The foundations of Kazygyrt-Karatau Regional Literary School formation

Abstract

The article provides a systematic analysis of the preconditions for the formation and the spiritual-cultural foundations of the Kazygurt-Karatau regional literary school. This region holds a special place in the spiritual history of the Kazakh people, being a land deeply rooted in religious-enlightenment traditions, the art of the zhyrau, and the aitys poetic form. Despite witnessing numerous political events throughout history, the cultural heritage of the southern region has been collected, published, and is now being systematically studied. The article examines the key artistic and ideological features of this literary school through the works of prominent poets from the Kazygurt-Karatau region. The school’s representatives masterfully combined Islamic faith and Sufi philosophy with poetic expression, addressing themes such as national unity, morality, justice, and resistance to colonial domination. The study also highlights the school’s genre diversity, its artistic language, thematic richness, and its role in fostering national consciousness. Historically, the Kazygurt and Karatau regions have been strongholds of Sufi poetry, the zhyrau tradition, and aitys art. The didactic poems, ritual songs, poetic contests, qissa-dastans, and terme-tolgau works of the school’s poets are evidence of the preservation and transmission of the people’s linguistic, spiritual, and religious values. As a result, the study systematizes the foundational principles of the Kazygurt-Karatau regional literary school and affirms its distinctive place in Kazakh spiritual culture.