As the editor of the English language Selected Works of Chokan Valikhanov, it has long been my wish to visit the Altyn Emel Memorial Museum dedicated to this great 19th century Kazakh in the village of Shokan in the Altyn Emel region of south-east Kazakhstan .

The museum is about 2 hours outside Almaty, close to the Altyn Emel national park, and about 5kms from the actual burial place of Valikhanov, who died there in 1865.

The museum building itself is unique and was designed by architects A. Seydalin, B. Ibraev and S. Rustambekov. All corners of the unusual building are of different sizes, with beams that descend into the centre, passing into a “knot of happiness”, woven from colored cords.

Internally, the visitor walks into a main hall, all the time ascending in a spiral until a top gallery is reached. The hall is dominated by a huge woven carpet illustrating elements of Valikhanov’s life. Mangyshlak limestone is used in the decoration of the facade of the building – a soft, pliable pink stone.

I was introduced to the director, Maral Rahatova, who kindly asked me to sign the visitors’ book and pose for a photograph with the staff. The museum itself contains a number of items that once belonged to Valikhanov, including his tiny pistol, gilded in gold, his tea bowl and various items of his clothing.

Outside the museum is a large bronze statue of Valikhanov that dominates the area. And a few kilometres away is his actual burial place, where he died – probably of TB – aged only 29, in 1865.

All-in-all, this was a wonderful visit. Although it is a bit remote, anyone visiting will find it well worth the journey. If you want to know more about this great thinker and historian, track down a copy of my book, or you can read it online here.