Valikhanov mentioned in his works the gumbaz of a Kyrgyz manap Nogai from the Bughu clan. In the following year, 1857, this gumbaz was visited by P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, who left a vivid description of it: “Having ascended to Tasm, we saw the beautiful grave of the heroic batyr named Nogai, who died at this place in 1842. This monument, crafted by the best masters from Kashgar, cost the Nogai family quite a lot: they paid for it two yambs in silver, two camels, five horses, and 300 sheep.” Indeed, such funds could only be spent by a powerful feudal lord; the poorer layers of the population resorted to more modest, but also less durable, gravestones. Although the gumbaz was built by Kashgar masters, it was constructed according to the traditions of Kyrgyz architecture, as evidenced by the numerous subsequent Kyrgyz mausoleums, some of which have survived to this day.
According to P. P. Semenov, the gumbaz resembled a small temple of eastern architecture with a dome and a tower. The interior of the mausoleum was octagonal and high, about four meters in diameter. There was no sargan, or “sarcophagus,” inside. The dome of the mausoleum was painted with “extremely crude frescoes,” depicting Nogai himself on horseback, holding a long spear, followed by his son Chon-Karach on horseback, then all the members of the Nogai family and a line of pack camels.
The Mausoleum of Nogai, judging by the description, was a central octagon. The dome was adorned with frescoes. This means that the Kyrgyz, in addition to ornamental art, also mastered thematic painting. In the frescoes, the thematic plot (Nogai on horseback, etc.) is connected with elements of the landscape (though fantastic, there are trees and flowers).
The surrounding reality and the animistic beliefs of the Kyrgyz served as a nourishing environment for primitive genre painting.
As we can see, orthodox Islam with its prohibitions on depicting all living things, especially humans, did not greatly concern the ancient architect. This indicates that Islam did not take deep root in the nomadic environment, and in the construction of monuments, the Kyrgyz primarily focused on beauty — traditional architecture combined with painting.
