Aktamberdy zhyrau, the mazar

Located on the hill of Zhurekzhota near the village of Kundyzdy (Abai district, East-Kazakhstan region).

Aktamberdy Saryuly was born in 1675 in the region of Karatau. In 1788 he was killed in the area of Kundyzdy. Aktamberdy - Kazakh zhyrau, batyr-commander, public figure. Born in a wealthy peasant family of the clan of Naiman, the subgenus was Syban. Aktamberdy differed with courage and gift of a military leader. Aktamberdy - one of the organizers of the national liberation struggle against Dzungars, the inspirer of victorious campaigns. After the defeat of the Dzungar Khanate, Aktamberdy played a significant role in ensuring that the land was firmly settled by the Kazakhs and tried to develop farming skills. The basis of Aktamberdy's work is based on reflections, which are embodied in the form of didactic poems with bright aphoristic statements, reflect the worldview of Kazakhs, give an idea of their dreams and aspirations.

According to legend, Aktamberdy Zhyrau was wounded on Zhurekadyr Hill and died there. On the bank of the river Kundyzdy he arranged camp hearths for cooking food for soldiers. At the time when the soldiers went into attack, the Dzungars, noticing the actions of Aktamberdy, missed our troops and, making a circle, attacked. By the time the Kazakh troops arrived, Aktamberdy was in a very serious condition because of the wound caused by a strong saber strike. The soldiers had time to ask Aktamberdy zhyrau: "We will take revenge on Dzungars and kick them out of our lands. You leave us at the age of 90, tell us what your dream (or regret) is. Then he said he regretted that he did not die in battle, but near the hearth. Aktamberdy's battle song, which begins with the words "Kuldirkuldir Kisinetip" (making horses rustle), has been performed since the middle of 1980s during public gatherings and concerts, and since Kazakhstan's independence has become an unofficial anthem. Aktamberdy's grave has long been a sacred place. There are cases when people accidentally stepped on it or grazed cattle near this sacred place and broke their legs.

The old dome on the mausoleum of zhyrau was studied by the writer M. Magauin in the 1960s. In 1988, on the initiative of the director of the village of Kundyzdy, funds were raised from the descendants and relatives of Aktamberdy and from the inhabitants of the village, on which, according to the project of architect M. Konysbaev, a sagan with four protrusions was built on the site of the former mazar. The construction is made of clay blocks (raw bricks), from which only one side of the entrance is left. Later, without touching the old grave, all four walls of the saganah were removed from the red granite of Kundyzdy village. The height of the walls is 3.5 m. The front of the building resembles a dombra's body, and the sides resemble the feather of a bird. In 1989, at the opening of the saganah, the relatives of the zhyrau, having gathered the people, arranged a funeral dinner.

Nowadays Aktamberdy saganah is a sacred place for pilgrims and tourists coming from all over Kazakhstan.