Type of Monument: Sacred Heritage Site
Date: 16th–17th Centuries
Location: Located 12.6 kilometers southwest of Kos-Estek Village, Kargaly District, Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan.
Research History:
The earliest information about the monument appears in Y.Y. Polferov’s 1896 article “Among the Kirghiz Graves” (Sredi kirgizskikh mogil) published in the Turgai Gazette. The mausoleum was also described in the writings of I.A. Castagné at the beginning of the twentieth century and later investigated during the 1984 Aktobe Expedition of the Kazakh SSR Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, led by S.I. Azhigaliyev.
Brief Description:
The Kyzyltam Mausoleum is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Kobda–Ilek architectural group. It is situated approximately 55 kilometers northeast of Aktobe City on the shore of the Kargaly Reservoir.
According to the 1984 survey, the mausoleum has an almost square ground plan measuring 6.05 × 6.05 meters. Registration records compiled by I.A. Castagné in the early twentieth century indicate that the structure originally possessed a double-dome system supported by arched trompes. Like several other mausoleums of the region, its outer dome was most likely tent-shaped.
The monument was constructed of fired bricks measuring approximately 24 × 24 × 5.5–6 centimeters, a characteristic that reveals similarities with the construction of the Abat-Baitaq Mausoleum. Today, only the north-northwestern wall of the structure remains standing. The maximum preserved height of the monument is 3.75 meters.
Legend:
According to a legend recorded by Y.Y. Polferov, the origin of the Kyzyltam Mausoleum is connected with an unsuccessful marriage proposal made by Arab Muhammad Khan of Khiva to the daughter of a Kalmyk commander named Badmai in the early seventeenth century.
As the story goes, envoys of Arab Muhammad Khan, a former enemy of Badmai, arrived at the Kalmyk ruler’s camp. The ambassadors came in great splendor, riding noble horses and wearing luxurious garments. They brought valuable gifts, including carpets and various precious items loaded onto ten white camels. After the gifts had been presented and festivities held, the envoys announced that they had come to seek the hand of Badmai’s daughter, Uilya, on behalf of their khan.
However, Uilya was already in love with a young man named Zaisa. Late at night, after the guests and villagers had fallen asleep, she met her beloved on a hilltop and told him that she was to be married to the ruler of Khiva. Zaisa declared that he would not allow the marriage to take place and promised to take her away. At that moment, Badmai unexpectedly appeared, and a violent confrontation broke out between the two men.
When Uilya regained her composure, she attempted to separate them. During the struggle, however, the Kalmyk youth received a fatal dagger wound and rolled down the hillside toward the river. Devastated by the loss of her beloved and unwilling to submit to her father’s will, Uilya leapt from the cliff into the water after him.
For two days Badmai remained motionless, holding the bloodstained dagger in his hand until the bodies of Uilya and Zaisa were recovered from the river. A mausoleum was then erected over the burial place of the tragic lovers. Because the structure was built of fired red bricks and appeared deep red from a distance, it became known as Kyzyltam, meaning “Red Mausoleum.”
References:
- Kazinform International News Agency – https://kaz.inform.kz/news/aktobedegi-kaskyr-sarkyramasyna-turisterdin-kyzygushylygy-artty_a3525139/