The Muslim cemetery "Karaotkel" is a sacred monument of cultural heritage. The first burials date back to the 17th century. Who shot at the tombstones, what is strange in the grass at the monument to the soldiers of Kenesary Khan, and why dolls and money are left at the graves.
The rickety tombstones under the onslaught of time slowly sink deep into the swampy soil. On the tarnished stones, the eyes of an ordinary person can barely make out the Chagatai, Persian words engraved in Arabic script. Getting closer is a little scary. You are afraid to disturb the spirit of those who have long and forever left this world, but only recently found peace. The Muslim cemetery "Karaotkel" became the last refuge for the soldiers of the great Kazakh Khan Kenesary, deported peoples and children who died of hunger during the terrible years of Kazakh history, who were marching to certain death.
Muslim cemetery Karaotkel / SPUTNIK / VLADISLAV VODNEV.
The closed sacred burial place of the deceased is located between the capital's microdistricts Molodezhny and Tselinny. The oldest burials date back to the beginning of the 17th century. The cemetery existed in the capital from 1609 to 1962.
On an area of 16 hectares today there are about two and a half thousand wooden, metal and stone slabs, but the old-timers are sure that at least ten thousand people were committed to the land.
In Soviet times, stones from the churchyard were taken away for the construction of schools, says Yerlan Makazhanov, director of a branch of the Vernadsky non-governmental environmental foundation.
Before starting to acquaint with the historical monument, Yerlan read the lines from the holy Koran and warned: “It is not we who help them, but they are helping us. Therefore, the first step is to ask permission from the departed."
Here you will not see pompous mazars - most of the graves have only modest gravestones with inscriptions, a small part of which are in Cyrillic, and small fences made from improvised means.
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The order at the cemetery is monitored by the caretaker Erenbek kazhy, who took up his duties in September this year. Here he lives in a small house and tells everyone who comes, the story of old burials.
“In Soviet times, there was a military unit here. They practiced, firing at the plates as at targets. All letters, inscriptions were spoiled by the shots of machine guns and rifles,”says Erenbek kazhy.
Operation Lentils
The fence at the Muslim cemetery in the city center appeared relatively recently. Construction work was completed in 2012 with the assistance of the akimat, the public fund "Rukh", with the financial support of the philanthropist Mikhail Gutseriev.
Relatives of one of the richest businessmen in Russia Mikhail Gutseriev / SPUTNIK / VLADISLAV VODNEV are buried here.
One of the richest businessmen in Russia has a lot to do with the Akmola region. His grandfather Saad, an ethnic Ingush, who had been exiled here in the forties, died in the Kazakh steppe. The businessman's ancestor and brothers who died as children rest in the ancient cemetery in Astana.
“As you know, in 1944, Operation Lentil was carried out (deportation of Chechens and Ingush to the regions of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). Many died of hunger here, buried them in sheds, houses, because it was generally forbidden to bury them. As soon as the regime weakened a little, the Kazakhs suggested burying and reburying in this cemetery. Then there were fires, as you can see, traces,”Yerlan Makazhanov continued.
Among the buried were Kazakhs, Ingush, Chechens, Tatars. Not only Muslims, but also Christians are buried, Makazhanov noted.
Warriors of Khan Kenesary
After walking along a narrow path, we ended up at the monument to the soldiers of the Kazakh Khan Kenesary - the last ruler of all three Kazakh zhuzes. Six years ago, Russian scientists managed to find out what eight lines written in Arabic script say on a tombstone installed in 1838.
“Here was the Akmola fortification, built by the order of the king. Kenesary Kasymov gathered a 20,000-strong army and marched against the tsarist empire. Having attacked the fortress, in a big battle he lost 200 sarbazes - ordinary soldiers and 50 sardars - officers, among whom were beks, sultans - relatives of the khan,”said Erenbek kazhy.
Yerlan Makazhanov added that the Kazakh soldiers in the fight against the subjects of the king knew about the impending inevitable death. Brave warriors, armed with swords, bows and arrows, marched against the soldiers who had mastered firearms.
