Abstract:

The paper investigates the shrine keepers as the mediators, and transmitters of knowledge for visitors of mazar through internal activities such as communication with pilgrims, giving bata, participation in rituals, and for a wide audience through interviews, conferences, social networking services, and writing books. The article draws on participant observation material, interviews with shrine keepers, workers, and pilgrims collected during the fieldwork on the Kabanbay batyr’s and Maskhur Zhusup Kopeev’s shrines in the summer, and fall of 2023, and winter and spring of 2024. The other sources include the books and articles written by the shrine keepers. The shrine keeper of Kabanbay batyr's shrine Kamal Abdrakhman has been working in this position since the shrine opening in 2000, simultaneously he looks after the National Pantheon, located on the territory of the shrine. Kamal Abdrakhman has a journalistic education, worked in different state positions in the Taldykorgan region, and has been a researcher of Kabanbay batyr since 1979. The shrine keeper of Maskhur Zhusup Kopeev’s shrine Sezim Ahmetniyazov has been working in this position for about 4 years, previously he was employed in the center of Maskhurtanu. Both shrine keepers have a research background which helps them in answering the questions of pilgrims, giving explanations on the historical context and traditions. Collected data demonstrates the influence of the shrine keepers as mediators between saints and pilgrims to the pilgrimage routine, and the memory of the deceased persons. Therefore, I argue that studying the shrine keepers, their backgrounds, and their activities is significant to understanding the processes in the shrines, and the pilgrimage in general. Pilgrimage nowadays is a worldwide phenomenon in different religions and ethnic communities, and this paper contributes to the research of pilgrimages as part of religious activity, and related questions of pilgrims’ actions, promotion of national identity, patriotic education, and traditions in the shrines as well as their openness to everyone regardless their religious identity.