Kyzyltam Mausoleum

Research: according to the records of I.A. Castanier, at the beginning of the XX century the mausoleum had two domes on an arched base (tromp). The mausoleum was also examined in 1984 by the Aktobe expedition of the Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Kazakh SSR (head – S.I. Azhigali).

Brief description: Kyzyltam is one of the rare mausoleums made of burnt bricks, belonging to the north of the Aral–Caspian region and dating back to the late Middle Ages.

Legend: according to the legend recorded by Ya.Ya.Polferov, the history of the creation of the mausoleum of Kyzyltam is connected with the unsuccessful engagement of the Khan of Khiva Arab-Mohammed with the daughter of the commander-in-chief of the Kalmyks Badmai.

"To the commander-in-chief of the Kalmyks, Badmai, ambassadors of the former enemy Arab-Mohammed come with gifts. Richly dressed ambassadors on horseback bring gifts on 10 white camels. After the presentation of gifts and the games, the ambassadors announce that they have come to woo the daughter of Badmai Uyla. However, Uili had her lover. At night, when everyone fell asleep, Uylya met her beloved Zaisa on the top of the hill and told about the matchmaking. Zaisa said that he would rather steal the bride. At this moment, Badmai appears and a fight begins. The girl tries to separate the fighting. However, the father kills the guy with a dagger. The girl refuses to marry another and dies by jumping off a cliff into the water. For two days, until the bodies of Uili and Zaisa were pulled out of the water, Badmai stood in the same place with a bloody dagger. A mausoleum appeared at the burial place of the lovers. Due to the fact that the burnt brick looks red from afar, the mausoleum was nicknamed Kyzyltam."