The story behind a photograph: Zauresh Yergaliyeva and her camels

Among the recovered images is a photograph of a camel herder from 1951. A Kazinform News Agency correspondent set out to uncover the details and context of that historical period.

The photograph features Zauresh Yergaliyeva, who worked as a camel herder in the Stalin collective farm in the Ordinsky district (now Bokey Orda district) of the West Kazakhstan region. The photograph was originally published by KazTAG in 1951.

According to Baktyly Boranbayeva, a PhD in history and an associate professor at M. Otemisov West Kazakhstan State University, women played a dominant role in agriculture during and after World War II.

According to Boranbayeva, at that time, the Ordinsky district had 48 collective farms, Camel Breeding Plant No. 88, Horse Breeding Plant No. 67, and a Machine Tractor Station (MTS). In 1952, due to the transfer of a significant part of the district’s territory to the Kapustin Yar, residents became internal migrants and relocated to five districts of the West Kazakhstan region, as well as to the South Kazakhstan and Guryev (now Atyrau) regions. Among these relocated facilities was the well-known Camel Breeding Plant No. 88.

"History tells us that during World War II, the camel and horse breeding plants in Orda served the needs of the front and contributed to the victory. Unfortunately, the labor of workers at these plants—camel herders and horse herders —was never properly studied or documented," said Boranbayeva.

Historian Zulkhozha Sharafutdinov added that 245 able-bodied people from the Stalin collective farm were resettled, not counting children.

"Zauresh Yergaliyeva’s name was not among them, so it seems she stayed behind. People from the Stalin collective farm were resettled in the Zhanibek district, while others remained in Orda. It is known that three collective farms from Orda—'International,' Kaganovich, and Kalinin—were relocated to South Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, collective farms under the Suyundik, Azgir, Labai, and Batyrbek village councils were transferred to the Atyrau region," said Sharafutdinov.

Historical records indicate that the Saykhin village council in the Ordinsky district had three collective farms—Lenin, Stalin, and Molotov. The Stalin collective farm was later reorganized into Farm No. 1 of the M. Mametova state farm, with its central settlement in the village of Mambet. As a result, an effort was made to locate archival documents related to this transition.

However, in response to an inquiry, Mirzhan Karabalin, director of the Zhalpaktal branch of the West Kazakhstan State Archive, reported that documentation of the Stalin collective farm had not been submitted for preservation.

The West Kazakhstan State Archive contained no records of the mentioned collective farm or Zauresh Yergaliyeva. However, reports from Camel Breeding Plant No. 88 for 1938 and 1942 have been preserved.

In 1942, amid the war, the plant fulfilled its breeding camel stock plan by 100.5%, reaching 3,410 camels. Of these, 784 were transferred to Horse Breeding Plant No. 51, leaving 2,626. By January 1, 1943, the total number had risen to 2,641. The breeding plan was completed at 96.7%, with 477 camel calves born instead of the projected 493. Additionally, 190 working camels were registered.

According to the West Kazakhstan region's agricultural department, the camel population in the region stood at 4,100 in 1991. Today, it has reached 2,636—1.6% more than last year. Among them, the "Rauan" farming enterprise in the Bokey Orda district owns 258 breeding camels. In the same district, "M. Boranbayev" farm has 40, while "Nurtlek" farm in the Akzhaik district has 39, "Sabit" farm has 10, and private households collectively keep 505 camels.

We also asked local residents about Zauresh Yergaliyeva.

"In the Ordinsky district, camel herding was a job for men. I have never heard the name Zauresh Yergaliyeva," said 83-year-old Kaspi Zhakhatov, who now lives in Uralsk.

Labor veteran Nurbolat Sabirov, who herded camels at the Orda state farm from 1988 to 1995, shared his memories:

"There were more than 500 camels at the Orda state farm at that time. Everyone knows the famous camel herder Kairbolat Khairushev. My wife, Aiman, was my assistant—we milked the female camels and supplied the milk to a medical facility. Later, we crossbred our camels with Kalmyk ones to create a breeding herd, which became part of the Khan Ordasy LLP," said Sabirov.

Meanwhile, Rauan Mukhanbetchin, head of the "Rauan" farming enterprise in the Khan Ordasy rural district, reported that the farm currently has more than 300 camels.

"We lived at Camel Breeding Plant No. 88 (with its central settlement in the village of Ezhen), deep in the sands. Along with Horse Breeding Plant No. 67, our plant was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense and reported directly to Moscow. After the camel breeding plant was disbanded, the livestock was either distributed or slaughtered—nothing remained. Horse Breeding Plant No. 67, along with its herd, was relocated to another region. When the lands of the Ordinsky district were transferred to the military testing range, we had to move as well," said labor veteran Zhenis Bisenbayev, a resident of Uralsk.

In our search for the woman in the historical photograph, we uncovered many fascinating facts about camel breeding, both past and present. The 1951 image of Zauresh Yergaliyeva is just one of thousands of rare photographs that Kazinform has collected from various archives. A curated selection of these images will be showcased in exhibitions across Kazakhstan this year.

Kazakhstanis will have the opportunity to see not only visual records of pivotal moments in the country’s history but also rediscover the unique architecture of their hometowns.

The earliest photo in this unique collection dates back to 1929 and depicts Turkestan. The archive also includes rare images from the realm of high politics, such as a meeting between a young Saddam Hussein and a Kazakh diplomat. A separate collection is dedicated to Dinmukhamed Kunayev, featuring moments from his professional life as well as his time with family.

As a reminder, in 2025, the Kazinform International News Agency will celebrate its 105th anniversary.