The main religions of Kazakhstan are religious denominations in Kazakhstan. Religion in Kazakhstan: a look into the past, realities

PRE-MUSLIM BELIEFS

Like other peoples who converted to Islam, among the Kazakhs Islam is closely connected with ancient religious beliefs that developed long before the advent of Islam.

We know little about the religion that existed among the Kazakhs before the penetration of Islam. In recent years, some researchers have begun to call this religion Tengrism and portray it as a coherent philosophical system. It was a polytheistic religion with a supreme heavenly deity, and the name “god” (tengri) applied not only to him, but also to other deities; with the advent of Islam, the Kazakhs became synonymous with the word “kudai” (god), that is, Allah. Other information about other deities has not reached us, and memories of them have to be sought in the cult of saints, in shamanism, in family rituals. Thus, echoes of the cult of the ancient Turkic fertility deity Umai are found in the maternity rites of the Kazakhs. Umai is a good spirit who protects babies.

Even in the middle of the last century, the people still had remnants of cosmological ideas, according to which the universe consists of three worlds - heavenly, earthly and underground.

A relic of ancient ideas about supernatural beings controlling the forces of nature may be the Kazakh belief about an angel who beats clouds with a whip, thereby producing thunder and lightning.

The veneration of saints is closely connected with the pre-Islamic traditions of the Kazakhs. Ancient beliefs, for example, are discernible in the cult of caves. In Southern Kazakhstan, the Chak-pak-ata cave was considered a shrine. Women came here to pray for infertility. Among the Kazakh saints there are the ancestors of related groups. The ancestor saints are typical for the eastern regions of Kazakhstan. Holy ancestors are also known in the southern regions. In the South Kazakhstan region, even today, the graves of the batyr Baidabek-ata and his wise wife Domalak-ana are revered, from whose son, according to legend, the Kazakh clans of Alban, Suan and Dulat descended.

Among the “pagan” characters included in the list of Muslim saints, the Kazakhs most clearly retained their pre-Islamic features Korkut - the mythical first shaman, musician and singer, creator of the bowed musical instrument kobyz. The grave attributed to him was located on the banks of the Syr Darya. The mythical nature of this character is indicated by legends about his longevity, as well as some motifs of Kazakh folk legends that reveal a connection with the traditions of Siberian shamanism. So, according to one legend, Korkut overheard a conversation between the devils, who were discussing among themselves how to make a kobyz. He followed the instructions of the spirits and managed to create magic instrument. In the Middle Ages, the image of Korkut, who was represented both as a legendary patriarch of the times and as a talented singer, was widely known to the legends of the Turkic-speaking peoples. The veneration of Korkut among the Kazakhs is closely connected with shamanism; he was considered the patron (pir) of shamans, who often called on him for help in chants. During the ritual, many bucks played a melody (kuy), which was supposedly first performed by Korkut himself.

Shamanism is one of the most notable phenomena in the religious traditions of the Kazakhs, preserved from the pre-Islamic era. Shamanism is an extensive system of animistic beliefs and cults among different nations, characteristic of the tribal system. General features for them is the presence of the cult of ancestors, as well as the performance of rituals by a shaman who is capable of falling into a special, ecstatic state, and in this state, according to the cult bearers, communicating with the other world.

Shamanism is driven by the belief in a special connection between individuals and spirits. The help of spirits explained the ability of shamans to heal people, tell fortunes, and find missing things and livestock. Shamans were also credited with power over natural phenomena and the ability to perform miracles. Shamans occupied an important social position, being essentially priests. Even after the spread of Islam in the Kazakh steppes, shamans continued to preserve big influence. Shamans were mostly men, but there is material confirming that female shamans were not uncommon. The main ritual object of the shaman was the kobyz, a bowed instrument with two horsehair strings, which in folk beliefs was endowed with miraculous properties. Some shamans forbade strangers from touching their instruments. From the middle of the 19th century. Kobyz began to be replaced by dombra. Another attribute of the baksa was a staff (asa, asa-tayak) with iron rings and pendants on the top. From the second half of the 19th century. Such ritual attributes as the whip and knife began to come to the fore.

Shamanic rituals involved communication between the bucks and the spirits, so the calling of the spirits began. Then he saw off the spirits with a special chant. The spirits had to be driven out, and for this purpose a ritual was carried out. To frighten and drive away the spirits that caused the disease, the bucks waved knives and beat the sick with whips. A number of actions did not have a direct “therapeutic” purpose. To convince those present that spirits really came to the shaman, guided his actions and gave him special power, the bucks showed various tricks. They jumped out onto the dome of the yurt, squeezed the body with ropes, and licked hot objects. One of the most common tricks was sticking a knife into the body. Baksy pierced both himself and other people with a knife. The faith of patients in the effectiveness of rituals contributed to the body’s fight against the disease. In addition, it cannot be denied that shamans also had medical experience.

One of the main features of Kazakh shamanism is its merger with Islam. By the 19th century Features that contradicted the norms of Islam have already disappeared from the shamanic cult. The Muslim clergy readily condemned the activities of shamans, however, the Islamization of the shamanic cult did not give the clergy serious grounds for criticism.

Activities were also combined with shamanic practice various kinds healers, fortune tellers, sorcerers. Healing practice included a wide variety of techniques designed to restore a person’s health or protect them from disease. Since the disease was explained by various reasons, including the influence of spirits, the evil eye or witchcraft, witchcraft treatment was carried out not only using methods based on the action of herbs, diet, heat, massage, but primarily through ritual treatment based on magic. animistic beliefs. At the same time, shamans, healers, and people who knew how to perform simple ritual actions undertook to treat people.

A variety of magical-animistic rituals were associated with the protection of the health of mothers and children. Ritual actions were performed in the hope of getting rid of infertility, which was considered a kind of disease caused by spirits or witchcraft.

Wedding rituals were also filled with actions designed to protect against harmful forces. Magical-animistic actions were supposed to ensure offspring, prosperity and peace in the family.

