Gallery of Historical Maps of Kazakhstan
The Gallery of Historical Maps of Kazakhstan at the Presidential Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a special space where the history of national statehood is revealed through authentic cartographic sources.
More than 50 unique maps of the 10th–20th centuries from the archives, libraries and museum collections of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Türkiye, Russia and other countries make it possible to trace the centuries-old history of Kazakh statehood and the continuity of its territorial development. Maps of different eras show the lands, towns, nomadic and settled centres, state formations and place names connected with the history of the Kazakh people. In this variety of sources it is especially important to see the main point: the history of the statehood of Kazakhstan has deep traditions that took shape, developed and left their mark in historical documents.
The highlight of the Gallery is the portrait of Aru Sultan — the first representative of the Kazakh aristocracy, and of the Turkic world as a whole, at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England in the 16th century. Her name and historical role were restored through the study of cartographic and historical sources. The portrait offers a new look at the history of the international contacts of Kazakhstan and at the place of its representatives in the political and cultural space of 16th-century Europe.
The Gallery of Historical Maps of Kazakhstan is a space of historical memory and respect for the state heritage of the country. Turning to old cartographic sources helps to understand more deeply the continuity of Kazakhstani statehood, the value of historical memory and the responsibility of the present generation for preserving and developing the heritage of the country.
The Gallery has become the first permanent venue of its kind in Kazakhstan with open access for citizens and one of the largest displays of historical cartography in the country.