Type of Monument: Sacred Heritage Site
Date: 1905
Location: Karabutak Village, Kargaly District, Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan.
Research History:
Information about Nurpeis Khazret and the mosque can be found in the Aktobe Encyclopedia, in Dukenbay Doszhan’s book Abai Ainasy published in 1994, and in a 2011 issue of the Ana Tili newspaper.
Brief Description:
Nurpeis Khazret was a prominent religious leader, public figure, scholar, and theologian. In addition to his extensive religious knowledge, he was fluent in Arabic and Persian. The mosque was originally constructed as a two-story building. The first floor contained a large prayer hall, an entrance area, and an additional room. The second floor housed a madrasa for educating children and a collection of Qur’anic manuscripts. The identity of the builder of the mosque remains unknown.
During the Soviet period, the mosque was converted into a community club. Later, it served as a school and subsequently as a school gymnasium. Traces of paintwork applied during its adaptation into a sports hall can still be seen today, while the original two floors have been merged into a single interior space.
Historical Tradition and Oral Accounts:
Nurpeis Baygarauly was born in the settlements of Karatobe and Tomarotkel in present-day Shyngyrlau District of Western Kazakhstan. The renowned scholar lived between 1817 and 1880. He received his initial education from a village mullah and later continued his studies at the famous Kokaldash Madrasa in Bukhara, where he studied for six years. He then spent four years studying in the city of Sham (Damascus) in the Arab world, acquiring profound religious and scholarly knowledge before returning to his homeland.
After returning, he traveled to Saint Petersburg and was received by the Russian Tsar. According to local tradition, the Tsar encouraged Nurpeis Khazret to promote Islam in the regions along the Ural (Zhayik), Ilek, Or, and Kargaly rivers, which were considered areas where Islamic influence was relatively weak, and advised him to establish several mosques there. Nurpeis Khazret reportedly possessed an imperial decree stating that all necessary conditions should be provided for the construction of mosques.
In 1864, at the invitation of the elders of the Zhağalbayly clan, including Derbisali Berkimbayev, the governor (bolys) of the Zhetiru region, and motivated by the desire to educate and enlighten the local population, Nurpeis Khazret moved with fourteen households from Aksu-Shieli, located near the headwaters of the Or River, to present-day Karabutak Village on the banks of the Kargaly River.
The village was situated near the confluence of the Ashylsai tributary with the upper reaches of the Zhaksy and Kargaly rivers. After settling in Karabutak, Nurpeis Khazret began the construction of a mosque. Through his ability to build good relations with people, he secured the necessary construction materials from Bashkortostan.
The original mosque was located on the opposite bank of the Karabutak River. Since reaching the mosque was difficult for villagers during certain seasons of the year, a new mosque was built in the center of the village in 1905 by Safa Ishan, the eldest son of Nurpeis Khazret.
Nurpeis Khazret was also a contemporary of the famous Kazakh religious leader and pilgrim Kunanbay Hajji.
References:
- Ana Tili Newspaper – https://anatili.kazgazeta.kz/news/6739
- Aktobe Newspaper – https://aqtobegazeti.kz/?p=93248
- Aktobe Vestnik Newspaper – https://avestnik.kz/mechet-nurpeis-hazreta/