Aksu District History and Local Lore Museum named after I. Zhansugurov

The Ilyas Zhansugurov Historical and Local Lore Museum was founded in 1994 in the Aksu District. The total area of the museum is 246 square meters. The number of items in the collection is 450, of which 145 are part of the main collection.

The museum’s exhibition halls are dedicated to the nature and ethnography of the region, the life and activities of Ilyas Zhansugurov. There are also materials about the heroes of war and labor. Items of folk applied art made of silver are of particular interest. The first hall is dedicated to the history of the Aksu settlement. The second hall contains dioramas depicting the development of humankind from ancient times to the present. Numerous rock paintings found in the Aksu area confirm the presence of ancient people in these lands. The third hall is dedicated to the flora and fauna of the Aksu District. As a “highlight” of the exhibition, an extensive collection of rare insect species is presented here. The fourth and fifth halls are dedicated to ancient history. The exhibition of the sixth hall tells directly about the life and work of the famous Kazakh poet Ilyas Zhansugurov. It contains numerous photographs, manuscripts, personal belongings of the poet and his family members, and gifts from literary friends. A separate exhibition presents items telling about the honorary citizens of the Aksu District.

As a priceless exhibit, the museum houses an old kobyz on which the unparalleled master Molykbay Baisakuly, born 150 years ago, played. The kobyz player was a fellow countryman of the poet Ilyas Zhansugurov.