The cult of ancestors occupied a prominent place in the beliefs of the Kazakhs. In difficult moments of life, Kazakhs call on the name of their ancestors. Animals are sacrificed in their honor and people go to their graves to worship. Events such as the division of a clan into two independent clans, the conclusion of peace between two warring clans, victory over an enemy, etc., were marked by the Kazakhs by sacrificing a white mare or even a white stallion to the spirits of their ancestors.

Kazakhs treated graves with respect. At the graves they repented and took an oath. A traveler who was caught in the steppe by the approaching night was recommended by custom to spend the night near the graves, because here no one would dare to commit violence against him. If a traveler had a cherished wish, he asked the spirit of the buried person to help so that it would come true. They were afraid of the wrath of the Aruakhs. The spirits of outstanding people were especially revered. It was their names that were pronounced in special difficult cases. This custom once gave rise to battle cries (uranus). For example, the name of Khan Ablai served as uranium.

In the beliefs of the Kazakhs, the spirit of an ancestor, patronizing a person, was usually represented in animal form. In the legends about Dzhiydebai, one of the batyrs close to Khan Ablai, it is stated that “a red fox walked ahead of the batyr; it was his arvah.”

The veneration of ancestors is clearly evident in funeral and memorial rituals. Not only the living needed the protection of relatives who had gone to another world; the dead also depended on the living, who performed funeral and memorial rites according to established rules.

In the 19th century The funeral rite of the Kazakhs was carried out in accordance with the requirements of Sharia, however, it retained many remnants of pre-Islamic traditions.

Like other nations Central Asia, among the Kazakhs, funerals and commemorations were a public event, and they included the most direct participation family of the deceased. As soon as it became known about the death of a person, the honorable elders of the village went to the house of the deceased and began organizing the funeral. The deceased was buried on the day of death.

Before reading the funeral prayer (zhanaz), all honored guests were presented with expensive gifts, as well as money.

In addition to gifts, those present were given zhyrtys - scraps of fabric as a gift from the deceased for participating in seeing him off to the next world. Zhyrtys was given to the cemetery. A more ancient form of this custom is tearing the clothes of the deceased, as reported by some authors of the late 18th and early 18th centuries. XIX centuries Keeping a piece of fabric signifies the connection between the living and the deceased. According to the Kazakhs, the beneficial power of the deceased (kasiet) is transferred to the survivors. This custom was in force not only in funeral rites. For example, when Ablai was elected khan, the Kazakhs lifted him up on a felt mat, and then, taking off his rich outer dress, tore it into rags.

The Kazakhs sought to bury a person in his family cemetery, next to relatives and ancestors. With the spread of Islam, ancestral cemeteries began to concentrate around large Muslim shrines.

When the funeral procession returned, a mourning flag was raised in the house of the deceased. Depending on the age of the deceased, the color of the flag was different (white for old people, black, black and white or black and red for middle-aged people, red for young people). A piece of fabric was tied to the end of the spear shaft, which was placed vertically inside the yurt near the bars; its end protruded out through a gap in the felt covering of the yurt.

In addition to the flag, it was customary to make an image of the deceased (tul). TO end of the 19th century V. this custom has become obsolete: the clothes, saddle and armor of the deceased were hung directly on the bars of the yurt.

Image of the deceased - widespread in the past ancient custom. The ritual purpose of the spear is closely connected with the image of the deceased: a year later, after a magnificent funeral, both objects were removed from use, and the spear was pointedly broken.

The slaughter of a horse for the deceased is also a custom known to a wide range of ancient peoples, including the Scythians. The horse was buried along with the deceased, so that the soul of the buried person would go to the next world on horseback. In ancient times, the tradition arose of cutting the tail of the horses of the deceased.

Another ancient custom preserved among the Kazakhs in the 19th century. - This is a horse race on the day of the death of a rich and noble person. In historical writings, this ritual was first mentioned in connection with the funeral of Attila.

The annual commemoration (as - refreshment, zhyly - anniversary) was the main and final rite of the memorial cycle. The family of the deceased invited them a large number of guests.

The order of the big feast was as follows: on the first day they dug holes for the hearths, on the second day they slaughtered the cattle; on the third they treated them to meat dishes; on the fourth, horse races were held; on the fifth - they saw off the guests. Observers were amazed by the crowdedness of the funeral feast and the huge expenses and generous prizes.

The slaughter of the horse dedicated to the deceased took place on as.

The most impressive part of the wake is the horse racing. While the horses were galloping, competitions were held for wrestlers, rifle shooters, and a group running competition. At the end of the race, prizes were awarded, and then one of the respected elders broke the pole of the mourning flag; another honorable person was sorting out the mourning decorations of the yurt. They were both given gifts, usually a horse and a robe. Mourning for the widow stopped, and she could marry one of her husband's brothers or relatives.

A relic of the pre-Islamic pastoral cult can be considered a respectful attitude towards milk. Even in the Middle Ages, Kazakhs widely celebrated the spring holiday of the first kumiss, which retained the role of a ritual drink.

Cattle breeding rituals used the cleansing power of fire. Leaving the winter quarters for a new pasture, they drove the cattle between two fires and followed them themselves, so that all the troubles would be left behind. Arriving at their summer camp, the Kazakhs made sacrifices to the spirits of their ancestors and, reading a prayer from the Koran, asked for happiness and wealth. Animal sacrifice is a long-standing tradition of pastoralists and occupied an important place in the religious rituals of the Kazakhs.

Like many peoples of Central and Western Asia, the Kazakhs celebrated the spring holiday of the New Year - Nauryz. It was not only an agricultural holiday. The awakening of nature raised hopes for fertility in the broadest sense of the word.

Islam among the Kazakhs acquired many unique features due to the preservation of remnants of pre-Islamic religious traditions, manifested in all spheres folk life. During the 19th and especially in the 20th centuries. The influence of Islam in Kazakh society has increased markedly.

A lot of research by pre-revolutionary scientists about Kazakhstan is devoted to the study of the religious views of the Kazakhs. One of the most remarkable works of that time was an article by the outstanding Kazakh ethnographer, geographer and traveler, researcher of the history and culture of the peoples of Kazakhstan, Central and Middle Asia, Chokan Valikhanov (1835-1865), whose work became world famous. In the article “Traces of shamanism among the Kirghiz” (approx. Before the revolution, the Kazakhs were called Kirghiz), the scientist gives an idea of ​​the nature of shamanism as a phenomenon that, in the conditions of the first half of the 19th century, served as the basis for mixing Muslim beliefs with the ancient views of the Kazakhs.

