The Cult of Holy Places and the Pilgrimage To Them as a Sign of Religious Identity of Kazakh Nomads

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the historical phenomenon of the cult of holy places and the tradition of pilgrimage in the spiritual practice of the Kazakhs. Based on information from archival sources and the works of researchers of the culture of traditional Kazakh society of the 18th – early 20th centuries (Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, I.G. Andreev, A.I. Levshin, Ya.P. Gaverdovsky, N.N. Pantusov, I.A. Kastanye, Yu.A. Schmidt), the characteristic of the historical geography of sacred objects of the Kazakhs is given, the sources of the formation of the cult of holy places in the spiritual worldview of the people are analyzed, regional features (Southern, Western, Central Kazakhstan) of the traditions of veneration of holy places and small pilgrimage are shown. In the southern regions of Kazakhstan, where the level of Muslim religiosity among Kazakhs was higher, and the cult of Muslim preachers dominated; in other regions, in addition to Muslim saints, they revered ancestors, batyrs (heroes), biys (local rich governors), healers, and historical figures. The author summarizes the conclusion that the formation of the religious landscape among the Kazakhs was a consequence of the sacralization of space and the result of the spread and establishment of Islam. The veneration of pagan sacred objects in the cult practices of Kazakh nomads and the deep-rooted traditions of minor pilgrimage can be regarded as a marker of their religious identity and an indicator of the level of Muslim religiosity of the population.