Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, Almaty

The Kazakh Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, situated in Almaty's Panfilov Park, is a surviving relic from Verny City (Almaty). Constructed in 1908 alongside the Ascension Cathedral, the wooden tower served as a venue for ceremonies and state receptions hosted by the military leadership of the Turkestan governor-generalship. After the Soviet Union's establishment, the structure served as the House of Officers until its transformation into a musical instruments museum in 1980, named after the Great Kazakh musician Ykylas, who advocated for folk culture's preservation and various national instruments.

The rectangular building with carved wooden platbands and a triaxial space-planning solution has survived several reconstructions. The entrance is marked by a high, keel-shaped porch supported by carved pillars, and the upper level features small square and keeled windows. During the 1979 renovation, Kazakh national patterns were added to the wooden carvings. In front of the tower stands a sculpture of the Kazakh bow instrument.

The museum's collection contains over 1000 musical instruments, including 60 types of Kazakh national instruments, with some dating back to the 17th century. Several halls showcase the history of the musical instruments of Turkic peoples, percussion instruments, winning instruments of the first Republican Instrument-Making Contest, and instruments from Turkic-speaking and world countries.