Before the spread of Islam, people had various beliefs and burial traditions. They worshipped different forces of nature and sacred objects.
In front of you is a ground burial structure from the Zhuyantobe burial site. According to the archaeological evidence presented here, after a person died, the body was left under the open sky for about 40–50 days. During this time, the soft tissues separated from the bones. The bones were then cleaned, washed, and buried.
In some cases, a practice known as burial in a khum was used. The body was cleaned and placed inside a large ceramic vessel called a khum, and then buried.
This burial was discovered during the construction of Independence Park, located on the Orдаbasy hill. The find was sent to Almaty for scientific examination. The research established that the remains belonged to a man and a woman approximately 35–40 years old.
This type of burial practice is associated with Zoroastrian tradition. One of the important principles of this tradition was the desire not to pollute or defile the earth with the body of the deceased. Therefore, such burial practices reflect the special respect that people had for nature and the earth.