HISTORY OF THE PENETRATION OF ISLAM
Kazakhs are Muslims of the Sunni religion of the Hanafi persuasion.

The spread of Islam on the territory of modern Kazakhstan was a process that lasted several centuries. At first, Islam penetrated into the southern regions. By the end of the 10th century. Islam established itself among the settled population in Semirechye and the Syr Darya. Islam became the religion of the Turkic Karakhanid Empire, which arose in Semirechye in the 10th century. A monument of that era is the work of Yusuf Balasagunsky (1015-1016) “Kudatgu bilik”, in which Muslim ideology was reflected.

In some areas Christianity successfully competed with Islam. Nestorianism, for example, gained recognition among the Naimans who migrated at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 12th century. XIII centuries from Central Asia to Eastern Kazakhstan and Semirechye. Naiman Khan Kuchluk even persecuted Muslims.

The spread of Islam was slowed by the Mongol conquest, which brought new population groups (Turks and Mongols) with their own traditional religion to Central Asia and Kazakhstan. However, during the Middle Ages, Islam steadily moved into the nomadic steppe, capturing new and new population groups.

Purposeful propaganda of Islam among nomads began under the Golden Horde Khan Berke (1255-66) and intensified under Uzbek (1312-40). Preachers of Islam came to the steppes from the Volga region and Central Asia, from different regions of the Muslim world. Among the missionaries there were many representatives of the Sufi clergy. A great contribution to the spread of Islam among the nomadic Turkic population of Southern Kazakhstan was made by the founder of the Sufi order Yasaviya, a native of the city of Sayram (Isfijab), Khoja Akhmet Yasawi (died in 1166-67 in Turkestan). His poems preached the greatness of God and the need for humility.

The conversion of the nomadic nobility to Islam did not mean that the Muslim faith was firmly adopted by all strata of society. The common people preserved the religious beliefs of their ancestors for a long time.

Observers who described the life of the Kazakhs in the past usually emphasized that Islam was adopted by the Kazakhs superficially. Even in the 19th century. Islam did not penetrate into the life of the Kazakhs as deeply as it did among the long-settled Central Asian population. Due to the peculiarities of their everyday life (life in yurts, seasonal movements), the Kazakhs did not have female seclusion. They did not cover their faces with a veil; boys and girls enjoyed considerable freedom of communication.

However, the position of Islam became stronger and stronger from year to year. The number of mosques gradually increased. Their construction was facilitated by private individuals, and partly by the government, which supported Islam in the Kazakh steppes.

The name of Sultan Aryn-Gazy, elected khan in 1815, is associated with the increased introduction of Muslim law into the life of the Kazakhs. Aryn-Gazy considered it necessary to rely in governing the people not on the customs of his ancestors, but on Sharia.

A notable phenomenon in the last century was the advancement of the Tatars into the Kazakh steppes with the goal of becoming mullahs. Usually Tatar mullahs married Kazakh women, and therefore became their own people in the steppe. The precautions of the Orenburg authorities (in 1832 the Orenburg Border Commission banned marriages of Kazakhs with Tatars and Bashkirs) are unlikely to have created an effective barrier to this process. Despite all the primitiveness of their education, their activities brought tangible results - literacy among the Kazakhs grew. A tradition arose of recording poems and songs and distributing them in lists. Books in the Kazakh and Tatar languages ​​found increasing demand among the Kazakhs. Along with the introduction of literacy came the establishment of Islam.

In the pre-revolutionary years, the ideas of Muslim modernism (Jadidism), which formed as a socio-political movement among the Tatars of the Volga region and Crimea, also penetrated the Kazakhs. One of the central tasks of the modernists was the rejection of medieval scholasticism and teaching secular sciences and the Russian language. New method schools began to appear everywhere - first in cities, and then in large settlements and some villages, which brought with them new ideas and knowledge.

The outstanding Kazakh scientist Chokan Valikhanov wrote about the spread of Islam in the Steppe, being himself a witness to the ongoing events and changes in the spiritual sphere in Kazakh society of the first sex. XIX century In the article “On Islam in the Steppe” he writes: “Muslimism has not yet eaten into our flesh and blood. It threatens us with the separation of the people in the future. In the Steppe we now have a period of dual faith, as was the case in Rus' during the time of St. Nestor.”

“Russia, among its sons,” noted Chokan Valikhanov, “has many nations of other faiths and non-Russians who lead a lifestyle diametrically opposed to the lifestyle of the indigenous Russian population, have customs and morals diametrically opposed to the morals and customs of the Russians.” Slavic tribe. It is clear that the transformations designed for the Christian and sedentary Russian population will not bring any benefit and will be meaningless if they are entirely applied to the nomadic and wandering foreigners of European and Asian Russia.” He recommends that the administration and government “be extremely careful and careful” when carrying out reforms that affect the fate of millions of people.

RELIGION IN MODERN KAZAKHSTAN
The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan guarantees freedom of conscience and freedom of religious worship. In Kazakhstan, according to statistical data, there are 1,503 religious associations and communities belonging to 30 confessions and dominations. Among the believers there are followers of almost all world religions: Islam, Christianity (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestant movements), Buddhism, as well as Judaism, Hinduism, ancient polytheistic cults and modern neoplasms. Important place In the confessional spectrum of Kazakhstan, the most traditional religions for the local population are occupied - Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity, which account for almost 60% of all religious associations registered in the Republic and the dominant number of believers. Over a short period of sovereign development in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the number of Muslim associations increased more than 13 times, reaching almost 600 associations by 1995. In 1990, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan was formed in the Republic. According to the latest data, there are 11 million Muslims of 24 nationalities in Kazakhstan.

Russian Orthodox Christianity, which has 202 parishes, is one of the most powerful religious movements in Kazakhstan, and is a structural subdivision of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In addition to traditional religions, there are a large number of organizations representing exotic religious beliefs of a mystical nature in Kazakhstan.

