There is a shortage of experts in Kazakhstan who study ancient and rare manuscripts. This was discussed during the presentation of the exhibition ‘The Kazakh State in Medieval Written Sources’, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. According to the domestic historian Tlegen Sadykov, an analysis of valuable written sources of nomads found not only in the country, but also abroad, will shed light on the most unexplored pages of the history of the Great Steppe.
“I would say that this is just the beginning of the study of written sources. I think there are a couple of reasons why we haven’t fully explored them yet. First, there is a shortage of scientists and researchers who can read the ancient language. These are the consequences of the Soviet past when people studied only Russian and Cyrillic languages. The study of materials in Arabic, Persian and Turkish is a great challenge for modern scientists. Secondly, many materials and manuscripts have not been fully preserved and have not survived to this day, many materials are in a worn-out condition,” Sadykov said.
The exposition presented a whole collection of ancient exhibits. These are rare books on history, as well as maps and letters of Kazakh khans from the collection of the National Center for Manuscripts and Rare Books. The exhibition will run until the end of December.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
