Mythology in Everyday Life in the Context of the Study of the Sacred Places of Turkistan

MYTHOLOGY IN EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STUDY OF THE SACRED PLACES OF TURKISTAN Researching the history and culture of Turkistan requires the joint study of more than one discipline. These are mainly fields such as archeology, ethnography and sociology. The cultural characteristics of Turkistan, the mythological analyzes of the region’s sacred places and legends help us to understand the changes in the mythical consciousness of the people. The place and function of mythology in human life and various categories of myths were reflected in Vico’s studies. Vico analyzed the symbols in myths, art, and features of philosophical consciousness. Schelling also explained the historical reality of mythology as the consciousness of people. In addition, researchers have tried to show many functions of social mythology in the context of everyday life. Cosmological, psychological and sociological functions play an important role especially in the preconditions of human formation. On this basis, the place of social rituals and traditions in the mythology system has been tried to be determined. Thus, the analysis of the classification of the activities of traditions and myths allows studying the activities of social mythology. Bayburin has commented on the fact that traditions regulate a person's daily life.

It is very important to examine the relevant myths, religious rites, legends and stories in the process of researching the sacred places and historical artifacts in the Turkistan region. The myths, legends and stories about the Turkistan region are discussed in terms of social mythological in this study. The results of the research show that socially produced myths and legends are used in different situations in daily life. While there are many examples of this, this study has only tried to analyze the current status of myths and legends related to sacred places. Some examples of social mythology consisting of such theoretical concepts can be found in the Turkistan region. There are many myths, legends and stories about Turkistan. These can be divided into two groups, legends about the teachings of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi and legends about the construction of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi’s mausoleum. The myths about the culture of the prosperous city in the Turkistan region and the characteristics of the sacred lands are widely kept alive among the people. For instance, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi made a will at the time of his death that everyone who came to him should visit the Arystan Bab tomb first. This is where the expression “Pray to Arystan Bab, of course, to Hazrat Sultan in Turkistan” comes from. For this reason, the expression “at night in Arystan Bab, pray to Khoja Akhmet'' is known to everyone. The current function of these myths, that they are used for different purposes. For instance, while myths and legends about the teachings of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi are generally reflected in the scientific literature, most of the myths about the construction of the mausoleum and the sacred places of the city are generally used to promote local tourism.

The fact that the mythological knowledge in the Turkistan region has deeply penetrated the consciousness of the people is clearly seen even today. This is noticeable, especially in the daily lives of the urban population. For instance, the naming of various shops and businesses as “... ata” (grandfather), “... ana” (mother) shows the depth of the mythical consciousness of the people of the city. Myths are also widely used in the activities of tourist facilities. At the same time, the legends and information of some tourist facilities are also based on false legends. The promotion of tourism with such false information consists of the self-recognition processes of the society after the independence of Kazakhstan. The main difference here is due to the extremely exaggerated stories of some sanctuaries. For instance, opinions about Ukash Ata’s tomb are contradictory. While most people thought that Ukash Ata was a friend of Prophet Muhammad, some defined him as a saint who lived in the region. According to a legend, Ukash Ata was a close friend and bodyguard of Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, the legends about the Ukash Ata well have been widely dealt with and have become the myths of modern life. One of them is the belief that when someone draws water from a well, if the bucket does not get water, that person has committed a sin. The other is the widespread belief that the water of the Ukash Ata Well is connected to the underground Zamzam well in Mecca. While the prevalence of such legends makes the place a tourist attraction, it also affects scientific research negatively.

In addition to historical monuments, the Turkistan region has many unique natural sites. One of them is the split rock of Adam and Eve. The rock is located in Kazygurt mountain valley. The two parts of the rock mean man and woman or father and mother. The length of the rock cavity is 15 meters, and the width of the thinnest part is 25-30 cm. People try to cross this rock gap. There is a belief among the locals that only honest people can pass through it. It is noteworthy that sometimes overweight people can pass through this gap that thin people cannot pass. These and similar legends and beliefs attract the attention of tourists. Tourists and visitors read the Quran and pray in sacred places. Furthermore, there are many journalistic studies related to a rumor that Noah’s Ark was found on top of Kazygurt Mountain. However, when we look at the history of the first social formation of human beings, it has been seen that most floods in the world occurred in the Mesopotamian region (between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers). These myths were transferred between peoples over time and reached us with some changes. However, based on this legend, a monument dedicated to Noah’s Ark was erected on Kazygurt Mountain. This place is included in the list of sacred places as a tourist attraction with the legendary knowledge of the local people.