Some of them: Society for Krishna Consciousness, Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church New life”, “White Brotherhood”, Old Believers, Presbytorians, New Apostolic Church, Mennonites, Baha’is, Unification Church, Grace Church, etc.

The spread of Islam on the territory of modern Kazakhstan was a process that lasted several centuries. At first, Islam penetrated into the southern regions. By the end of the 10th century. Islam established itself among the settled population in Semirechye and the Syr Darya

To the question what religion do the Kazakhs have? given by the author Natalya Titova the best answer is Kazakhs are Muslims of the Sunni religion of the Hanafi persuasion.
The spread of Islam on the territory of modern Kazakhstan was a process that lasted several centuries. At first, Islam penetrated into the southern regions. By the end of the 10th century. Islam established itself among the settled population in Semirechye and the Syr Darya. Islam became the religion of the Turkic Karakhanid Empire, which arose in Semirechye in the 10th century. A monument of that era is the work of Yusuf Balasagunsky (1015-1016) “Kudatgu bilik”, in which Muslim ideology was reflected.

In some areas Christianity successfully competed with Islam. Nestorianism, for example, gained recognition among the Naimans who migrated at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 12th century. XIII centuries from Central Asia to Eastern Kazakhstan and Semirechye. Naiman Khan Kuchluk even persecuted Muslims.
The spread of Islam was slowed by the Mongol conquest, which brought new population groups (Turks and Mongols) with their own traditional religion to Central Asia and Kazakhstan. However, during the Middle Ages, Islam steadily moved into the nomadic steppe, capturing new and new population groups.
Purposeful propaganda of Islam among nomads began under the Golden Horde Khan Berke (1255-66) and intensified under Uzbek (1312-40). Preachers of Islam came to the steppes from the Volga region and Central Asia, from different regions of the Muslim world. Among the missionaries there were many representatives of the Sufi clergy. A great contribution to the spread of Islam among the nomadic Turkic population of Southern Kazakhstan was made by the founder of the Sufi order Yasaviya, a native of the city of Sayram (Isfijab), Khoja Akhmet Yasawi (died in 1166-67 in Turkestan). His poems preached the greatness of God and the need for humility.
The conversion of the nomadic nobility to Islam did not mean that the Muslim faith was firmly adopted by all strata of society. The common people preserved the religious beliefs of their ancestors for a long time.
Observers who described the life of the Kazakhs in the past usually emphasized that Islam was adopted by the Kazakhs superficially. Even in the 19th century. Islam did not penetrate into the life of the Kazakhs as deeply as it did among the long-settled Central Asian population. Due to the peculiarities of their everyday life (life in yurts, seasonal movements), the Kazakhs did not have female seclusion. They did not cover their faces with a veil; boys and girls enjoyed considerable freedom of communication.
However, the position of Islam became stronger and stronger from year to year. The number of mosques gradually increased. Their construction was facilitated by private individuals, and partly by the government, which supported Islam in the Kazakh steppes.
The name of Sultan Aryn-Gazy, elected khan in 1815, is associated with the increased introduction of Muslim law into the life of the Kazakhs. Aryn-Gazy considered it necessary to rely in governing the people not on the customs of his ancestors, but on Sharia.
A notable phenomenon in the last century was the advancement of the Tatars into the Kazakh steppes with the goal of becoming mullahs. Usually Tatar mullahs married Kazakh women, and therefore became their own people in the steppe. The precautions of the Orenburg authorities (in 1832 the Orenburg Border Commission banned marriages of Kazakhs with Tatars and Bashkirs) are unlikely to have created an effective barrier to this process. Despite all the primitiveness of their education, their activities brought tangible results - literacy among the Kazakhs grew. A tradition arose of recording poems and songs and distributing them in lists. Books in the Kazakh and Tatar languages ​​found increasing demand among the Kazakhs. Along with the introduction of literacy came the establishment of Islam.
Next.. http://www. heritagenet. unesco. kz/kz/content/duhov_culture/religia/religia_in_kz. htm (RELIGION IN KAZAKHSTAN)

With a presidential form of government. Political parties must be registered; religious ones are prohibited. Therefore, legally there is no state religion in Kazakhstan. Complete freedom of religion, according to the Constitution. And government officials of any rank cannot publicly call for any religion, but remain exclusively secular. But culturally and historically, the main religion in Kazakhstan is Islam; it is professed by 70% of the population.

Islam in Kazakhstan

Islam was brought to the territory of modern Kazakhstan by Arab missionaries following the Silk Road towards the end of the 7th century. They were the first to influence what religion is in Kazakhstan now. Missionaries continued to work in the spiritual field in the 8th century, convincing and leading by example through their pious lives.

The starting point for the development of Islam in Central Asia is the victory in 751 over the Chinese Arab army in the Battle of Talas.

But it is traditionally believed that the development of the Muslim religion in Kazakhstan proceeded peacefully, through the introduction of spiritual values ​​into legislation. And also in an educational way. Muslim spiritual ideas are consonant with many historical traditions of life of the nomadic tribes of Central Asia.

Therefore, when they talk about the state religion of Kazakhstan, they mean Islam. In a narrower sense - Sunnism. The Supreme Mufti, head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SDMK) Yerzhan Mayamerov in the photo is the leader of the Islamic community throughout the country, which includes more than two thousand religious associations. The activities of the SAMK are based on the Hanafi madhhab.

Sunnism

The majority of Muslims in the world are Sunnis. The formation of this branch of Islam is associated with a schism in the second half of the 7th century. Sunnism did not recognize then (as it remains so to this day) the special spiritual power over other believers of any person, at the time of the schism - the descendants of Muhammad. The only example in life for Sunnis is the Great Prophet himself and his commandments. Spiritual authority is vested in the elected rulers, the caliphs, who are primarily interpreters of religious texts, and not legislators or judges.

What is the Hanafi madhhab?

