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Political unrest in Kazakhstan has seen a group of protestors invade the state museum in search of priceless ancient armour
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 19 Jan 2022
The Central State Museum was first established in 1931 Credit: Central State Museum
Kazakhstan’s Central State Museum was swarmed by a group of around 200 protesters earlier this month, with the mob ordering staff to lead them to a set of ancient armour within the building.
Kazakhstan is currently experiencing major unrest, with mass protests in the ex-Soviet nation over a sudden sharp increase in liquefied gas prices for the oil-rich country.
One of the largest museums in Central Asia, the Central State Museum is famous for its collection of golden artefacts, Scythian bronze and ancient weaponry.
The protesters - declared as terrorists by the government - entered the museum after staff sheltered some wounded police officers and young cadets. According to tengrinews.kz, the museum’s deputy director, Bibigul Dandygarayeva, instructed staff to hide the injured in the basement.
In addition to the museum protest, the Kazakh Culture and Sports Ministry says that it’s investigating and analysing the damage inflicted on cultural, sports and tourism sites across the country.
“In Almaty, the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan was attacked by terrorists,” said a government statement, which added that glass showcases and the entrance area were damaged, and doors broken but the archives were left intact.
“Thanks to the courage of the employees, the looting of the main property of these objects was avoided,” the statement added.
The protests, say Kazakh media, are fuelled by rising dissatisfaction with the government and economic inequality. During more than a week of violent unrest and crackdowns at the start of the year, 225 people were killed and over 9,900 were arrested.
Museums and galleries
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