ASTANA – The National Archive of Kazakhstan hosted an exhibition featuring ancient jewelry and historical manuscripts collected by ethnographer Bahargul Tolegenova, reported Kazinform on March 10.
Photo credit: Soltan Zheksenbekov
The display included artifacts from the 5th to 20th centuries, such as pendants, rings and amulets, highlighting the rich artistic heritage of the Kazakh people. A key exhibit was a 19th-century silver-plated leather belt, alongside a historic photo of its owner found in a Russian archive.
“I acquired this ancient belt in the early 2000s in the Taraz region. Today, the national archives presented an image of its owner at the exhibition,” said Tolegenova. “For this exhibition, I selected 200 items from my collection, each a unique representation of our history and heritage.”
The National Archive has conducted extensive research on Kazakh jewelry and clothing traditions. The archive-2025 and cultural heritage programs, documents from foreign archives containing information about Kazakh jewelry, clothing and traditions were collected,” said Head of the National Archives Sagila Nurlanova.
The event also featured manuscripts by Kazakh scholars, including Uzbekali Zhanibekov and Akseleu Seidimbek, documenting the history of national attire and jewelry. The archive recently compiled the book about Kazakh names for gemstones, set for public release soon.
MPs, cultural figures and activists attended the event too. Journalist Dana Nurzhigit noted that Kazakh jewelry has influenced global fashion.
“Kazakh animal-style ornaments once displayed in Paris through the Hermitage Museum. Even today, designs such as tiger bracelets from Cartier resemble artifacts from the Turkic expanses,” she said.
