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.
