The Republican Museum of Local Lore of Karakalpakstan, situated at 9 Garesizlik Street in Nukus, showcases the rich cultural heritage of the region. This is one of the oldest museums in Central Asia. Its history began in 1929 with an exhibition organized by the Karakalpakstan Local Lore Society in Turtkul. Established in 1929, it began with a modest dozen exhibits and has since grown to house over 56,000 items, divided into three departments: nature, archaeology and ethnography, and modern history.
With 21 halls dedicated to nature, archaeology, ethnography, and modern history, the museum offers a comprehensive exploration of Karakalpakstan’s past and present. Exhibits range from dioramas depicting the landscapes of the Ustyurt plateau and the Aral Sea basin to displays of traditional Karakalpak clothing and jewelry, showcasing the region’s diverse cultural heritage.
The museum features fossilized remains of ancient animals and plants, as well as specimens of rare and extinct birds and animals from the Aral Sea region. A unique exhibit is the “Last Turanian Tiger,” which was widely distributed from the Altai Mountains to the Black Sea but was hunted to extinction for its beautiful fur. The last tiger was killed by locals in the Amu Darya delta in 1949. Upon learning of this, the director of the Local Lore Museum took measures to acquire the tiger’s carcass for the museum, preserving it as a stuffed specimen.
Notable among the museum’s treasures is a unique capital discovered in the Sulganuizdag mountains, reminiscent of ancient Eastern art.
The archaeological exhibitions contain unparalleled artifacts and models of ancient Khorezm fortresses. Particularly unique is a capital in the form of an animal with ram horns but a human face, carved over 2500 years ago from stones in the Sultanuizdag mountains. Also remarkable is a bronze cauldron from the 6th-5th centuries BCE, standing on three legs resembling animal legs, with its handle shaped like a horse.