Today, those who keep the legends and myths about sacred places alive are the mausoleums and tombs keepers. Tomb keepers are mainly those who guard the tombs of saints and serve visitors. These keepers are usually the saint's descendants or close relatives. Legends and historical data about sacred places and saints act as a guide that transfers the order of visitors to sacred places from generation to generation. At the same time, among the beggars in such places there are those who, in the mythological consciousness, associate themselves with sacred places and saints. People belonging to such a social group directly associate themselves with ancient legends. They have said that they received revelations from saints. In general, the emergence of mythical consciousness in the daily life of the people is interpreted as a way of ethno-cultural identification. It reveals the deep history of the origin of ethnos and the fact that it is an entire land state through sacred places and monuments.

As a result, the legends about the sacred places in the Turkistan region are closely related to the daily life of the people. In recent years, the function of these legends has changed and some places of nature (rocks, mountains, trees and caves) have started to be visited. On the one hand, this is interpreted as the richness of the mythical consciousness of the people, and on the other hand, it is defined as a marketing step of tourism. In general, historical artifacts and ruins in the Turkistan region should be carefully studied through local historical museums and scientific institutions and information should be presented to the public. It should be noted that the formation of such myths covered not only Turkistan, but also some other regions of Kazakhstan. In this sense, the characteristic of Turkistan is that the mythical consciousness continues by undergoing changes in the daily lives of the people. In order to evaluate this as a research platform, it is necessary to use the methods of related scientific fields effectively.

Written by Daulet Zhailybay, Eurasian Research Institute, Kazakhstan Politics, Foreign Affairs, and Security • • • • • • The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Batmunkh Battsetseg received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Mongolia Zhalgas Adilbayev in connection with the completion of his mission in Mongolia. Minister Battsetseg noted the efforts made by the Ambassador to expand the traditionally friendly relations between Mongolia and Kazakhstan. He also thanked the Ambassador for his significant contribution to strengthening Mongolia - Kazakhstan relations and supporting friendship between the peoples (Montsame.mn, 17.03.2022). The President of Moldova Maia Sandu reiterated a call for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops stationed in the Transnistria region. This was said during a UN General Assembly meeting on March 16, 2022. President Sandu also demanded the liquidation of ammunition deposits in the districts on the left bank of the Dniester. Moldova continues to plead for a peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and will do everything it can to find and implement a diplomatic, peaceful political solution (Seenews.com, 17.03.2022). The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov stated that Uzbekistan recognizes the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He also added that Uzbekistan would not recognize Donetsk and Luhansk as separate republics. At the same time, Uzbekistan will continue mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia as well as Ukraine. This was said by the Minister at the 24th plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan (Avesta.tj, 17.03.2022).

The Foreign Minister of Türkiye Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that Türkiye would not join the sanctions of a number of Western countries against Russia. Expressing Turkey's stance on imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation, Çavuşoğlu stated that they believe that sanctions would not solve the problem. At the same time, Türkiye has repeatedly mentioned that it would welcome to host Russian, Ukrainian counterparts for peace talks (Avesta.tj, 14.03.2022).

The President of Kazakhstan KassymJomart Tokayev had a phone talk with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The Presidents discussed the prospects for the development of the Kazakh-Uzbek statistical partnership with a focus on strengthening trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The Heads of State paid special attention to the effective implementation of the earlier reached agreements and to the efforts aimed at mitigating negative consequences of the foreign economic situation (Kazinform, 16.03.2022).

The newly elected president of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, shared his future plans in his recent address to his fellow citizens at an expanded meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Security Council.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed that the country faces great challenges at a new stage of development. The elected president intends to continue the course of development formed over the years of independence. In the presidential elections, 72.97% of voters voted for Serdar Berdimuhamedov (Orient, 16.03.2022).

Economy, Finance, and Energy • • • • • • Kazakhstan attracted more than $6 billion of investments through the platform of the Astana International Financial Center. More than 1.200 companies from 63 countries are currently registered in the financial hub. Trading members of the AIFC Exchange include 18 Kazakh and 11 international brokers. The Astana International Financial Center issued a license to the Islamic bank and the Islamic finance company. The number of companies licensed by the Astana Financial Services Authority doubled in 2021 and reached 46 (Qazaq TV, 16.03.2022).