Sunni Islam includes four schools - madhhabs. One of them, the largest, is Hanafi. It was founded by the outstanding Muslim theologian Abu Hanifa. One of his contemporaries, the imams, spoke of him as the most competent caliph-interpreter. Abu Hanifa called for perfect knowledge of Arabic as a tool for better comprehension of religious texts. He proposed a methodology of theology, which became the basis of the Hanafi school, its features are:

Deep practical relevance in daily life.

It is very consonant with Sunnism as a whole, expresses its main value - there is no special and unique, sovereign religious leader. Abu Hanifa called and demonstrated by his example how one can comprehend religious commandments through advice, discussion, exchange of revelations of several husbands, and then form a collective opinion. All this was supposed to encourage reflection, research, and the pursuit of greater knowledge.

To what extent does the population practice Islam publicly?

As always in matters of religion, and Kazakhstan is no exception, there is a difference between the faith that is customary to manifest publicly, the official religion of the state and the personal beliefs of an individual. And society influences how every believer behaves.

Sometimes opportunities for worship are organized at state level. For example, in the UAE, the call for prayer is heard from the minarets of all mosques five times a day. This is one of the five pillars of Islam, a special daily prayer five times a day, obligatory for a true believer. UAE laws are governed by religion.

In Kazakhstan, there is no formal state religion, so the manifestation of faith is a matter of personal self-organization of each believer, his spiritual beliefs.

The photo shows the qualifying round of the religious literacy competition. Although in a secular state, spiritual education, as compulsory for everyone, is excluded. But in Kazakhstan it is considered important to educate and instill in young people both religious tolerance and an awareness of the importance of faith in a successful personal life and for society as a whole. And faith itself should be considered as effective method associations of citizens.

Do women in Kazakhstan wear a veil?

In Islam, women from adolescence (at what age it is obligatory for a girl is determined by the head of the family, formally - the time of puberty) wear special clothes. They put on a burqa - a woman's long robe, cover their head with a hijab - a headscarf that leaves only the face exposed, some use a niqab - a fabric that hides the face except for the eyes.

Recently, in secular countries, the issue of wearing such clothing has become acutely political.

The Supreme Mufti of Kazakhstan at a recent press conference called for the issue of wearing special religious clothing to be resolved locally and for parents to personally negotiate, for example, with the school. But show respect, first of all, to the orders and rules of the organization, since religion in Kazakhstan is a multi-confessional phenomenon.

Khazret Sultan Mosque in Astana

In the young, modern capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, stands one of the largest mosques in all of Asia - Khazret Sultan, opened in 2012. A new center for the further development of the Muslim religion in Kazakhstan. A beautiful, dazzling white building with four minarets at the corners, eight small and one main domes, arched windows reminiscent of Scheherazade's palace miraculously found itself in the middle of a modern metropolis (interior in the photo).

The mosque is located in the very center of Astana. Speaking at its opening, the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized that the construction site is the central square on which the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation stands, this is a significant symbol. It demonstrates the unity of all Kazakhstanis to build a society in which peace and goodness are the main values. As well as the continuity of historical and cultural heritage.

Main Religions of Kazakhstan
Religious denominations in Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, according to statistical data, there are 4,200 religious associations and communities belonging to 46 confessions and dominations (2009 data). Currently, there are almost 3,200 mosques, churches, and houses of worship. Among the believers there are followers of almost all world religions: Islam, Christianity (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestant movements), Buddhism, as well as Judaism, Hinduism, ancient polytheistic cults and modern neoplasms.

An important place in the religious spectrum of Kazakhstan is occupied by the most traditional religions for the local population - Sunni Islam And Russian Orthodox Christianity.

In 1990, the Republic established Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, which currently unites the majority of the 2,369 officially registered mosques. According to the latest data, there are 11 million Muslims of 24 nationalities in Kazakhstan.

Russian Orthodox Christianity, which has 299 parishes, is one of the powerful religious movements in Kazakhstan, which is a structural subdivision of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Representatives of other faiths include the following:

Catholicism: 83 officially registered Roman Catholic parishes and related organizations, 5 officially registered Greek Catholic parishes.

Protestantism: 1267 organizations are officially registered and have 543 places of worship. There are 2 Baptist groups in Kazakhstan: the Union of Christian Evangelicals and Baptists (Union of Baptists) with approximately 10 thousand followers and 227 registered religious groups, and the Council of Churches of Christian Evangelicals and Baptists (Council of Churches) with approximately 1 thousand followers. Other officially registered Protestant religious groups with significant numbers of followers are Presbyterians, Lutherans and Pentecostals, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists; There are also small communities of Methodists, Mennonites, and Mormons.

Judaism: there are 5 synagogues in Almaty, Astana, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kostanay and Pavlodar.

There are 43 religious groups of other faiths, including 4 Buddhist, 12 branches of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Church of Scientology, Baha'is, Christian Scientists and the Unification Church.

On January 16, the visit of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' to Kazakhstan began. During the visit, the Patriarch will perform divine services in the St. Nicholas and Ascension Cathedrals in Alama-Ata and meet with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev and will perform the great consecration of the Assumption cathedral Astana, reports the Press Service of the Patriarch.

In 2007, Archpriest Alexander Saltykov, after a trip to Kazakhstan, gave an interview to the magazine “World of God” about Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan, which we want to introduce readers to.

- O. Alexander, what was the purpose of your trip?
- It was a pilgrimage trip for a group of PSTGU employees and students. Our goal was to visit holy places in Kazakhstan and, if possible, collect some historical information.

- This is the first time I’ve heard about holy places in Kazakhstan. After all, holy places are manifestations of the special glory and grace of God in places chosen by God, or where great saints labored, places with rich Christian history. But, as far as I know, Kazakhstan does not belong to the ancient Christian regions.

This is true. Although there was an opportunity for active Christian preaching in Kazakhstan when it was part of Russia. However, it did not come true, unfortunately. And in the 20th century, during the era of the dominance of atheism, Kazakhstan became a place of exile and confessional feat of many thousands of Orthodox Christians, most of whom ended their lives there. earthly life like martyrs. They were killed, shot, forced to death through hard labor. Among them there are great saints who now eternally pray before God for Russia, and for the Kazakh land, and for the whole world. We wanted to visit the places of their exploits. After all, we must not forget about the saints, especially those of almost our time. Such oblivion is a grave sin.

