Domalak Ana mausoleum

Domalak Ana Mausoleum – an architectural monument included in the list of local historical and cultural heritage sites of Turkestan region.

Location

On the plain of Karatau, in the valley of the Balabogen River. It was erected on the tomb of Nurlıla Ali Sylanqyzy, known among the people as Domalak Ana.

Historical data, description

Domalak Ana – her name Nurlıla lived from 1378 to 1456. She was born in the Yassy winter settlement in Turkestan. She is the daughter of Ali Slan, the only son of Maktym Aghzım, who served under the brave hero Ak Sak Temir. Her grandmother’s name was Nurbike – she was the aunt of Waïs Khan. When Domalak Ana’s father Ali Slan left for the Golden Horde in 1388 as part of Ak Sak Temir’s army, he left his wife Nurbike and Nurlıla (Domalak Ana) at the house of her father Maktym Aghzım in Turkestan.

Once, while she was bathing in the Karashik River near Turkestan, Nurbike was killed by a snake. Her father did not return from the army, and having lost her mother alive, Nurlıla was raised in the upbringing of her grandfather Maktym Aghzım. Maktym Aghzım was a descendant of Gawhar Bibi, the daughter of Khoja Akhmet Yassaui. Nurlıla – an Arabic word, in Kazakh it conveys the concept “light of God”. Translated from Persian it means “Dikhnat mother”, i.e., Holy Mother. Later the word Dikhnat was replaced by Domalak.

Nuriła (Domalak ana) – the third wife of our ancestor Baydibeq. Historical records contain many data about the name “Domalak ana” being given because of Mother Nuriła’s humanity, courtesy, prudence, honesty, and maternal qualities. Mother Nuriła died on 28 May 1456, and that year the grandson of Demalak ana, Dulat Bukhara, commissioned a master named Abdullah Sheri to build a four‑spoked domed shrine over the mother’s grave. Between the 11th and 15th centuries the shrine of Demalak ana underwent several reconstructions. The shrine of Demalak ana rises 12 meters above the ground in an eight‑leaf shape, with a dome placed on top of the main part. According to legend, there are two sacred stones in the shrine of Demalak ana, and only a person with a pure soul can pass between these two stones. The shrine built in the 20th century had six columns.

In 1906–1908, a group of Russians who migrated from Russia destroyed the dome monuments. In the spring of 1908, the poet Orynbaı Taymanov (1867–1949) erected a new monument dome. In 1942–1943 the residents of Shoshkabulak, Russians and Kazakhs again destroyed it. In 1957 another new dome was built, but it did not survive long. In 1966 it was rebuilt with white stones brought from Mangystau. In 1998 the shrine of Demalak ana was renovated, and in 2000 the surrounding beautification and landscaping works were completed. The architect who supervised the construction and designed the project was Sain Nazarbekov. In the Amyshak of Demalak ana various ancient manuscripts and many handcrafted items are kept. The shrine of Demalak ana is a sacred place open to the public.