In 2017, a map-scheme of the city of Saraishyq, compiled in 1861 by the military topographer A. Alekseyev, was discovered in the Russian State Military Historical Archive in Moscow. The site marked on the map as “Aulie-Sklep” (Holy Mausoleum) drew special attention from researchers to the monument known as “Khan Molasy (Khan’s Grave).” Additionally, ethnographic evidence indicating that the burial place of Myrzagali Karzhauov, the father of the well-known public figure Shokan Karzhauov, coincides with this territory served as further confirmation. These data formed the basis for selecting the Khan Molasy complex as a special site for archaeological research.
As a result of the excavations, two saganas (mausoleum-type burial structures) were uncovered. The structures were found at a depth of approximately 1.20 meters, while the bases of the saganas were located 2.20 meters below ground level. The entrances of both saganas are oriented toward the southwest, and the entrance corridors (dromoi) were constructed separately from the main structure. The interior walls of the saganas were plastered with white alabaster, and the mortar used to bind the bricks was also prepared on an alabaster base.
Numerous human remains were discovered in both saganas. However, the bones were not preserved in anatomical order; they were found scattered and mixed. This indicates that the saganas had been looted in an early period, and that the construction bricks were deliberately dismantled and removed.
During the excavations, significant artifacts were uncovered, including copper rivets, iron belt buckles, nails with heads, remnants of a wooden coffin, and a fragment of red velvet embroidered with gold and silver threads.
Archaeological research at the Khan Molasy complex was conducted by the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Saraishyq” in 2020–2022.
In 2025, the Republican State Enterprise “Kazrestoration” carried out restoration work at the Khan Molasy complex, as a result of which a protective covering was installed over the monument.