- What places have you visited? Were there any other clergy in the group besides you?
- We visited Karaganda, Astana, Chimkent, Taraz (Dzhambul), Almaty (Alma-Ata). I was the only priest in the group. Others were unable to go for various reasons.

- Was this pilgrimage trip your first visit to Kazakhstan? I would like to hear your impressions.
- Actually, I was in Kazakhstan for the first time about five years ago. I then went to Karaganda as a teacher. There is a distance learning center of the Orthodox St. Tikhon University.

- What shrines did you see in Karaganda?
- In Karaganda, and throughout Kazakhstan, Elder Sebastian, now glorified among the venerables, enjoys great veneration. He was from Optina Pustyn, exiled to Karaganda, and lived in exile for several decades. In Karaganda he created a small monastery that still exists today. His relics rest in the cathedral, built in 1997. They say that during his lifetime he predicted the construction of a temple, and even collected money for the temple. Everyone was surprised - after all, there was Soviet power. But, indeed, a huge cathedral with a whole complex of buildings was built. The architecture is very good, using Russian traditions of the 16th-17th centuries, but at the same time it is modern architecture. Local believers see the participation of St. Sebastian in both their personal and public lives.

- Are there any examples?
- Yes. For example, several years ago the Pope flew to the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, and his decision was announced to visit Karaganda. Suddenly this decision was reversed. Believers say: “the elder did not want to.”

- Why did the Pope want to visit Karaganda?
- The city of Karaganda was built in Soviet time based on a huge system concentration camps, under the general name Karlag. People were sent there from all over. There was also a camp for prisoners of war and internment. There is an international cemetery, where in the endless steppe there are monuments to the dead of almost all European nationalities. Among the exiles there were also Poles and Western Ukrainians, Catholics and Uniates by religion.

- Do Catholics not forget about their fellow believers who suffered?
- To their credit, they don’t forget. But, unfortunately, they are characterized by a spirit of competition. When the aforementioned Orthodox cathedral was built, Catholics declared their intention to build their cathedral right there, on the same square, directly opposite the Orthodox cathedral. This is what they do to the Orthodox in different cities. For example, in Ukraine, in Ternopil, they built their temple almost right next to the Orthodox cathedral. It is clear that this only intensifies the confrontation. Why our Catholic brothers need this is unknown. In Karaganda, the city administration turned out to be more prudent than the Ukrainian one in Ternopil and did not give consent to such construction.

- Are there many Catholics in Karaganda?
- No, of course, there are almost none of them there (even in the mentioned Ternopil there are very few of them), but the Catholic Church there is very active. A Uniate church has already been built there - as always, Orthodox in form and Catholic in content, and two large cathedrals. The see of the Catholic Archbishop is located in Karaganda. In addition, there is a seminary with a rector in the rank of bishop. In general, there are already seven Catholic bishops in Kazakhstan, despite the absence of Catholics, while there are only three Orthodox bishops, despite a huge number of Orthodox.

- You started talking about education. What is the state of Orthodox education?
- In general, in my opinion, Orthodox education there is not very good yet. In Almaty there is a theological school with a correspondence department. In Karaganda – our aforementioned The educational center. But in Karaganda and other cities there are some educated, cultural clergy.

- You mentioned the Catholic seminary in Karaganda. How is education delivered there?
- The future belongs to educated nations, and Catholics understand this very well. Uneducated nations will simply be material for educated, developed nations to use. At the core of everything lies spiritual development and spiritual education. Obviously, large investments have been made into the Catholic seminary in Karaganda. cash: an eight-year training cycle, students live at the seminary, wear a uniform, have their own small church, an excellent library with books in all major European languages, and, by the way, many modern Russian editions of theological literature. Languages ​​are given great importance- Latin is studied for eight years, theological disciplines for four years. Lectures are given by visiting specialists from Europe. So everything is taken seriously. However, the set is very small - one or two people. There are only 15 students in total. At the same time, young people, having graduated from this seminary, still prefer to go to Europe.

- Is it possible? Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan to provide anything comparable in the field of education?
- So far, I think not, with the exception of correspondence education, which I already mentioned. The strength of Orthodoxy there lies most of all in the fact that the Russian population is historically Orthodox, in the fact that a great many Orthodox saints suffered in these parts, and in the spiritual responsibility inherent in Orthodoxy. And this is incomparable with Catholicism, which is represented there. But without a well-delivered sermon there can be no success, and for this you need to study.

- What, in your opinion, is the general religious situation in Kazakhstan?
- It is obviously not very simple. They repeat the words of President Nazarbayev that Kazakhstan has two wings: Orthodoxy and Islam. But in organizing state and public life, the government is guided by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Other words of Nazarbayev are repeated: “We are Turks, therefore we are Muslims.” It is strange, of course, why the Turks must necessarily be Muslims. But from here it is obvious that Islam is primarily supported.

- From your point of view, can it be objectively said that currently Kazakhs are Muslims?
- This cannot be said objectively. Kazakhs, at their core, are pagans. Islam appeared in Kazakhstan quite late. And here it must be pointed out that Russia has guilt before the Kazakh people. The Russians were obliged to give the Kazakhs Orthodoxy, but we did not do this. This is a striking and ominous fact: in the 18th and c. 19th centuries The Orthodox Empire supported the development of Islam in Kazakhstan and prevented Orthodox preaching among the local population. But the nascent Kazakh intelligentsia in the 19th century still focused on the Russian Orthodox culture. Many Kazakhs themselves converted to Orthodoxy. Thus, among the Kazakhs there are Orthodox, pagans, and Muslims. Now Catholics are also appearing. There are, as everywhere else, sects.

- What is the mutual understanding of these different groups?
- It should first be said that the Kazakhs are very good people. These people are kind and pure, fundamentally highly moral. We have always had, on the whole, the kindest relations with Russians, with complete mutual respect. However, gradually the situation seems to be worsening, especially growing intolerance on the part of Muslims towards Kazakhs who have taken holy orders, that is, Orthodoxy is now presented as the religion of Russians who are gradually being squeezed out of Kazakhstan. Several times I heard about threats and even beatings of clergy of Kazakh origin.

