ASTANA – A new documentary film about the life of the eldest son of Genghis Khan, Joshy Khan, premiered in Astana on March 17.
The fill will be available in cinemas nationwide from March 20. Photo credit: Assel Satubaldina/The Astana Times
The feature-length documentary, titled “Joshy Khan. The Ruler of the Great Ulus,” provides an expansive look at the life of Joshy Khan. It describes the turbulent political contexts that marked his leadership, his complex relationships with his father, and his pioneering achievements that transformed the Joshy Ulus (state) into the vast empire it became in the 13th century.
While the film follows Joshy’s life chronologically, it also features plenty of first-hand stories about his tolerance and compassionate personality.
The film’s screenwriter, Kazakh journalist and producer Maya Bekbayeva emphasized the deep meaning of this project to her.
“A year ago at the National Kurultai, the President [Kassym-Jomart Tokayev] said that Kazakhstan positions itself as a successor of the Golden Horde. As a journalist who has been covering this topic for a long time, this was a significant moment for me because it reaffirmed that we are looking beyond just the founding of the Kazakh Khanate—we are reconnecting with a much older history. We are not merely celebrating the establishment of the Kazakh Khanate; we are declaring that we are the descendants of the Golden Horde. This is crucial because the Kazakh Khanate did not emerge in isolation—it was built upon a rich historical foundation,” said Bekbayeva.
Last year, Kazakhstan celebrated 800 years since the foundation of Joshy Ulus, whose large territory once spanning from west Mongolia to eastern Europe, is considered the foundation of Kazakh statehood.
“The theme of Joshy is more than relevant now. Why? Because Kazakh statehood has been uninterrupted for thousands of years, the period of Joshy Khan played a huge role in it. Our modern statehood, the fact that we are now in independent Kazakhstan, in the center of the capital, in such a wonderful hall, is the merit of Joshy, among others,” said Kazakh researcher and cartographer Mukhit-Ardager Sydyknazarov.
The film will be available in cinemas nationwide starting March 20. It was released with the support of the Silk Way TV channel as part of TV and Radio Complex of the President.
