29.04.2024 The exhibition “THE SOURCE OF TRADITION IS THE CHEST”

The opening of the exhibition of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan “THE SOURCE OF TRADITION IS THE CHEST” will take place on April 29, 2024.

The funds of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan contain a rich collection dedicated to traditional Kazakh culture and ethnography, among which a collection of chests occupies a special place.

From time immemorial, the chest replaced many interior items for our ancestors. He played the role of a chair, table, wardrobe and even a bed. Clothes and shoes, dishes and food, and jewelry were stored in the chest. When giving their daughters in marriage, parents prepared a dowry for her where a chest was included. The welfare of the family was judged by its decoration. The chests were carried with them during migration and passed on from generation to generation.

Depending on what was stored inside, the Kazakhs' chests were divided into the following types: zhaglan, kebezhe, abazha, abdyra, akyret sandyk, shai sandyk, agash sandyk, suyektelgen sandyk, oymyshty sandyk.

Craftsmen made chests from birch, black willow, and oak. They were decorated with carved patterns and decorated with precious stones. The wood from which it was made was carefully selected and processed, so the chests have survived to this day, passed on to new generations as heirlooms.

A wide variety of chests will be presented at the exhibition “THE SOURCE OF TRADITION IS THE CHEST”, which differ from each other in their manufacture and purpose of use.

The exhibition will last from April 29 to May 10, 2024, inclusive.