period is the elegant urban architecture. Examples such as the mausoleums of Arystan Baba, of the great Sufi Hodja Akhmet Yassaui in Turkestan
and Aisha Bibi in Taraz are among the
best preserved. Apart from this, the most
ancient nomads of the region invented
the “yurt”, a dome-shaped easily
dismantled and portable house made
from wood and felt, ideal for their
nomadic life and beliefs.
In 1221, Mongolian tribes of Genghis
Khan conquered Central Asia and added
their culture and values to the
increasingly complex society of the
region.
By the second half of the 15th Century a
process of consolidation had begun among the peoples of the Central Asian steppe. This process, derived from the various ethnic and cultural identities, was drawn together by a common world view and lifestyle. The first Kazakh khanates emerged at this time. By the first half of the 16th Century, the formation of a single Kazakh nation was completed. The word “Kazakh” in the old Turkic language meant “free” or “independent” which perfectly fit the character of the people who had been long yearning for their own independent state.
In the 17th and 18th Centuries the nomadic Jungar tribes directed by the Chinese Bogdykhans started a large scale war against the Kazakh khanate.
However, thanks to the courage of the “batyrs” (knights), the decisiveness of the Kazakh leader Ablai Khan, the diplomatic skills of the Kazakh ‘biys’ (sages) Tole Bi, Kazdausty Kazybek Bi, Aiteke Bi, and self sacrifice of the people, the Kazakhs escaped total capture and physical annihilation. The Kazakh khans were forced to seek the military protection of the Russian Empire, which eventually led to Kazakhstan’s loss of sovereignty in 1871.
For a time, the fate of Kazakhstan was tied to the European model of social development and the fate of the Russian State and its peoples.
After the 1917 revolution Soviet power was established in Kazakhstan. Kazakhs suffered greatly under Soviet control.
Due to the forced collectivization in the 1930s, hunger caused the death of 1.5 million Kazakhs, which was more than 40 percent of the nation. Hundreds of thousands Kazakhs fled to China and elsewhere. The brightest and the best of the nation were repressed and often shot dead. The regime’s last gasp was the brutal repression of the Kazakh people on December 17, 1986 as they took to the streets seeking justice. Many consider this the beginning of the end for the once mighty Soviet Union.
Kazakhstan proclaimed its independence on December 16, 1991, and Nursultan Nazarbayev was democratically elected the first President of the country.
