Destruction of the holy (sacred) mausoleum

The history of  Turkestan since the Middle Ages is associated with the name of the scholar Khoja Ahmet Yassawi. The glory of the holy region in the past and the present day are deeply rooted in the precious treasure of our great ancestor. The mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi, the pride of the Turkic world, is like the foundation of our national heritage. That is why it is becoming a valuable source of spiritual and cultural re-formation of our people. It is a natural phenomenon that a huge building bearing the burden of centuries undergoes various changes under the influence of natural forces. It is clear that our holy relic is affected by time and requires necessary repairs as time goes by. Due to the atheistic attitude during the Soviet Union, the holy mausoleum was abandoned for some time. Since the arrival of foreign tourists in the 70s, some repairs have been carried out there. After achieving the independence that our forefathers longed for and changing our national ideology, Turkestan entered the path of revival. In addition, a decision was made about the need to carry out complex restoration works in the mausoleum.

Now, as for the essence of the issue, it is how well the restoration work of our ancient historical monument was planned and quality restoration was carried out. The secret of the advanced thinking and ingenuity of the masters of the Middle Ages, who raised the wonderful construction under the leadership of the famous Maulen Sadyr craftsman, lies in the extent to which modern experts have understood it. The quality of the work done in the mausoleum in recent years is beyond criticism. However, the fact that they do not meet the requirements of the Amir Temir project, construction and restoration rules from a scientific and practical point of view is causing great doubts not only of experts, but also of ordinary citizens. The reason is that the repair works of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi Mausoleum are being carried out without scientific taste, without a planning system, and the requirements of the Amir Temir project are not being fulfilled, and it is being grossly violated. Such improper and unsystematic works are threatening the future of the building, as well as the collapse of the big dome above the Mausoleum. The most dangerous thing is that the big dome on the roof of the cauldron was covered with blue glass colored clay, the ventilation holes were blocked and the mesh windows (ramps) around the mausoleum were covered with clay and blocked. This causes the normal temperature disruption inside the dome, festering of wooden beams, plaster casts’ weight increase by several times, and even causing their falling down. In 1982, several beautiful carvings (stalactites) on the ceiling fell down.

In 1993-2000, the Turkish company “Vakif Inshaat” carried out restoration work on the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi, grossly violating the requirements of the Amir Temir project. According to the project of Amir Temir, the masters of the Middle Ages placed dried cattle manure on the walls of the Mausoleum and laid reeds on top, these materials performed two different functions. Firstly, they did not allow underground water to rise, and secondly, they were able to withstand earthquakes. When the Turkish builders removed dried cattle manure and reeds and to a depth of 14 metres poured deep pile foundations under the mausoleum under very high pressure, they did not perform horizontal hydrolization works on the wall. As a result, the walls of the mausoleum are damp and rotting, the place where the imam sits (mihrab) fell down during prayer. Today, the design weight of the beautiful elegant carvings (stalactites) made of gypsum casts on the roof of the cauldron is more than 300 tons. If the underground water and salt gets into the decorative carvings and the dome of the cauldron, the weight of plaster casts will increase by several times, and the dome will deteriorate and collapse. The Turkish construction company “Vakif Inshaat” worked on many projects that did not pass technical examination, which caused damage to the Mausoleum, distorted its appearance, and made inappropriate changes different from the historical original. Thus, the articles of the Law No. 1488-XII “Protection of Cultural Heritage” dated July 2, 1992 of the Republic of Kazakhstan were grossly violated and the requirements stated in the Resolution No. 1044 of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated November 6, 2007 were not fulfilled. Anhydrite solutions, which had not been tested before, were used as building materials.

During the restoration work in the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi, the scientists found out that the regulations of building restoration and usage standards were not observed, but rather grossly violated. In particular, in the boiler room of the Mausoleum, the humidity of the dome’s clay, plaster carvings, stalactites, and the wooden beams holding them increased even more than last year, reaching 29.9 percent, and it was found that two layers of “potassium sulfate salt”, which is very dangerous to the dome materials and the monument, were formed. This is a very dangerous situation. As a result, the destruction process in the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi is getting stronger day by day. Since the walls are thick, the air circulation regime was created inside the wall. This regime circulates the inside of the wall by passing air through the holes in the wall from above. Rainwater was collected in a pit 200-300 m away from the mausoleum through special holes and seeped into the ground. The Mausoleum is placed on soft pillows. That is, the bottom is made of dried cattle manure and reeds. For that reason, concrete cannot be poured into the mausoleum. After the concrete is poured, all the holes in the wall will be closed and filled with rainwater that flows over it, causing the bricks inside the wall to crumble.