- In your opinion, is such anti-Christian activity directed by someone?
- Most likely, extremist Islamic organizations, of which, as you know, there are many everywhere. President Nazarbayev himself is loyal to Orthodoxy and every year he comes to St. Church for Easter. Konstantin and Elena in Astana.

- Does he pursue a balanced religious policy?
- Maybe. The following story is told about Nazarbayev, in connection with his loyalty to the Orthodox. They say that as a child, one winter he rode with his father across the steppe on horseback. The horseshoe of one of the horses broke off, and we had to go to the village to see a blacksmith. There was some kind of image hanging in the forge. The father asked, “Who is this?” The blacksmith replied, “This is Saint Nicholas, we pray to him.” Let's move on. All of a sudden the wind rose, a snowstorm began, the road disappeared, and wolves appeared - death was approaching. Then Nazarbayev Sr., in despair, raised his hands to the sky and shouted: “Russian god Nikolai, help!” And as soon as he shouted this, everything changed - the snowstorm subsided, the wolves disappeared somewhere, the road was found. This is how Saint Nicholas saved the future President.

- Now he attends church on Easter. Is there anything else where his loyalty manifests itself?
- Apparently, yes. This year, just after Easter, he allocated funds for the construction of an Orthodox cathedral in Astana ( the cathedral has already been built and will be consecrated His Holiness Patriarch Kirill - approx. “ “). At the same time, he is financing a new city mosque in Moscow.

- In Moscow? And why? There already seem to be several mosques...
- Well, you just don’t know the plans. Even 15 years ago it was published that it was planned to build at least 40 (!) mosques in Moscow. And not so long ago it was announced that Moscow would be the largest Islamic center in Europe. This is done gradually.

- But Moscow is an Orthodox city. There is even a doctrine about Moscow as the Third Rome.
- Once upon a time it was like that, I completely agree with you. But then Moscow became the center of world communism and godlessness. Where is this old Moscow? Almost all of it was torn down, and a faceless cosmopolitan metropolis was built in its place. And the population is indifferent to issues of faith and morality. On this basis, you can do whatever you want, if only you had the money. Our government is tolerant of everyone with big money. The Islamists have them. That's all.

- What kind of city is Astana?
- Astana is a completely new city, built unusually quickly, in a few years, on the site of the Russian city of Akmolinsk. During the years of persecution there were many exiles in Akmolinsk. They prayed in the church of St. Konstantin and Elena. Among the exiles, we especially know the wonderful old man Fr. Pavel (Troitsky), who also visited this temple. With his prayers he raised many modern clergy. We wanted to visit the places where he lived and prayed. Now at the temple convent. But Astana also has a huge synagogue sparkling with marble, a magnificent mosque with four minarets in the city center, a huge structure called the “Tree of Life”, and the center of all world religions in the form of a pyramid. There will also be a large Orthodox church, although not in the center, but among residential areas, which is probably for the best. The historical part of the city, including the Akmola fortress built by Russian Cossacks in the 18th century, has been practically demolished, which is not surprising if we remember that our great, ancient Moscow has already been almost completely demolished and rebuilt. In Soviet times, Akmolinsk was named Tselinograd and they began to actively plow up virgin lands in order to raise Agriculture huge country. Enormous efforts and resources were spent. I still remember the words of a once popular optimistic song:
“The long road winds, hello, virgin land...”
It seemed that something very big was being done, but time passed, and all this went to dust, in the full sense of the word - today it is all forgotten. Why? Because it was done without God, and even simultaneously with evil atheistic propaganda. Now in this place a fantastic city has arisen with all religions, but essentially also without God...

- I wanted to ask about the “Tree of Life”, after all, it seems to be about the eternal.
- Do you think this is a biblical image? No, this “Tree of Life” is borrowed from Kazakh mythology, and its real interpretation is very simple. This is a tall building in the shape of a spreading sheaf, there is a pleasant viewing platform and a cafeteria where you can order tea, coffee or anything else and have a good time. That's all philosophy is.

- You said that everything was forgotten because of godlessness. But Akmolinsk was built by Christian believers.
- Not only Akmolinsk, but almost all cities in Kazakhstan were built by Christians - Semipalatinsk, Pavlodar, Kurgan, Verny (Almaty), Aktyubinsk and others. But the grandchildren of these Christians forgot their faith, became atheists and suffered colossal losses. Now the Russians gave the Kazakhs all these cities and the vast lands that they cultivated. But one cannot help but be surprised with what ease and complacency and how humbly the Russians gave it all up. It is unlikely that this can be observed in any other place on the globe. Everywhere they fight for land, for every piece of land.

- Perhaps this is a consequence of centuries of Christian education and the prayers of the holy martyrs. But why?
- I think exactly as you say. And they gave it away because “the father’s wealth is not of help to a stupid son.” We did not fulfill our historical tasks, despite our Christian upbringing, and succumbed to the madness of atheism. People will pay for such mistakes for a long time.

- And the saints? You're talking about a lot of them.
- Yes, both in Kazakhstan and everywhere. Was shot near Shymkent great saint Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan with many other martyrs. One of our goals was to visit his place recent years and murder. He was exiled to the village of Yany-Kurgan (New Fortress). It was an unshakable pillar of faith. Not far from Chimkent, mass executions took place in a huge ravine called Lisya Balka. On the edge, almost by the road, there is a board on which it is written about the victims mass repression in this place. But there is no cross - the authorities do not allow putting up a cross under the pretext that people of other religions also died here. We went deep into the ravine, and for the first time served a memorial service and prayer service where, obviously, the executions took place.

- What other places of the exploits of saints have you visited?
- We came to Almaty on the day of remembrance of St. martyrs Seraphim and Theognostus. They labored in the mountains not far from the city. One day three Red Army soldiers came. The monks fed them. And after eating, these soldiers killed those who fed them. Now the monastery has been revived and many people come to the holiday.

- How many churches are there in Almaty?
- In Almaty it’s now 12 Orthodox churches, and two of them were recently tried to be demolished. There are 26 mosques, 10 more are under construction.

