Symbol of Strength and Freedom of the Spirit - Otpan Tau Modern historical monument

The Otpan Tau spiritual complex is an open-air monument of antiquity. The top of the mountain was used as the base, where before in case of the attack a signal fire was lit, symbolizing the approach of the enemy.

Residents and soldiers of nearby lands, seeing the signal, rushed to the rescue. Thus, altogether, helped them manage to defeat the conquerors. Today, the honourable lighting of the fire, March 14, symbolizes the unity and freedom of the Kazakh people.

The Otpan Tau complex was built in 2007, by virtue of the idea and scientific concept of Mangystau famous poets Sabyr Aday and Svetkali Nurzhan. According to some reports, Abish Kekilbaev, a respected writer and public activist not in Kazakhstan, but also in the world, also spoke about the need to build the complex.

Today, on the site of the historical peak, a modern historical and cultural complex “Adai ata - Otpan tau” was built. There are several open-air monuments here: the Adai Ata mausoleum, the Mother's Image monument, a 362-step staircase, the Adai clan Tamga, and the Heavenly Wolf sculpture.

The Adai Ata Mausoleum is the 37-meter white-stone mausoleum Aksaray, built in honour of the ancestor of Adai Ata and his two sons: Kelimberdy and Kudayke. The mausoleum has 8 rooms. This is the exact number of grandchildren that Adai-ata had. Here you can find museum exhibits that tell you about the life of their ancestors.

The monument “Mother's Image” was built in honour of the wife of Adai Ata and it is a symbol of all mothers. The 15-meter-high monument in the form of a sculpture of a woman and it is complemented by the moon, personifying the symbol of the face and the suns that are the symbol of the heart. Two eagles, which are part of the monument, in this case, show two sons, whom the wife of Adai ata gave birth to. They were historical figures. Thanks to cohesion, love of freedom and fraternity, they have achieved a lot. All these qualities were given to them by their mother.

Staircase of 362 steps. A staircase leads to the top of Otpan Tau Mountain. The number of steps is not random. According to the legend, there are 362 holy places in the Mangystau. This number is highly respected in the region.

Tamga of the Adai clan. Against the background of the shield, a spear and a sabre are depicted, and in the centre is the famous tamga of the Adai clan in the form of an arrow pointing up. Together, this symbolizes courage and unity.

The sculpture of the “heavenly Wolf” is an animal totem. According to legend, it is considered the ancestor of the Turkic people. Kokbori, the Great she-wolf, a symbol of strength and freedom of spirit. According to legend, she found and raised a baby, that turn into the future batyr( national hero).

Amal holiday

The mountain, almost unknown outside the region, for several years, has become a recognizable symbol in the country and a sacred place.

It should be noted that the memorial mainly is visited mostly on 13-14 March. Sometimes, up to 2,000 yurts are installed here. The rest of the year the complex is visited by individual tourists, excursions, and schoolchildren tours. Here are held contests zhyrau storytellers, a holiday of bourcuts “Sonar” (the word “sonar” means “first snow, powder”, as well as winter hunting).

Representatives of local ethnocultural centres of different nations, as well as scientists and cultural figures, public figures from other regions of the country, as well as Kazakh representatives from other countries, are invited to the Amal holiday at Otpan-tau. In 2018, the ceremony of lighting the Unity fire was held with the participation of representatives (shyraқsha) of eight sacred memorials: Korkyt ata (Kyzylorda region), Aziret Sultan (Turkestan), Khan of the ordala Saraishyk (Atyrau region), Beket ata (Mangystau region), Ulytau (Karaganda region), Mashkhur Zhusup (Pavlodar region), Zhidebay Borili - Abay and Shakarim memorial (East Kazakhstan region), Akmechet (South Kazakhstan region).

During Amal holiday, the Fire of worshipping the spirits of ancestors is lit (Tagızım Alauy). By tradition, the torch is given to representatives of the Adai clan.

Legends and traditions

Adai ata is a real person who played a big role in the formation of the Kazakh nation. The union of the eight clans of the tribe came from Adai Ata. This great person lived in the 15th-century ad and died in the arms of the younger grandson of Munal. This was the reason that the clan Munal is the owner of the fireplace.

One of the largest and most numerous in Adai clan is the Kosai clan. The writer A. Kekilbaev writes that Adai ruled for 14 years, from 1435 to 1449.

How to get to Otpan Tau?

During the celebration of Amal, the Akimat(Mayor’s office) of the region organizes free buses to the historical and cultural complex. During the rest of the year, you can visit Otpan Tau with an organized tour or using personal transport. The mountain is located five kilometres from the Aktau-Taushyk-Shetpe highway.