Good news for the respected subscribers and guests of the page of the Botai Museum-Reserve! The scientific-restoration works on the construction of dwellings at the Botai settlement (near the village of Nikolskoye, North Kazakhstan Region), which began in September 2022, have been completed. We express our gratitude for the organization and support of this project to the Committee of Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The distinctive feature of these dwellings is that they are being reconstructed at the site of the 2022 field archaeological excavations. The dwellings are connected by a recessed covered passage (for convenient movement of the ancient Botai people during the winter period). In the center of each dwelling there is a hearth, where the Botai people fired ceramics, prepared food, and warmed themselves. The interior of the dwellings is decorated with horse skulls as a symbol of the domestication of the wild steppe horse.

For the high-quality reconstruction carried out, and for taking into account the recommendations provided, we express our gratitude to the RSE on the basis of economic management “Kazrestavratsiya” and its branch in Western Kazakhstan. Kazrestavratsiya. As previously noted in our posts, the specific feature of the creation of the dwellings in 2022 is their scientific orientation, carried out directly at the excavation site, taking into account earlier research. Specialists of “Kazrestavratsiya” took into account the architectural traditions and technologies of the Botai people—wooden-log foundations and the use of clay. Modern craftsmen aimed to get as close as possible to the original. State bodies and the scientific community intend and plan to carry out high-quality museification of the Botai settlement and to create the necessary infrastructure around it. The next direction is to nominate the monuments of Botai culture for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List and to develop national eco-tourism. Therefore, the scientifically based reconstructed dwellings of Botai culture are one of the important first steps. We believe that an open-air museum, the everyday life, lifestyle, and way of life of the ancient Botai people will be interesting for both children and adults visiting the historical and cultural reserve. In this regard, we once again express gratitude to all organizers and participants of the project.