Associate Professor Berdal Aral

We go to the Ortalik Museum, which is a national museum where cultural, artistic, archeological and anthropological elements belonging to Kazakh history and identity are exhibited. One of the things that draw my attention is that while generally positive elements belonging to the joint history with Russia are highlighted, the Soviet and Russian oppression is covered up. Being have to hide the most important part of a reality against Russia which is just beside the country must hurt the Kazakhs very much!

We leave the museum and head to Kirk Tepe where we could watch Almaty from above. There is a big statue of an apple at the top of the hill. We ask why there is an apple statue. The answer is striking: “Because Almaty means the ancestor of apple.” According to what we have learned, 2/3 of Kazakhstan which has a 17-million population is made up of Muslims while the rest is mostly Orthodox Russians but there are also many people from different ethnicities here such as Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Uighurs, Tatars etc. In order to care for a balance among the believers of different religions, the state limits the Eid al-Adha vacation to only one day. The strikingly few number of mosques in Almaty, with two-million population, and other cities hardly makes us believe that these lands belong to the Muslims.

We go to the Ortalik Mosque after a while, the biggest mosque in Almaty, to hold the noon prayer. Majority of those in the mosque are young people. They seem very warm and excited. We chat with some of the youths in the mosque. The remarks of one of the youth shake our hearts deeply. “We know Turks as Muslims; however there are so many things in the popular Turkish TV series broadcast in our county that run contrary to Islam. Unfortunately those things degenerate our people.” We have nothing to say to this young man. 

After holding the evening prayer here altogether, we go to a Turkish restaurant with the name Sancak. Around a long table, we converse with merchants, academics and teachers who moved to the country from Turkey. I feel that we all share the same feelings. As the Turkish nation, we are getting united again in a way unprecedented since the Ottoman Empire. Yes, there is no doubt; we are on the right path. We learn that almost 500.000 Kazaks have converted to Christianity due to the incessant efforts of the missionaries and financial support they give to the poor as bribe. It is impossible not to be saddened. We discuss what we can do as a measure: the most priority measure is perhaps explaining Islam in the most beautiful and effective way. 

On the morning of the Eid al-Adha on Nov. 16, we go to the Ortalik Mosque for the Eid prayer. The police search everyone as we go to the mosque. The crowd that gathered in the front of the mosque also tries to resist against the cold as they wait anxiously. Finally, we enter the mosque. The mosque yard is filled with people who listen to Quran recitation with a genuine humility. People who are deeply committed to Islam although they do not have sufficient religious knowledge remind us the fact that faith is a thing that is firstly related to the heart.

We head to Kargali. Today is the first day of the Eid al-Adha. We are in the yard of the madrasah. Dozens of young people slaughter the cows donated to the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and then they cut their meat into pieces. They seem much occupied with the task they are dealing with. We distributed sacrificial meat to three groups of people in Kargali: to the families of the students of the Quran course who are poor, poor families of the students of a school here and poor families shown by a neighborhood head in the region. It is possible to read the happiness of the parents from their eyes as they receive meat packages.

Giving a break to the delivery of sacrificial meat, we visit the house of an old woman named Akbala. She tells us in what kind of a difficult situation she is in tears. This widow lives with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Unfortunately, her son Osman has been bedridden for 10 years, he has also begun to lose his eyesight recently. Osman affects us deeply with his patience although he is bedridden. We leave some aid packages for them. 

We return to Almaty toward the evening. Gorgeous tombs draw our attention along the way. I just think it to be a waste of money. Then, I learn that these gorgeous tombs were constructed to be signs of the country’s Muslim identity when all the mosques, shrines and madrasahs were closed one by one during the Soviet era.

We get on a train on the same night to go to Shymkent. We arrive at Shymkent following a 14-hour-lasting travel.

We go to the madrasah administered by Darul Erkam on Nov. 17. There are 54 students at this madrasah. It seems that friends there made a very good preparation for animal sacrifices as things proceed slowly. We deliver packages of meat to the poor after a short while. An old man whom we delivered sacrificial meat makes a meaningful speech to us and prays.

We learn that Shymkent which has around one-million population is a historical city. We meet with a group of businessman who support Darul Erkam financially and morally in the house of one of them in the afternoon. A very rich table is waiting for us. There is every kind of meals and drinks on the table including koumiss (fermented mare’s milk). According to Kazakh traditions, all the food that will be served is put on the table at the beginning. Meals, desserts, fruits and nuts are eaten together. And when the home owner serves some food in the plate of the guest, the guest eats it all as a sign of courtesy. When we go up to the second floor of this duplex house, we see that this floor is left empty to hold mass prayers. I am deeply impressed by this sensitivity and consciousness.

Then, we visit the graves of Karasas Ana and İbrahim Ata, the parents of Khoja Ahmat Yssawi, a poet and a sufi. Then, we visit a poor family. We learn that the father of the house died a short while ago. We offer our condolences to the family members. We also leave some aid packages for the family. There are many families who are in a financially difficult situation in Shymkent. (But it seems the number of families who are on the poverty line in Kazakhstan is not too many. This is probably because the state has established an effective social security system.)

Today is Nov. 18, Thursday. Although Kazakshtan’s surface area is more than that of Turkey for three times, it has very scarce fertile lands. We arrive at the madrasah where we will deliver meat. And then we wait for the arrival of meat packages. We distribute the meat packages to the poor families there. We become happy altogether…

We go to the Ahmat Yssawi University in the afternoon established jointly by Turkey and Kazakstan. Deputy Rector of the university, Professor Mahir Nakip, a Turk, receives us at his office. He is a very warm and lovely person. He tells us about his projects for the university. He said the number of students at the university has been reduced recently to increase the quality of the education. He noted that the university sends many students to Turkey to stay there for one or two academic terms.

We visit the tomb of Ahmat Yssawi after leaving the university. This great poet and sufi retired to a life of contemplation at the age of 63 and never got out of his underground cell again. He continued to offer courses to his students from there. Many sects in the Central Asia have their roots in Yasaviyya. This tomb is really gorgeous with its green dome, masjid and underground cell. Couples visit this tomb before the day of their wedding, they open their hands and pray in order to benefit from the fertility of the sprit of Yssawi.

We arrive at the madrasah after having the evening prayer in the oldest mosque of Turkistan. All the students gather in a hall. We talk about Kazakhstan and Islamic world with them. The Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara is also mentioned.

On the morning of Nov. 19, Friday, we took a taxi early in the morning and went to Kizilorda in southern Kazakhstan. The city which has a population of 300.000 is known to be the most pious city in the country. There is endless barren land alongside the roads… The land in southern Kazakhstan is generally infertile. An important reason for the situation is the fact that the water of the Sir Derya River is salty while another reason is the nuclear garbage dumped by nuclear powers in a region of the country.

We held the Friday prayer at the Ak Masjid, which is the largest mosque in Kizilorda. Those attending the prayer are mostly young people again. After the prayer, we chat in the room of imam Dairabay. We learn that this joyful person who gives enthusiastic sermons is loved very much in the region thanks to his wisdom and warm-heartedness.

Since there is no sewage system in Kizilorda, the restrooms are located in the gardens of the houses. The tap water is not clean. We learn that buildings which are not very tall collapse after a while since there is a watery ground below them.

We visit a Quran course after we leave the mosque. The IHH provides financial assistance to this course. Then, we visit a village supported by the IHH.

We bid a farewell to Kazakhstan and return to Turkey, ending a beautiful and a meaningful journey.