Uzbekistan has built 3 new modern thermal power plants. The first gas-piston thermal power plant has a capacity of 270 MW. The second is a combined-cycle gas plant with a capacity of 240 MW, while the third TPP has a capacity of 174 MW. These power plants generate a total of 5.6 billion kWh of electricity per year and will save 725 million cubic meters of natural gas annually, which will produce an additional 2.7 billion kWh of electricity (UzReport, 14.03.2022). Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Kazakbaev had a meeting with the UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Minister Kazakbaev proposed to establish a Kyrgyz-Emirati Investment Fund. The UAE economy minister expressed interest in the implementation of joint plans to develop cooperation and increase trade and economic turnover between the two countries. The UAE business delegation will arrive in Kyrgyzstan to hold B2B events (Kabar, 14.03.2022). In 2021, Turkmenistan penetrated new energy market by starting the export of liquefied gas to Tajikistan. The countries agreed on the organization of supplies of Turkmen liquefied gas to Tajikistan during Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Ashgabat in August 2021. By the end of 2021, Turkmenistan supplied about 5 thousand tons of liquefied gas to Tajikistan, but Dushanbe intends to increase purchases. In January 2022, Turkmenistan increased the production of liquefied gas by 16% (Orient, 18.03.2022). Representatives of the Asian Development Bank and the government of Tajikistan had a meeting to review the implementation of the bank’s projects in the country. Participants at the meeting discussed common issues affecting project implementation and agreed on an action plan to address them. The ADB’s portfolio in Tajikistan in 2021 included 20 projects amounting to $1 billion, 92% of which were financed by grants. The transport and energy sectors remained the largest recipients of the ADB financing last year (AsiaPlus, 14.03.2022). Azerbaijan remains a key electricity exporter to Georgia. According to the Georgian Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Levan Davitashvili, Azerbaijani electricity exports to Georgia amounted to about 601.1 million kWh.

The minister added that Georgia has great potential for renewable energy development, but the country is still dependent on electricity imports. In 2021, the two countries' trade turnover totaled $763.6 million, with exports and imports correspondingly equaling $661 million and $102.6 million (AzerNews, 14.03.2022).

Prepared by Zhengizkhan Zhanaltay and Kanat Makhanov Society and Culture • • • • • • The Turkish city of Bursa hosted the 8th General Assembly meeting of Theater Directors of the Turkic World. The meeting was held within the framework of events to celebrate the “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2022" and gathered directors of theaters of TURKSOY member countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Gagauzia (Moldova). The participants discussed issues of cooperation in the field of theater between countries of the Turkic World (Turksoy.org, 14.03.2022).

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Council of Muftis of Russia (CMR) is planning to develop ziyorat tourism (visiting places of historical significance for Muslims). Ziyorat sites include such well-known places as the Miri-Arab madrasah, the memorial of Imam Al-Bukhari, Bahautdin Naqshbandi and other significant places, including historical and cultural monuments. The project was planned several years ago, but the pandemic interfered with the implementation of these plans (UzDaily, 15.03.2022).

The development of educational programs for women of Kazakhstan was discussed during the meeting initiated by the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) with the participation of representatives from the U.S business circle. The participants noted an increased demand for advanced training programs for women in Kazakhstan. The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs has provided support for 16,000 women entrepreneurs to develop their businesses in 80 countries. The AIFC plans to expand this program in Kazakhstan (The Astana Times, 16.03.2022). The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Uzbekistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on Green Growth and Climate Change Cooperation Relevant to the Aral Sea Basin. The MoU provides a general framework for cooperation between GGGI and GIZ in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. The document is particularly aimed at promoting climate-sensitive and ecologically friendly economic development for the people in the region (Greengrowthknowledge.org, 15.03.2022). Members of the government of Tajikistan and other heads of travel agencies from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan took part in an online meeting where they discussed the development of the tourism sector between the states of Central Asia. The meeting was meant to help revive tourism in the region in the post-pandemic period. Particular attention was paid to ancient cities and picturesque landscapes of Central Asia, located on the famous historical route of the Silk Road (Centralasia.news, 14.03.2022). Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye are discussing the possibility of crossing the borders of the two countries on the basis of an ID card and extending the visa-free regime. The discussion took place at the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Kazakbaev with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Türkiye Süleyman Soylu in Antalya. During the meeting, the sides also discussed topical issues of cooperation between law enforcement agencies of both countries (Kabar, 14.03.2022).