Address:Zhezkazgan, AlashakhanAvenue, 22. Tel: 8 (7102) 73-77-53
The Zhezkazgan museum of history and archeology was founded in 1978. It was founded on the base of history and industrial museum of Zhezkazgan mining and smelting complex. The present building on Alasha khan, 22 was given to the museum in 1983. Famous students of local history took part in organization and activity of the museum: S. T. Bukurov, A. D. Lobos, K. I. Sadvakasov, K. I. Isayev, L. D. Bereznikov and others. The merger of the museum and town exhibition hall happened in 2006, and it was renamed to the Zhezkazgan museum of history and archeology with exhibition hall.
The area of the museum was 940, 3 square meters, storage ponds. The fund makes up more 25 thousand units of storage, a part of themarerare, unique and present a special historical value and belonging to famous people of Ulytau-Zhezkazgan region. Exposition is situated in four halls of: palaenthology, nature, archeology and ethnography "Pearls of Saryarka". Also there is the expositional-exhibition hall where works of famous artists, masters of art of Kazakhstan and Zhezkazgan region are presented and a conference-hall where scientific-practical conferences, meetings with interesting people are carried out.
Valuable palaenthological findings arouse visitors' interest inhallofpalaenthology: bones of giant rhinoceros paracetarius (Oligocene, 40-35 million years ago), teeth of herring shark (Eocene, 50-32 million years ago), prints of plants and fish (395-340 million years ago).
Such interesting pieces as stone sculpture passed on by academician A. Margulan, copper coin from the settlements Zhoshy ordasy, golden pendants from ancient settlement Shotkara in Ulytau district, collection of golden jewelry from the burial ground Karaagashin Zhana arkyn district are presented in the hall of archeology. Workers of the museum consisting Central-Kazakhstan archeological expedition of Archeology Institution after A. Margulan ASRK carry out scientific researches in the settlement of ancient metallurgists of the Bronze Age Taldysai and the burial ground Aibas-Darasy in Ulytau district also take part in study of the Scythian burial ground Shirik-Rabat in Kyzylorda region.
"History is a treasury of our actions" hall includes sections: "Education of Kazakhkhan of XV-XIX centuries", "Opening up deposits of the region of XIX-XXcentury", "Blank spaces of history", "The formation of the independent Kazakhstan". Manuscripts and rare religious books are exhibited in this hall: Korans, also books of XVIII-XIX centuries about Russian history, books about history of Kazakhstan in the 30-50s. The most interesting ones are the wall clock of "Paul Bure", everyday items from the 50-70s of XX century, a typewriter for blind composer Zh. Seilov.
Sounded dioramas are placed in some halls of the museum. Voices of actors of the Kozhamkulov theatre say about nature and fauna of the region in dioramas "Ulytau foothills" and "Bay of the Sarysu River". Voices of Abylaikhan, KenesaryKasymov, S. Seifullin, Yu.Levitan and representatives of repression peoples sound in the hall of history.
Rather exact models of historical and architectural monuments of the region are situated in halls of the museum, they are Ayakkamyr mausoleum (XII c.), Alashakhan mausoleum (XIIc.), Zhoshykhan mausoleum (XIIc.), Beskumbez mausoleum (XIX c.), Monument, a symbol of governmental integrity and unity of peoples in Kazakhstan (2005). Funds were replenished with new pieces in 2012. Many of them were brought in the course of holding exhibitions and as a result of collecting exhibits round the town. Among them are numismatic collection of 557 coins and paper money, wrist watch of 1937 passed on by the representative of Korean diaspora, leather travelling bag of the 50s, personal complexes of soldiers-internationalists G. Kuttybayev and S. Margarenko, materials on «Chernobyl disaster ».
Workers of the museum organize excursions in historical, memorial and sacred places of Ulytau-Zhezkazgan region, carry out theatric excursions-plays, excursions-games with participation of poets, local artists within cultural-enlightenment activity. There are regular thematic stationary exhibitions in the museum such as "Their names on the streets of our town", "Honored citizens of Zhezkazgan", "Women are leaders: formulafor success", "Mother's image is in my heart". Special hall of Zhezkazgan musical-dramatic theatre after S. Kozhamkulov was opened in the museumin 2010. There are photographs of actors, playbills, materials and documents showing chronology of history of the theatre.
The museum of political repression victims’ memory of the Dolinka settlement was established in the territory of Karlag – the most famous labour camp in Kazakhstan.
The Karaganda regional museum of history and local history was opened on November 7, 1932 according to People’s Committee of RSFSR. The museum is situated in the two-storey-building.