On August 3, 2023, Professor Alan Outram of the University of Exeter (Southwest England) arrived at the archaeological excavations conducted by the Republican State Enterprise “Republican Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve ‘Botai’” of the Committee of Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On July 21, 2023, the staff of the Republican State Enterprise “State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve ‘Botai’” organized a guided tour of the exhibition hall of the Botai Museum-Reserve for guests from Omsk.

The Botai Culture is the earliest archaeological evidence of horse domestication in the Kazakh steppe. The fact that horses were domesticated on the territory of Kazakhstan in ancient times indicates that this animal was especially revered and became an integral part of everyday life and ritual practices. Even the fact that the Kazakh people continue to use horse milk to make kumys today serves as evidence of a tradition that has existed in the Kazakh steppe since ancient times. In this regard, it is clear that the horse is one of the most significant indicators of the development of human civilization, especially steppe civilization. For this reason, the Botai State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve held the traditional “riding the Ashamay” ceremony at the Botai Settlement.