Tobyl’s Thinker: A Reflection on Human Existence

Tobyl’s Thinker gazes thoughtfully upwards, his deep-set eyes amplifying his contemplative expression as he ponders the vastness of the universe. The sculpture’s asymmetric and somewhat disproportionate form adds to its unique aura, suggesting an intense introspection. This striking figure can be seen as a modern reinterpretation of Auguste Rodin’s renowned work, The Thinker, originally conceived between 1880 and 1881, with an iconic large version showcased at the Rodin Museum in Paris since 1904.

However, Tobyl’s Thinker, also known as “The Man Scanning the Sky,” is a remarkable creation crafted from grey-brown sandstone in Kazakhstan’s Qostanai region, dating back to 3-2 BCE.

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This highly polished sculpture exemplifies the early artistic expressions of Kazakhstan, evoking a profound sense of inner life and spirituality. Despite the millennia that separate them, both sculptures serve as timeless reflections on the human experience.

Usually housed at the National Museum of Kazakhstan, Tobyl’s Thinker is currently featured at the Musée Guimet in Paris as part of the exhibition ‘Kazakhstan: Empires of the Great Steppe’. For the museum’s director, art historian Yannick Lintz, Tobyl’s Thinker is the “talisman of the exhibition,” a piece she hopes could remain there indefinitely.

The exhibition, ‘Kazakhstan: Treasures of the Great Steppe’, takes visitors through 5,000 years of the country’s rich history, divided into five distinctive parts. As Lintz articulates, Kazakhstan has long been a “crossroads of civilization” where Eastern and Western cultures intersect, and nomadic traditions coalesce with the legacies of empires such as the Huns, Turks, and Mongols.

This emphasis on historical intersections and ancient global connections is particularly relevant today, as seen in recent exhibitions at the British Museum and British Library that explore the Silk Road. This trend reflects a renewed appreciation for the cross-cultural exchanges, trade networks, and historical ties that have shaped Eurasia throughout the centuries.

Lintz aspires for the exhibition to “transcend stereotypes” and present Kazakhstan’s history through artifacts that narrate its evolution from early steppe cultures to the modern era.

The exhibition is thoughtfully organized into several milestones. The first milestone, Tobyl’s Thinker, represents the Botai culture and the domestication of horses. The Botai society, emerging around 4 BCE in northern Kazakhstan, is credited with pioneering horse domestication, marking a significant shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to a culture centered on horse-breeding and cattle-herding.

This transformation laid the groundwork for steppe culture, where tribes developed an intricate understanding of natural cycles, climate, and environment, deeply intertwined with their survival practices and spiritual beliefs.

Milestone 2 showcases the rise of the first Scythian states, illustrated by a stunning “Golden Man” headdress, symbolizing the Saka culture. In the 1st millennium BCE, the steppes of Kazakhstan saw the emergence of large tribal groups, known to the Greeks and Persians as Scythians, Saka, and Sarmatians. These tribes shared common cultural practices and excelled in goldsmithing, particularly the “animal style” of metalwork. The discovery of the “Golden Man” in Issyk in 1969, adorned with gold attire rich in cosmological symbolism, serves as an iconic example of this craftsmanship.

Milestone 3 features the balbal, a Turkic funerary statue that emerged during the height of Turkic power in medieval Kazakhstan. This solemn, moustachioed figure, depicted holding a ceremonial cup, exemplifies the Turkic reverence for ancestral spirits and the continuity of heritage. Originating in the Altai Mountains—the cradle of Turkic culture—these anthropomorphic balbal statues represent the merging of nomadic and urban lives, with cities like Otrar (Farab) becoming vibrant centers of trade, art, and science, home to great thinkers such as Abu Nasr al-Farabi.

In Milestone 4, the exhibition explores the development of Islam in Kazakhstan as a cultural crossroads, featuring the magnificent chandeliers of the Khoja Ahmet Yasawi mausoleum. Constructed under Tamerlane (Timur) from 1389 to 1405, the mausoleum is dedicated to the 12th-century Sufi poet and mystic, who significantly influenced Turkic Sufism in Central Asia, making it one of Kazakhstan’s most revered sites. The mausoleum’s interior is adorned with six exquisite metal chandeliers, likely embellished with gold and silver inlays, typifying the artistic brilliance of the Timurid period. Lintz, an expert in Islamic art, refers to these chandeliers as among the most beautiful in Islamic artistry.

Milestone 5 delves into the Kazakh Khanate and the emergence of modern Kazakhstan, highlighted by the ornate chapan of Kazybek biy Keldibekuly (1667–1764). This intricately quilted coat, adorned with gold and silver embroidery, reflects the wealth and ceremonial life of the Kazakh elite during the 17th and 18th centuries. As a judge and diplomat, Kazybek Biy played a crucial role in shaping Kazakh law and diplomacy, a legacy mirrored in this ceremonial attire. Established in the 15th century by Genghis Khan’s descendants, the Kazakh Khanate laid the foundation for a unified Kazakh identity and a legal system rooted in nomadic or semi-nomadic traditions that persisted into the 19th century.

The exhibition ‘Kazakhstan: Empires of the Great Steppe’ coincides with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to France and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Musée Guimet. This collaboration was initially proposed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Astana in 2023.

Kazakhstan’s Culture Minister Aida Balayeva, present at the exhibition’s opening in Paris, remarked, “Its value lies in its ability to showcase the main periods of our history through a select few exhibits, from the Saka period to the formation of the Kazakh Khanate.” She emphasized, “With the assistance of our French colleagues, we have successfully created a very modern presentation format and established fruitful cooperation.”

The exhibition ‘Kazakhstan: Empires of the Great Steppe’ will be open to the public until March 24, 2025, at the Musée Guimet in Paris.