Mirzhakyp Dulatov was a prominent figure of the Alash movement who, at the beginning of the 20th century, awakened the Kazakh people with his passionate poetry and called for knowledge, freedom, and national renewal. His birthplace is the third village of Sarakopa volost in Turgay Uyezd (present-day Kyzbel village, Zhangeldy District, Kostanay Region).
Mirzhakyp Dulatov was an outstanding educator, public figure, poet, and writer of the Kazakh people. In his works, he openly opposed the colonial policy of the tsarist government and defended the rights of ordinary people. He also demanded the opening of schools for Kazakh youth and the publication of newspapers and magazines in the Kazakh language. His ideas had a strong influence on the Kazakh intelligentsia at the beginning of the 20th century. In particular, his work “Oyan, Qazaq!” (“Wake up, Kazakh!”) became a national call for youth.
In 1928, Mirzhakyp Dulatov was arrested and two years later sentenced to execution; however, the sentence was later replaced with ten years in labor camps. He served his sentence during the construction of the White Sea–Baltic Canal in the Sosnovets camp, where he died in 1935 due to severe illness. Thus, he ended his life in exile, remaining faithful to the struggle for the freedom of his people.
In 1989, Mirzhakyp’s remains were discovered in Karelia and, on the initiative of his daughter Gulnar Dulatova, with the participation of researchers, cultural figures, and journalists, were brought back to Kazakhstan in 1992 and reburied in his native land - the Torgay steppe.
In the same year, in the village of Bidaik, the foundation of the mausoleum and museum of Mirzhakyp Dulatov was laid. In 2016, the complex was fully renovated and reconstructed by “Adilet” LLP, with the exterior faced with modern brick.
The museum consists of two floors. The upper floor displays photographs of Mirzhakyp with his family and contemporaries, commemorative wall images, traditional Kazakh wall carpets, and the writer’s personal belongings. A particularly significant exhibit is the five-pointed star, which marked his grave in the Solovetsky camp and was brought to Kazakhstan in 1992 by his descendants and donated to the museum as a memorial symbol.
The distance between the museum and the mausoleum is 70-80 meters, connected by a stone-paved path. The memorial complex also preserves photographs, a travel bag, a silver belt, and other personal items donated by the writer’s daughter Gulnar Dulatova.
Today, the site is visited not only by people from Kazakhstan but also by international guests. The mausoleum and museum of Mirzhakyp Dulatov are a sacred place preserving the memory of the spiritual strength and struggle for the freedom of the Kazakh people.
Source: www.gov.kz