Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the oldest and largest museums not only in Kazakhstan but also in Central Asia.
В музее четыре экспозиционных зала, охватывающих всю историю Казахстана: от древних времен до современности.
How to Get There
The museum is located at 44 Samal 1. The nearest bus stop is Ramstor, which is just above the museum. You can reach it by taking buses 2, 63, 86, or 127.
The Abaya metro station is a 5-7 minute walk from the museum.
Opening Hours
Wednesday to Monday, from 9:00 to 18:00
Tuesday - Closed
Museum Building
You can't miss the museum building. It's a monumental structure combining elements of postmodernism and Eastern motifs. The facade of the museum is faced with shell rock.
Opening the massive doors, you enter the compositional center of the museum - the main hall under the dome.
Around the main hall, on two levels, are the exhibition halls. From the main hall, you can also descend to the lower floor: there is the "Hall of Paleontology and Archaeology," a cafeteria, cloakroom, and restroom.
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 500 tenge
- Students and seniors: 300 tenge
- Schoolchildren: 200 tenge
- "Open Fund" Hall with guided tour: 1300 tenge
- "Anthropology" Hall with guided tour: 1000 tenge
- N.G. Khudov Hall with guided tour: 1000 tenge
- Guided tour in Russian or Kazakh for 1 hour, 1 hall: 1000 tenge
- Guided tour in English for 1 hour, 1 hall: 2000 tenge
The museum's collection
The museum's collection begins with the coat racks. In the cloakroom, rows of jars and flasks with dried snakes are lined up.
As you continue into the animal kingdom, you encounter stuffed roe deer, deer, hedgehogs, snow leopards, various birds, and even a collection of delicate decorative butterflies under glass before entering the "Hall of Paleontology and Archaeology".
"The Paleontology Hall" is my favorite. I still have vivid memories from my childhood, standing before the remains of a mammoth, which seemed alive to me at the time. And many years later, I realize that the mammoth, it turns out, consists only of fragments of several preserved bones.
The collection of ancient fossils is extensive, ranging from imprints of fragments of plane tree leaves or ferns to the shells of mollusks such as ammonites and belemnites.
The exhibits are arranged in chronological order, so next comes an introduction to the Stone Age in the territory of Kazakhstan, followed by the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages.
The "Hall of Kazakh Ethnography" is dedicated to traditional Kazakh culture and traditions, the way of life, and the life of nomads.
In the center of the hall stands a yurt with all its decoration, and visitors can peek inside.
The collection of national costumes and examples of carpet weaving are particularly interesting.
The third exhibition hall consists of two sections: "History and Ethnography of the People Living in Kazakhstan" and "Kazakhstan During the Great Patriotic War."
Through photographs, documents, national clothing, and household items, visitors can learn a lot about the culture and history of the 16 ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan.
In another part of the hall, showcases tell the story of the Kazakhstani rear during the war, and the composition is completed by the Circle of Glory, where the names of 510 Kazakhstanis - Heroes of the Soviet Union - are inscribed.
The fourth hall is located on the floor above and is dedicated to the modern history of Independent Kazakhstan: from the creation of its own flag to the arrival of the first major investors and the country's sporting achievements.