DIRECTOR

Nurzhan Mergenbayuly Mergenbay

Date of Birth: March 23, 1987
Place of Birth: Sarykemer village, Baizak District, Zhambyl Region
Education: Higher education
Specialization: Journalism, Law

Work Experience:

            Started working in 2008 in the field of mass media. Worked for many years in local and national media, continuously improving professional skills. In recent years, was employed within the structure of JSC "Qazcontent."

            From April 1, 2025, served as Deputy  Director  –  Acting  Director  of  the  State  Historical  and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Ancient Taraz Monuments."

             From October 20, 2025, appointed Director of the Museum-Reserve.

Dear readers!

Taraz is a city with a 2000-year history, the heir of great cultures that are included in the treasury of world civilization. The ancient land of our land has absorbed all the diversity of cultural values of the peoples who lived on its territory. The Shu - Talas interfluve is the center of development of the ethnogenesis of the Kazakhs, the place where the Kazakh Khanate was formed. As President Nursultan Nazarbayev said: "Taraz is the sacred link between the past and the present, the personification of eternity ...".

In ancient times, the Great Silk Road passed through the steppes of Kazakhstan, connecting the East and the West. On the routes of caravan routes there was a dialogue of cultures, there was a process of the spread of religion, the exchange of material and spiritual values. The heritage of that era are numerous monuments of nomadic and sedentary cultures.

The State Reserve Museum “Monuments of Ancient Taraz” of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, organized by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 256 of March 24, 1998, deals with the study, promotion and protection of objects of historical and cultural significance. The reserve-museum “Monuments of ancient Taraz” is in charge of 30 monuments of republican significance, erected in different historical periods, from the Stone Age to the present day, located both within the city and in the territory of Zhambyl region.

Five major medieval cities - Aktobe-Balasagun, Kulan, Ornek, Kostobe, Akyrtas palace complex, located in the Zhambyl region, in 2014 are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as monuments to the Great Silk Road Corridor Network of Routes. The head of state, N. A. Nazarbayev, with the article “The Seven Facets of the Great Steppe” focuses on the historical heritage of the Great Silk Road, which united the Mediterranean and Far Eastern civilizations. In 2018, the Akyrtas complex and Aisha Bibi Mausoleum added to the World List of objects of special tourist attractiveness.

The State Reserve Museum "Monuments of Ancient Taraz" is engaged in research activities. Since 2011, archaeological and research works have been carried out in the territory of the ancient settlement of Taraz, as a result of which an “open-air museum” is being created - the archaeological park of the ancient settlement of Taraz. The collection of the reserve-museum contains unique artifacts of ceramics, metal, glass, determining the level of development of handicrafts and commodity-money relations in the region.

In 2015, the International Council of Museums ICOM awarded the reserve-museum “Monuments of ancient Taraz” with the title “Museum of the Year”.

We invite you, dear reader, to get acquainted with the ancient monuments of archeology, the masterpieces of architectural thought of medieval architects who created the Aisha-Bibi and Babaji Khatun, Karakhan and Davudbek mausoleums, as well as the later unique monuments - the mosque of Abdykadyr, Abdul Ishan, Nambetbärp, and Kara Khan. Shokai Datkhi. All of them have been restored, the territory has been landscaped for visitors. Historical and cultural sites are equipped with an electronic portal QR-code containing information about the monument in 5 languages (Kazakh, Russian, English, Chinese, Turkish).

The diversity and richness of the cultural and historical heritage of Kazakhstan is a fundamental feature of a civilized society. We study it, restore it and carefully preserve it for our descendants, make it accessible to residents of Kazakhstan and tourists from all over the world.

Sincerely, Director of Historical and Cultural

Reserve Museum N. Bykybayev