Art museum showcasing national culture opened in Astana
The museum showcases over 1,600 examples of Kazakh national musical instruments. The collection highlights rare and nearly forgotten pieces, including the zhelbuaz, mes syrnai, uildek, tastauyq, and others, Kazinform News Agency cites the Kazakhstan Ministry of Culture and Information.
The first museum of its kind in Astana will popularize national culture and handicrafts.
"Musical instruments and clothing are part of our national heritage, reflecting the history, mentality, and culture of our people. As you know, we have recently unveiled the Creative Industries Development Fund. Given that handicrafts are a key part of the creative industry, I propose opening an office for it at a branch of the museum. Tourists and foreign guests will be able to visit the fund and museum, boosting the promotion of our national culture both in Kazakhstan and abroad," said Minister Aida Balayeva.
It is noted that the ensemble's artists craft their own musical instruments and create original compositions.
The museum also features a hall dedicated to national costumes and an on-site workshop
The art museum is situated in a historic former school building, constructed in the late 19th century. In 1982, the building was added to the list of historical and cultural monuments of national significance and placed under state protection. A special workshop dedicated to the reconstruction and preservation of ancient musical instruments will operate within the museum.
The new museum operates under the city's Directorate of United Museums, which also governs the ALZhIR Memorial Complex of Victims of Political Repression and Totalitarianism and Saken Seifullin Museum.
Kazinform previously reported that the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information, held the grand opening of the international exhibition "Traces of the Oghuz Steppe Culture."
