Information portal of the M.О. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art

Mukhtar Auezov spent the last ten years of his life (1951-1961) in this two-stored house. In a letter to his Moscow friend and literary critic Z.S. Kedrina dated August 18, 1951, M. Auezov reports that the whole family moved in late June 1951, and construction of the house began in May 1950. Here Kazakh writer completed the work on the four-volume epopee “Abay’s Way”, which is read by many peoples far beyond the borders of his native country.

In the year of the writer’s death, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR dated August 10, 1961 on perpetuating his memory was issued. And on November 28, 1963, the Mukhtar Auezov Literary Memorial House-Museum opened its doors to the first visitors.

The rich fund, donated by the writer’s wife V.N. Auezova, made up an interesting exposition in the halls of the museum, located initially on the ground floor. The only memorial room was his study. The author of that first exhibition was N. Alexandrov.

In 1973, a new exposition was created, which included the second floor of the house. The author of a large expanded exposition, broadly covering the life and work of Mukhtar Auezov, was Ya. Nimets, whose interesting work attracted the close attention of museum visitors for 20 years. In 1993, the museum was closed for a complete renovation and restoration. The difficult and painstaking work lasted for 4 years.

The house where lived the family of Auezovs (author of the project – the architect G. Gerasimov) consists of seven rooms, four on the first floor and three – on the second.

All family members liked to gather in the living room, led by  the owner of a large house – Mukhtar Auezov. In the evenings they watched interesting television programs. This room is especially charming due to the rare exhibits such as table with decorative lamp, paintings “Kok-Tobe” by U. Tansykbaev, “Peonies” by A. Cherkassky, “Roses” by B. Urmanche and objects of applied art from India and Japan.

Still life “Peonies” was painted by national artist of Kazakhstan A.M. Cherkassky, who during all his long period of activity played a major role in the development of professional  painting in our Republic as a master of high artistic culture.

Baki Urmanche national artist of Tatarstan who worked during the Great Patriotic War in Kazakhstan was a close friend of Auezovs’ family. Among the valuable exhibits there are bronze “Geese”, which decorates the ashtray, “Cigarette case”, presented by Vietnamese writers in 1958, souvenirs “Taj Mahal” with the image of the mausoleum and tomb made of ivory.

Dining room is the largest room in the house. Mukhtar Omarkhanovich himself has made a special order and bought the handmade dining furniture. At this table – dastarkhan gathered his friends and colleagues, scientists and public figures from many countries. Also here are many interesting exhibits.

This is a still life, known as “Apples on the table cloth”, made as unusual composition, in large and broad strokes, painted by talented artist  A. Rittikh who in 1916 graduated from the Academy of Arts in Munich.

A few years later, in 1948, during the meeting with U. Tansykbaev this wonderful still life “Lilac” was painted, which is full of sweet flavor, silver-pearl color and relief volume of the surrounding furniture and objects.

Crystal, bronze vases, gifted by the writers and artists, friends, foreign friends and dinner sets, Chinese bowls, Czech wine glasses, silver souvenirs bought by the family members make the room full of harmony.

The office – is Mukhtar Omarkhanovich’s favorite room. He worked at this big table during last ten years. The last two books of the famous epopee “Abay’s Way” by M. Auezov was written at this table. In 1959 he was awarded the Lenin Prize. The writer’s four-volume epopee was published 160 times (not including publications in journals) in more than 50 language of the  world.

On the table there are lots of pages with writer’s notes in the margins, draft records on epics of northern peoples, latest review on the student’s thesis, wooden Vietnamese writing set on a stand gifted by V.N. Auezova.

During half a century a small sculpture of the “Golden Eagle” is on the table, which is symbolically called “Mukhtar’s Berkut” which is a silent witness of the writer’s creativity. Here is another small sculpture. It has no name. Sometimes Mukhtar Omarkhanovich looked at it and recalled hard times when he was in exile, away from home. This bronze statue of a proud and powerful bird, which is wind around by a snake, appeared on the table after the writer returned  from Moscow.

In M. Auezov’s personal library there are more than 6000 books and magazines. In the sister Umiya’s room (1899-1985) there is a very interesting chest, with an inscription on the cover made on the occasion of M. O. Auezov’s 60^th birthday.

Mukhtar Auezov’s beloved daughter – Leila lived in a room on the second floor. Here is her portrait painted by the artist B. Urmanche, the handmade Turkmen carpet and masks from Indonesia on the wall.

Ernar Mukhtarovich Auezov, whose room was on the second floor of the house, was born in 1943, he was Ph. D. Zoology, ornithologist.

The cabinet is full of books on ornithology – the science on birds, in which Ernar Mukhtarovich was a major specialist as well as dummy eagle and pheasant.

Bedroom of Mukhtat Omarkhanovich and Valentina Nikolaevna Auezovs, is on the second floor and has a balcony. There is a beautiful furniture made of rare wood and a portrait of Valentina Nikolaevna painted by Aisha Galimbaeva.

In the garden stands a building that hasn’t existed during the writer’s life. There is an exposition and exhibition hall with a section called “Life and creativity of Mukhtar Auezov”, and exhibitions are updated from time to time and enriched with new exhibits. View hall is built in the museum. Here movies are shown produced on M. Auezov’s scenarios and documentaries about him.