«Kok mosque» and medrese house

Form of monument: Sacral object

Date of monument: beginning of ХХ century

Location of monument: Aktobe oblast, Mugalzhar region, in 13,5 km to north-ease from Kumsai village

Researches: a brief description of the research report by S.E. Azhigali «Khan Molasy» and its historical environment» for 2010, indicating its location in the village of Ohr.

Brief description: The mosque is a complex consisting of a mosque, a medrese, living quarters, an imam’s house and a prayer hall. It is located on the left bank of the Ohr River. There are ruins of buildings, built during the Soviet time for livestock breeding, preserved on the territory of the monument.

The mosque is a rectangular one-storey building extending from north to south. The walls are made of processed black stone on clay mortar, and the foundation is sagged. The ceiling is made of wooden beams and the roof is covered with metal.

The medrese has openings from four doors and seven windows (one of the windows on the east side has been remodelled as an entrance opening).

Legend: this mosque was actually planned to be built at another location. However, when a Tatarian master passed by this site, he noticed that the sound has a long echo here, so the mosque was built at this place. According to local residents, the mosque was built in 1902-1905 with donations from the Tama family, so the mosque is also called «Tama kok meshiti».

It was the one mosque on the banks of the Ilek, Ohr and Zhem rivers. All the residents of Emba, Ashisai came here to pray on Friday.  

During the opening of the mosque, the aksakal Kosuak of the Tama Koki clan gave a parting request for an hour and a half. The first imam of the mosque was Tobazhan, who received his religious education in Bukhara. Among the people he was called Sary ishan. Tobajan ishan had a magnificent and strong voice. When he sang adhan (call to prayer in the morning) his voice was heard in the vicinity from a distance of 15-20 kilometres.

Nowadays the walls of the mosque have not undergone any destruction. There is a madrasa next to the mosque, which used to teach children.