Kazakh National Archives preserves people’s documentary historical heritage
The National Archives carefully collects a documentary heritage of the people and stores it for future generations. With the support from President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the National Archives building was included in the list of state property structures under construction in Astana in 2002.
The grand opening of the country's main archives office took place in December 2006. Its nine-story Oriental-style dome symbolizes infinitude and stability. And the European style of the administrative part of the building is complemented by the architectural ensemble of Astana's downtown. The total area of the building is 12,725.8 square meters, including 3,260.06 square meters of archival depositaries.
According to Deputy Director of the National Archives Tursyngul Kussainova, nowadays the facility has become the center collecting archival documents of historical, scientific, social, economic, political, and cultural significance, which are an integral part of the heritage of Kazakhstan's people that reflect the material and spiritual life of the society.
The National Archives is mainly aimed at the development of the spiritual and educational environment, the country's cultural heritage exploration, storage, restoration and effective use. "With a view to this, we replenish the National Archives' collection with documents and ensure the safety and governmental accounting of documents. The very first line of activity of the National Archive is the selection and admission of documents from the central governmental authorities and organizations, the national companies and joint-stock companies owned in part by the government," Tursyngul Kussainova said.
According to Astanagenplan Scientific Research and Design Institute, there was a contest was held for the concept idea of this structure. Based on Nurmukhan Tokayev's architectural idea, the representatives of a Turkish company made a working design and built the National Archives building. The building is equipped with state-of-the-art archival equipment. It combines the Oriental-style depositary facility and the European-style administrative building.
Since 2007, the National Archives has taken in over 337,506 thousand items. The National Archives, in the furtherance of the Cultural Heritage Governmental Program, has received copies of documents related to the history of Kazakhstan from neighboring countries and beyond. These countries include Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Poland, Egypt, the U.S., Turkey, China, Hungary, France, and Spain. For the enforcement of legal rights, for citizens of Kazakhstan and foreign citizens, the archives office has recently started issuing social legal verification letters based on archival documents.
Ensuring the perpetual storage and use of documents, the National Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan assists in strengthening the civil society, fostering the spirit of citizenship, patriotism, and tolerance in Kazakhstanis.
