Educational Programs of Madrasahs in the Aqmola Region in the 19th–20th Centuries

Abstract

This article examines the educational programs of madrasahs in the Aqmola region during the 19th–20th centuries, highlighting their role as important centers of religious and cultural enlightenment in northern Kazakhstan. The study analyzes the historical, social, and cultural context of the formation and development of madrasahs, influenced by major Islamic educational centers such as Bukhara, Samarkand, Kazan, Ufa, and Istanbul. It outlines the structure of traditional usul-i qadim madrasahs and the emergence of usul-i jadid schools that introduced secular subjects alongside religious studies. Particular attention is paid to the contribution of prominent figures such as Nauan Hazret, Saduakas Gylmani, and Zeynullla Ishan, who combined religious tradition with reformist approaches. The article argues that Aqmola madrasahs played a key role not only in preserving Islamic scholarship and national identity but also in shaping a generation of intellectuals who later influenced Kazakh literature, public life, and education. Despite the closure of madrasahs and repression of teachers during the Soviet period, their legacy remains an important part of Kazakhstan’s spiritual heritage and serves as a foundation for understanding the continuity between past and present in the development of religious education.