The collection of
the National Museum of Kazakhstan was enriched with a new valuable exhibit. The
international foundation for culture and art support donated a Samovar from
which the great Abai once enjoyed tea. This metal vessel was manufactured in
1893 in Tula. According to researchers, it was used by all Kazakh intellectuals
of that era. Historian Aitkali Kistaubayev received this historic artifact
during the dismantling of the inn owned by Semipalatinsk merchant Bekbai
Baissov. Since then, this relic has been kept within the family, passed down
from generation to generation.
“In 1980, my father brought this samovar back and restored it. The most recent repair was conducted by the Russian master Kubrin, a decade ago. My father left the samovar to us as an inheritance, emphasizing that it should be returned to homeland. I am now fulfilling his wish,” said Yermek Beissembayev, founder of the Abai International Culture and Art Support Foundation.
Now, the collection
of the National Museum of Kazakhstan features 43 exhibits related to Abai. The
majority of them are original works published during the lifetime of the Kazakh
poet and philosopher, along with his personal belongings.