A Woman who Built a City next to Irtysh River: Lady Suzge
67th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Gotemba 2025
Author Sherbanu Beisenova narrates the tragedy experienced by one of the Kazakh Khan’s wives and Kazakh society, defeated by the Russian conquerors, in Siberia, which was Kazakh land in the 16th century in her novel, The Last Days of Suzge (2008). Lady Suzge, the daughter of another Kazakh Khan, built a city next to the Irtysh River. Deriving her power “from her relatives and dynasty”, Lady Suzge is one of the strongest women in the history of Turkic societies, such as Babur’s mother Kutluk Nigar, the daughter of Yunus Khan mentioned in the Baburnama in the same century. The author begins the narrative by explaining the historical background of the epic Lady Suzge, a common folk tale among Kazakhs. Thus, the novel is set on a historical fact, allowing the readers to rely on the narrative and see women’s role in rich Kazakh history. Legends and epics show the reader how their societies were protected from danger while keeping unity in the past. Readers appreciate how the author Beisenova sheds light on past experiences shared again in order to build a future that will not dry up due to forgetting the past. The story encourages young leaders who may demonstrate heroism on various levels by taking past heroines as role models. The author masterfully retells the folk tale, which she defines as a “golden treasure of the people’s mind.” Lady Suzge shows that the leadership of a Muslim woman could even challenge the Western misperception of the rest of the world appeal to the self-confidence and pride of the new generations through historical realities.