Mausoleum of Abai Qunanbaiuly

Abai Mausoleum — a monument of architectural art built in 1996. It was erected on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the great poet's birth in the village of Zhidebay, Abai district, East Kazakhstan region. The pedestal height is 5 m, length 200 m, width 60 m. The two tall towers are the Abai Tower (height 38.5 meters) and the Shakarim Tower (35 meters). At the four corners of the complex there are four domes. In addition, there is a museum of "History of Written Culture in Central Asia" with a diameter of 36 meters, a guest house for visitors, an amphitheater, and a mosque. The mausoleum structure, which incorporates the graves of Abai, Ospan, Shakarim, and Akhat previously buried at this site without moving them, reflects the trend of nomadic culture and the cosmogenic worldview of the Kazakh people. At the same time, the influence of the Gur-Amir mausoleum in Samarkand and the Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra is also evident from the Abai Mausoleum. The composition of the complex maintains integrity from beginning to end. All its buildings complement each other and harmonize with the openness of the steppe. In the construction works, mainly the ulus stones of Mangystau were used.

A republican competition was held to build this complex. Six architectural teams participated in the competition. On March 19, 1991, the commission of the republican closed contest reviewed the submitted projects at its meeting and determined the winners. The winning team was the author group led by architect Bek Ibraev, laureate of international competitions.