Sacred places of Kazakhstan.

“The highestly approved instructions to the Aktau commandant and the management staff under him .. In the outer districts of the Omsk region at the uroch. Aktau established a permanent fortification, the command over which was entrusted to the commandant with the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel. The duty of this commandant is entrusted to:
1) observation of internal calm in three border districts: Akmola, Karkaralinsky and Ayaguz;
2) the actual protection of the loyal Kirghiz, during their wandering, in the entire southern strip of the region, not excluding the hungry steppe;
3) constant supervision over the inviolability of borders, suppression of any arbitrary transition of our Kirghiz into foreign borders and intrusions into our borders from neighboring peoples and
4) patronage of the movement of trade caravans. In these types, the Aktau commandant was subordinate to the above three districts and the troops in them.
When attacking our posts and the nomad camps of loyal Kirghiz subjects, the commandant was given the right to repel predators with weapons and pursue them to the height of the river. Chu, however, without stepping over it or in other places beyond the southern limits of the hungry steppe."

"Collection of legalizations about the Kirghiz of the steppe regions." Orenburg, 1898.

Sights on map of Kazakhstan.

The Aktau (Aktav) fortification is located on the left bank of the drying up small Taldymanak River in the west of the Sarytau mountains, 72.5 kilometers west of the village and the Agadyr railway station, 55.5 kilometers south and slightly east of the village of Zhanaarka (the former village of Atasu ), 86.8 kilometers to the east and slightly north of the village of Karazhal in the Zhanaarkinsky district of the Karaganda region.
The Aktau fortification was built, approximately in 1836 - 1837, on the southern outskirts (at that time) of the Russian Empire. From the Aktau fortification it was planned to maintain order in the Akmola, Karkalinsky and Ayaguz districts, his tasks also included the protection of caravan routes.
One of the episodes of the uprising raised in the steppe by Khan Kenesary Kasymov is associated with the Aktau fortification. It is believed that Kenesary tried to attack the fortress in 1838, but, having stumbled upon a Cossack patrol to the east of it, limited himself to a small skirmish.
According to other sources, in November 1837, a detachment of K. Kasymov launched an attack on a group of Cossacks of the Aktau fortress, who accompanied the caravan from Petropavlovsk. A little later, when trying to get closer to the fortress, his troops were met with grapeshot volleys and were forced to retreat.
According to another version, partly legendary, because it is not supported by any documentary evidence, Kasymov still managed to take the fortification by storm and burn it, however, this fact seems very unlikely, especially given the absence of any records in the archives concerning this event.
The Aktau fortification was built according to the type of fortifications of the Tobol-Ishim defensive line of the Siberian Linear Cossack army, they were thoughtful and self-sufficient military structures.
“A personalized Imperial Decree to the commander of the Siberian Separate Corps, on the appointment of a priest to the church, supposed to be erected in the outer districts of the Kyrgyz steppe.
A priest, 2 clerks and 1 watchman were assigned to the church, supposed to be erected in the outer districts of the Kyrgyz steppe, with the strengthening of Aktau, with a salary per year: a priest 1000 rubles, clerks 60 rubles each. and the watchman 9 p. 50 k. The priest, when traveling according to border orders: Akmola, Karkaralinsky and Ayauz, to release the runs according to the position and, moreover, issue them for posfor, wine, etc. for 250 rubles in year."
"Collection of legalizations about the Kirghiz of the steppe regions." Orenburg, 1898.
Geographic coordinates of Aktavsky (Aktau) fortification: N48 ° 13'16,00 "E71 ° 53'25,00"

Authority:
Vitaly Shuptar, Alexander Petrov.

Photo by
Vitaly Shuptar.