Doszhan Ishan Mosque

Type of monument: Sacral object

Date of monument: Late XIX century – early XX century

Location: Aktobe region, Temirsk district, 2 kilometers 700 meters south-west from the south-eastern outskirts of the village Shubarkuduk, 1 kilometer south-east of the railway bridge over the river Shieli

Research: Information about saint Doszhan hazret, who lived in Junior Juz in 1815-1896, who built mosques, taught children to religious literacy, preached Islam and taught people to sedentary life, can be found in the collection of poems “Kazagym” of Abubakir Kerderi. The book “Doszhan khaziret” of Sabit Salkynuly tells how Doszhan learned the basics of Islam, received blessing from Sheikh Oldan and a letter of permission “irshad” to teach children.

Brief description: The mosque has a length of about 28 meters, width of 11 meters and a height of about 5 meters. At that time, the first sedentary settlement appeared in this area, the inhabitants of which were nomadic Kazakhs who built houses around the mosque. The mosque consists of six rooms; the windows are longer than human height. There are no any supports in the rooms. The windows also have no crossbars; they are made in a domed form. Above the dome there was a crescent moon, the interior dressing of the mosque was decorated with a pattern, the light falling from the dome illuminated the room. The surahs and hadiths on the walls of the mosque were decorated with a red pattern. In front of the mosque there was a house and minaret. At present, the roof of the mosque has collapsed and only the walls remain. In this mosque there were trained large number of ishans, sufis, who then served the people. Doszhan hazret is buried in the eastern part of the mosque. The kulpytas gravestone of the tomb have been preserved. In 2015, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Doszhan Hazret, the dedicated events were held in Aktobe region. Now a street in Aktobe is named after Doszhan Hazret.

Legend: Doszhan Kashakuly Hazret is a prominent religious figure. He was from the Tabyn family clan, subgenus of Konyr, a minor Juz. Folk stories speak of him respectfully as “Doseke Hazret”. He was known for his religious and educational activities, he used religion to unite the people, and he collected data on Kazakh genealogy. His fame reached all the eastern peoples and the tsar himself.

He promoted the construction of numerous mosques, under his direct leadership the mosque Kainar in Donyztau Karashyn was built, as well as mosque Ishan ata in the valley of the river Uil. Doszhan ishan together with Nurfaiys ishan and Zhumagali ishan (according to some information, together with Kunanbai’s group in 1874) went on pilgrimage to Mecca. Doszhan knew by heart the Koran, Muktasar and returned from Mecca at the age of 17 with the rank of khazret. Doszhan visited Mecca three times, met the Abai father Kunanbai, and together they built a hotel. The hotel was the property of Doszhan ishan.