SACRED SPATIAL PLANNING IN EARLY MEDIEVAL SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN: THE CASE OF THE TENGRIAN SANCTUARY COMPLEX OF MERKE
Saniya I. Mekhribanu G. Abdullah A.
January 2025Malaysian Institute Of Planners
Planning Malaysia
2025#23Issue 6150 - 164 pp.
The article is devoted to the analysis of sacred spatial planning in early medieval Southern Kazakhstan using the example of the Merke sanctuary complex. The influence of the Tengrian worldview on the architectural organization of ritual spaces reflecting the cosmological principles and social structures of nomadic societies is considered. The research methodology is based on the interpretation of archaeological, topographic, and symbolic data, as well as on the systematization of monuments by architectural features (shape, size, orientation, material). Particular attention is paid to the concept of sacred landscape, the axial and hierarchical organization of objects, as well as their symbolic content. The importance of further study of the Merke complex as a unique element of cultural heritage on the Great Silk Road and a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site is emphasized. In the context of the reviving national identity and priorities voiced in the messages of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, this study actualizes the need to rethink cultural space as a key factor in historical identity.
architecture , cultural heritage , Merke , planning , sacred space , South Kazakhstan , Tengrism
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Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering, INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL CORPORATION, Kazakhstan
Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA, Malaysia
Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design
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