“According to historical data, Sameke-khan, the first khan of the Middle Zhuz, the son of Tauke khan, is buried here. But the stone has not yet been found. The merchant Kosshygulov was buried, the confectionery of which was supplied to the royal table, as well as four sheikhs. I am inclined to believe that they are Kazakh and not Arab. Galia, the love of the famous fighter Baluan Sholak, was also buried here. He dedicated the song "Galia" to her, - said the keeper of the cemetery.
The remains of the writer and statesman Smagul Sadvakasov were delivered to their homeland 77 years after his death / PUTNIK / VLADISLAV VODNEV.
The statesman, writer Smagul Sadvakasov, who died in 1933 in a Moscow hospital at the age of 33, is also buried at Karaotkel. The remains of a representative of the Kazakh intelligentsia were delivered to their homeland 77 years after his death.
Who and why asks for a handful of earth from the cemetery
The cold wind carries scraps of phrases through the cemetery, carrying them to the grave mounds. Without a shadow of embarrassment, a mustachioed four-legged friend comes here, sits down directly on the tombstone and closely watches the strangers. “They say that cats have nine lives,” says the photojournalist.
Three cats often visit the cemetery, some can sit right on the gravestones and watch out for strangers / SPUTNIK / VLADISLAV VODNEV.
Fuzzies sometimes feast on running mice here, says Yerlan Makazhanov, bypassing a small tailed rodent that died under unknown circumstances.
Cats can be imposing enough, but uninvited guests are not welcome here. Sometimes drunk people without a fixed abode enter here through the fences. Sometimes at the graves they find rags, wrapped sticks and pieces of paper - apparently, for carrying out witchcraft rituals, Yerlan shares his thoughts. Some people do sadaka in a strange way - they throw money over the fence as alms.
According to the caretaker Erenbek kazhy, now he rarely catches homeless people here, and women who come for a handful of earth from the cemetery are strictly forbidden to appear at the sacred place.
“Now there is no such thing, but they used to come. Especially at night. Conspiracies, conspiracies, they probably threw rags, dolls near the graves. I forbid them, I do not let them in. What they just do not come up with. It is necessary to read the Koran, I tell them, answered Erenbek kazhy.
Muslim cemetery Karaotkel / SPUTNIK / VLADISLAV VODNEV.
The slight fear that held me back at the very beginning of the path receded long ago. Mystical stories were spinning in my head, which are full of the pages of the World Wide Web. Yerlan Makazhanov, ahead of the question of the mysteries of the cemetery, pointed to the mown grass at the monument to the fallen soldiers of Kenesary Khan.
But later a mysterious halo broke on the words of Erenbek kazhy.
“Is the grass trampled down? There is a youth wing in Nur Otan, they formed a detachment called Sarbazy Kenesary Khan, 40 people came, they cut the excess grass and cleaned it. They help us,”the caretaker replied.
Erenbek kazhy believes that one should fear not the dead, but the living. Sleeping eternal sleep in anticipation of paradise will not harm anyone, he is sure.
“There is nothing supernatural here. City center, all around the house. Ghosts-ghosts, how are they correctly called? Oh, poltergeists! There is no such. On the contrary, they protect us, protect us. The Koran is read here every day, it is a sacred place,”he stressed.
In the future, in his words, the Muslim cemetery will become the “lungs” of the city. They are planning to bring 500 seedlings from Ust-Kamenogorsk here, to build a memorial park. In the future, and the construction of a madrasah in the part where there are no burials.
“I like being here. Thinking about the value of life, goals. You understand that nothing lasts forever. We cannot take all worldly goods with us. Consciousness is cleared, you start to approach your social relations in a different way,”said the director of the branch of the environmental fund.
More than an hour passed while we walked around the entire cemetery. At this time a man came here to pray. He was attracted by the energy of the place, after us said Saule Kasenova, who from time to time helps Erenbek kazhy.
“Tell me, did you feel like you were out of town when you walked through the cemetery?” She asked after.
- No, definitely not in the city.
Ayguzel Kadir
