Eskeldy Bi, the mausoleum

Eskeldy bi Zhylkeldyuly (1692-1780) - Kazakh batyr, bi, participant of Kazakh wars against Dzungar invasion in XVIII century. His father's name was Zhylkeldy, his grandfather - Zhangauly, who was also a batyr and buried in the mausoleum of Akhmed Yasaui in Turkestan. Zhangauly was a contemporary of the famous Tole Bi and enjoyed his respect, to consolidate his friendship he married Tole Bi's youngest daughter, Ulanbike, to his son Zhylkeldy.

According to legends, Tole bi himself chose a sound name for the grandson of Eskeldy, putting in it a deep sense - to be always on the ear of the people. From the age of 7 to 12 he was brought up by Tole bi, who admired his grandson's intelligence and resourcefulness. Then Tole bi took Eskeldy to his father's house to the jalaiyrs, where he was chosen as a bi. According to the legend of Eskeldy Bi, he occupied a prominent place at the court of Khan Abylai, participated in negotiations of the Kazakhs with the Chinese, who still have documents about his activities, as well as in negotiations with the ruler of the Dzungar, Gauldan Tzarin.

Together with Balpyk bi and Kabylisa (Kaban) Eskeldy bi brought 12 clans of the Zhalaiyr tribe to Zhetysu near the rivers Karatal, Ile and Koksu. People lively legend about the last fight of Eskeldy batyr with Dzungar warrior Shazha, during which the Kazakh batyr managed to hit the enemy with a shocker from the first blow. Having lost his best warrior, the army of Dzungars surrendered without a fight. Anticipating his near death, Eskeldy batyr ordered to bury him in the place where a white camel with a body loaded on it, wrapped in white felt, would stop. A white camel stood near the river Karatal, near the mountains of Teke, in the town of Kyzylzhar, now here, in the Karatal district, is the burial place of Eskeldy Bi.

The legends associated with the burial place of Eskeldy Bi have been preserved. The custodian of the Mausoleum Bakbergen Suleimenuly, the seventh descendant of the saint, reported that in 1937 Koreans were deported to the region from the Far East. In connection with the appearance of Koreans in the region, who have ancient agricultural traditions, the party leadership began to actively develop agriculture, for the needs of which were built the Karatal dam and irrigation canals, one of which was laid through the tomb of the saint. Soon the local residents noticed that the yields began to decrease every year, people began to get sick. They appealed to the district administration with a request to move the canal from the tomb of the saint, which was done. Taldykorgan district of Almaty region until 1929 was named after Eskeldy Bi. The former name of the district was returned in 2000 by the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On October 8-9, 1992, during the celebration at the national level of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Eskeldy Bi, the mausoleum was opened. The architectural design of the mausoleum was prepared by A. Nam, the construction was led by K. Akylbaev and V. Banit. Academician E. Yergozhin, whose ancestor is Eskeldy Bi, showed great care about the maintenance of the monument. To the mausoleum of the saint leads an alley, and next to it there is a Muslim cemetery. Along the perimeter the complex has a fence in the form of a Central Asian duvet, a brick fence with a plastered surface, with a portal entrance separating the courtyard from the saint's mazar. The mausoleum belongs to the traditional Central Asian portal-dome type, has a central spherical dome and two additional domes of a smaller conical shape, stylized as stocky minaret towers. At the entrance to the mausoleum of St. Eskeldy Bi there is a slab in the form of a detailed book with the words of prayer in Kazakh and Arabic. In 2015, the mausoleum of the saint was restored.

Sacredness of the object is connected with the role played by Eskeldy Bi in the reflection of Dzungar aggression, relocation of jalaiyrs to Zhetysu. The mausoleum is a monument of history and architecture of republican importance. The object of pilgrimage and religious tourism.