Due to this situation, scientist L.V. Dubrovskaya during 2010-2011, conducted research in the autumn, winter, spring, and summer seasons and found out that the restoration regulations were not observed, on the contrary, they were grossly violated. At the same time, a group of scientists led by I.S. Brovko, Doctor of Technical Sciences of M.Auezov South Kazakhstan State University studied the effects of humidity levels in all rooms, chambers, and the building structure of the tower. They found out that none of the 17 air ventilation pipes between the walls on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Mausoleum was working, 6 pipes were clogged with construction waste, electric cables were installed on the grooves of the pipes, and only one pipe in the dining room of 17 wireless air intakes corresponds to the original project.

It follows that all the channels that have been regulating the air circulation, maintaining the level of humidity and serving as the building’s airways for many centuries have been blocked. And this causes the mausoleum’s bricks to crumble, the domes to get wet, and the risk of damage increases. The results of these specially conducted scientific studies completely clarified the direction in which the restoration work in the mausoleum should develop.

At the request of “Protection of the Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi” Public Association a working group of specialists (15 responsible employees) at the regional level was sent to carry out an examination of the restoration works at the Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, had made an Act, showing gross errors to be executed, consisting of 17 articles. This Act was delivered to the head of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov, by the order of the Culture Committee of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 61 – dated 23.07.2010 and a special commission consisting of specialists and employees of the Republican level came to examine the technical condition of the Mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, all the defects were pointed out, and a protocol was drawn up on August 23, 2010. In the protocol and additional documents, it was indicated that in May-June 2011, a mobile commission would visit the mausoleum in the format of 2010 to determine whether the errors specified in the Act of the regional working group have been corrected. But the mentioned defects have not been still fixed. The commission for May-June 2011 has not been organized yet. The reason for this is that none of the problems in the Act and protocol of the Republican level commission have been resolved by “Kazkaitazhangyrtu” State Institution. And Kazkaitazhangyrtu” State Institution, which is directly responsible for repair and restoration works, has no intention of correcting such discrepancies. The funds allocated by the state for the repair of the Mausoleum are being spent indiscriminately and aimlessly, and are being spent on “repairing” the healthy parts of the Mausoleum, not on the parts that need to be restored. At present, the Government is renovating the Mausoleum by allocating 317 million. The objectives are to determine the threat to the Mausoleum from external forces.

Our recommendation: we demand that the concrete poured into the foundation of the mausoleum without waterproofing, i.e. without pouring lead, should be examined to determine its consequences.

For example:

1) Water comes out from 5-6 meters near the mausoleum. Why was pile concrete poured to a depth of 14 meters?

2) According to the project, liquid lead should have been poured between the lower brick and concrete. Why was not it poured?

3) To what level is the underground water rising through the walls of the Mausoleum?

4) After pouring concrete under the mausoleum, the holes for water flowing from the roof were blocked (thickness of the walls of the mausoleum is 1.5-3 m), the well for drinking water “zamzam” was closed, the bricks were falling into the water, what is happening? In order to quickly determine these, the Mausoleum should be subjected to an international construction technical examination by the world’s best restoration company with the participation of UNESCO specialists. This is because it was proven to the Republican Commission that the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yassawi is in a very dangerous condition today. If we lose our relics, we will be a shame to our nation, a disgrace to nobility, a laughing-stock to friends, an object of gloating to foes. If we do not take advantage of this opportunity in time, if we do not promptly correct the defects, there is a danger of losing our wonderful heritage in the future. This will surely be an unforgivable sin in front of tomorrow’s generation.

On July 3, 2003, at the 27th session of the World Heritage Committee, the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yasawi was the first in the history of independent Kazakhstan to be included in the UNESCO “World Heritage” list. The Mausoleum is a member of ICOM under the auspices of UNESCO, included in the catalog of world museums. The fact that the Holy Sacred Mausoleum is included in the list of world heritage imposes great responsibility on us before the people of the whole world. We are very worried about the collapse of the world-class cultural heritage before our eyes. May the dome of our Grandfather Ahmet Yassawi, the pride of the Turkish world, a shining star, a wonderful person, continue to shine for many years, and the holy mausoleum not be damaged and remain a legacy for future generations. We invite the government to participate. Let’s respect and protect the Yassawi Mausoleum, brothers!!!

Bakytzhan Suleimenuly – President of

“Khoja Ahmet Yassawi” Public Fund

This translation from Kazakh language into English was done by the Translation Agency “Number One Translations”.

Translation Agency “Number One Translations”, Member of ATC (Membership No. 2024ATCAS1457)

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Date: September 18, 2024