Description of the attraction
One of the cultural attractions of the city of Almaty is the unique Geological Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The history of this museum began in 1942, it was then, during the difficult period of the Second World War, thanks to the initiative of Academician Kanysh Imantayevich Satpayev, the Museum of Geology was founded. In the postwar years, the museum continued to gradually develop and replenish with new interesting exhibits.
In 1969, on the basis of the geological collections of the Institute of Mineral Resources and Kazgeofiztrest, a permanent scientific and technical exhibition of the Ministry of Geology was created. However, in 1997 the exhibition was reconstructed and renamed the Geological Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The initiator was the Minister of Geology S. Daukeev. The opening of the new museum took place in August 1997.
The museum is based on the best collection materials of the former exhibition, unique samples of minerals and ores from the collections of territorial geological departments, as well as many exhibits from private collections. The basement in the building of the Ministry of Geology was specially rebuilt for the museum. As a result, the museum received a new, original and modern premises and an updated exhibition. The main task of the geological museum is to demonstrate the wealth of the bowels of Kazakhstan, a story about geological discoveries and the development of earth sciences.
The tour of the museum starts from the lobby. From here, visitors are taken to the main halls using an elevator. The elevator was made in the form of a mining cage. Going down to the basement, a real mine with stone walls, wooden posts and rails on which trolleys full of ore stand opens up in front of the guests. The full effect of presence is created by the sounds of running machines. Also in this small hall you can see a relief map of Kazakhstan with the designation of the main places of mining and a bust of the founder of the geological museum - K. Satpayev. From the Small Hall you can get to the Big Hall, where showcases with samples of minerals and other ores, an extensive collection of Kazakh agates, various pieces of rocks, maps and photographs on the walls, and other information about geology are presented. At the end of the Great Hall there is a 15-meter panorama depicting the "history of the development of life on Earth".
