TRADITIONAL PERMANENT DWELLINGS IN KAZAKH ETHNOGRAPHY

Abstract

Abstract. Housing is one of the fundamental concepts that has become an integral part of human material culture, viewed since ancient times in close interdependence with the environment. It defines the lifestyle of an entire nation, shaped by adaptation to climatic conditions and geographic landscapes. In the process of adapting to their natural habitat, humans began to construct dwellings and settlements in accordance with the terrain and topographic features of the land. Housing also played a crucial role in the subsistence level and socio-economic life of the Kazakh people.

This article provides a scientific and research-based characterization of stationary (permanent) dwellings, which hold a distinctive place in the traditional lifestyle of the Kazakh people. The research objective is to describe stationary dwellings as a vital component of Kazakh ethnography, to preserve them in the collective memory, and to revive respect for this rich heritage among the younger generation.

The earliest transition to a settled lifestyle among the populations inhabiting the territory of Kazakhstan dates back to the Late Bronze Age. During this period, under a tribal social structure, the population managed to combine pastoralism with agriculture in valleys and at the confluences of rivers and lakes. Archaeological research indicates that since the final stage of the Bronze Age, local inhabitants had adapted to a settled lifestyle, constructing stone houses. One of the major ancient permanent centers of this population, dating to the final stage of the Bronze Age, was discovered near the Alekseyevka settlement along the Tobol River in the Kostanay region.