Konyr Aulie

Kongyr Aulie cave – a sacred site that has entered the list of local significance historical and cultural monuments of Abai region and the list of Kazakhstan’s nationwide valuable objects.

Geographical location

In Abai district, 18 km southeast of Toktamysh Batyr village, on Mount Aktas, on the right bank of the Shagan River.

Data

Mount Aktas consists of white limestone rocks. The entrance to the cave is so narrow that a person can enter only on one side. The height of the light exceeds two meters. At the upper part of the cave there are two chambers, from which passages branch out and in some places end in a dead end, their length is undefined. The water is so cold that when one falls into it the tendons in the limbs contract and the bones may ache. The taste is of very hard limestone. In 2017, to create conditions for receiving visitors and to popularize the sacred place, stairs were made from fir tree wood, which can withstand humid air. On the way down to the water, comfortable resting benches were installed inside and outside the cave.

According to legends, at the beginning of this water passage Kazakhs healed their wounds after bloody battles.

Description

The narrow mouth of the cave is located 80–100 m above the bright bank of the Shagan River, its length is 65–70 m, width 10–22 m, height 2–14 m. On the right side of this main cave, 15 m away, there is a narrow cavity 50 cm wide and 110 cm high, which widens into a large room about 12 m long, 10 m wide, 5 m high. From there, 12 m to the north, the cave ceiling rises to 20 m, with a dome of 5–7 m diameter, ending in a lake. From the corner of the main chamber toward the lake there is a passage with a room 12–15 m high. The air temperature in the cave does not exceed 10 degrees. Many famous people (Abai Qunanbaiuly, Mukhtar Auezov, etc.) have visited and admired the Kongyr Aulie cave.

History and legends

One of the historical records about the Kongyr Aulie cave is found in a regional studies collection published in 1912 by the West Siberian branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Semey department. In the collection, regional researcher N.A. Bryukhanov’s article on the Kongyr Aulie cave was published, in which it is reported that there was a stone slab at the entrance of the cave.

Historical legends and literary sources related to the Konyr Aulie cave are also preserved. The story that Abai Qunanbaiuly’s son Abish went to the cave with his companions is narrated in Mukhtar Auezov’s novel-epic “The Path of Abai” in the chapter “In Regret”. The work depicts Abish’s attention to a stone statue inside the cave and his description of its resemblance to a human figure. After leaving the cave, they are told a historical tale about Konyr Aulie by Kokbay Zhanatayuly.

According to legend, the Dzungars blocked the Konyr Aulie cave to protect themselves from the Kazakhs. When Ablai Khan’s army was campaigning along the Arkhan River, the enemy entrenched in the cave could not seize a weapon and encountered difficulty. The legend relates that the hero Karakerey Kabanbay used a trick against the enemy, achieved victory, and after this event was called “Daraboz”.

The presence of ancient burial sites in the cave area also increases its historical‑cultural significance. The monument is dated to the ancient Turkic period.