- Why did they want to demolish Orthodox churches?
- They say they were going to build luxury housing in their place. But the President, after a protest from the Church, stopped this outrage.

- What are the prospects for Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan, in your opinion?
- I cannot answer you definitely. A lot depends on whether the people want to go to Christ, follow Christ. This requires effort, you need to understand the limitations of earthly life, the futility of earthly history, believe in the Second Coming of Christ and eternal life. You need to really pray a lot. Then God will give us time.

- Tell me, was there anything special or unusual on your trip?
- Well, I am cautious about stories about all sorts of miracles and visions. There is a lot of speculation based on this.

- And what local residents did they tell you about their life, about faith?
- I heard two interesting stories, which I will try to briefly retell to you. In Karaganda, one man said that his sister, who almost never goes to church, had a dream: light appears in the sky, and in the light is Jesus Christ. Something is happening, many people are given white clothes, there are a lot of people, and there are not enough white clothes for everyone. Then an unusually majestic voice from heaven says that those who do not have enough white clothes should go to church. And in Chimkent, one woman said that she heard some noise in a dream. She and all the people go out into the street, there is chaos, everyone is running somewhere, planes are patching up in the sky, some blows are heard. Suddenly, rays appear from behind the mountains, the whole sky is filled with light, and in the light is Jesus Christ. Everything is quiet. Time passed, this woman again had a dream: everyone was running out into the street, anxiety, planes, blows, fear. She looks at the sky, and there is the Mother of God. She and some other people raise their hands to Her, She descends to them, everyone enters the house, and everything calms down. This woman also rarely goes to church, i.e. there is no self-hypnosis here.

Both of these stories are told in perfect different places, from people who do not know each other, but are very close in meaning: any misfortunes will be pacified by the Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom we must turn, and He will save us all, both in Kazakhstan and in Russia.

The conversation was conducted by K.N. Pavlova.

HISTORY OF ORTHODOXY IN KAZAKHSTAN. REFERENCE

Based on materials from an article by V. and I. Zhumadildaev

According to Russian chronicles, the Polovtsian princes Amurat and Aidar were baptized in Ryazan in 1132 and in Kyiv in 1168. One of the Polovtsian khans, the son of the famous Konchak, even accepted Orthodox name Yuri. Ibn Batuta reported: “In this steppe, which belongs to the people under the name Kipchak, they Christian faith" At the end of the XII – beginning of the XIII centuries. The Kimak-Kipchak state was defeated by the Mongols. The first blow was struck in 1218 at Semirechye. In 1236, Batu’s warriors plundered the lands of the Kama Bulgars and Mordovians, and then moved to Russian lands.

Since the middle of the 16th century, diplomatic relations with Russia have intensified. The voluntary accession of Kazakhstan to Russia begins the heyday of Orthodoxy in the Kazakh steppe. The adoption of the Orthodox faith by some Kazakhs at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries. Sometimes it acquired not only a family, but also a mass character. This was evidenced by archival materials: “The case of the transition of the Kazakhs of the Karasuu volost from the Mohammedan religion to the Orthodox in 1824”; “The case of accepting the wife of a Kazakh from the Atagol volost of Bonaya Orthodoxy in 1825”; “The case of the transition of the Kazakhs of the Atagaevsky volost of the Tyumen district Akusha, Bugalykh and the Kazakh woman Barsalla from the Mohammedan religion to the Orthodox in 1884.” and so on.
The encouragement and support of the Orthodox Kazakhs from the Russian tsarist government was their inclusion in the petty bourgeois and Cossack class, if they so desired.

Thanks to the fruitful assistance of Russian missionaries of various secular classes and clergy, parochial schools were created and functioned: Alma-Ata two-year women's parochial school in 1894-1917; Lepsinsky men's two-year parish school of the West Siberian educational district in 1885-1901; parochial school in the village of Kaskelenskaya, opened in 1903; parochial school in Petro-Alexandrovsk, Aulie-Ata and Kazalinsk in 1899; missionary school in Sarkand in 1915, etc.
To increase the educational qualifications of indigenous people with the support Russian state schools for children were organized. The first Russian schools were created in Omsk and Orenburg. In the 70s, “garrison schools” were established in Omsk, Petropavlovsk and the village of Yamyshevskaya. The “Asian School” was opened in Omsk, which trained translators, clerks, surveyors and topographers. It is known about the activities of eight aul mobile schools in the Akmola region for teaching Kazakh children the Russian language in 1869-1917. and schools for Kazakh children in Fort Perovsky in 1853-1867; about the establishment of a Russian literacy school for Muslim children in Kapal by a priest in 1854-1918; In the Akmola region, women's boarding schools were created to educate Kazakh girls in them in 1877.

The tsarist government published in the 19th century. decrees prohibiting the keeping of captives and slaves, which gradually led to the extinction of patriarchal slavery in Kazakhstan. The implementation of these decrees is reflected in the personal files of citizens, for example: “The case of the release from slavery of the baptized Kazakh woman Alexandra Sigelitova” (1827).

In the 19th and early 20th centuries. widespread construction of churches began in various border fortresses and cities: the Intercession Church in Verny, the Peter and Paul Ascension Church, the Church of the Holy Kings Constantine and Helen in Akmolinsk, etc. There is historical information about the pilgrimage of baptized Kazakhs to Jerusalem in the 18th century.

The pre-revolutionary period is characterized by the founding of independent Orthodox dioceses: Omsk, Turkestan, Orenburg, Semipalatinsk and the publication of the first decree on the construction of premises for monks at the Bishop's House in the city of Verny in 1892-1893.
The years of great persecution and mass anti-religious repressions of the Red Terror did not bypass Kazakhstan. During the 70-year “Babylonian captivity,” the country experienced the destruction of the churches of God, and the persecution and murder of Orthodox Christians - both clergy and laity. The land of Kazakhstan remembers many of them, now glorified as saints, and among them - three great bishops of God: Bishop of Vernensky and Semirechensky Pimen, who laid down his life for the Orthodox faith in Kazakhstan; Metropolitans Nicholas (Mogilevsky) and Joseph (Chernov).