In 1999, Kokshetau became the center of the Akmola region. In the same year, it was decided to install a monument to Abylai Khan on the Central square of Kokshetau.

At the opening, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev laid a capsule with earth delivered from Turkestan, from the mausoleum of Khoja Akhmet Yassaui, where Abylai Khan is buried, at the foot of the monument.

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev at the opening of the monument to Abylai Khan on the Central square of Kokshetau on November 5, 1999 said: “Abylai is a powerful force for our generation. The statehood and independence of the Kazakh people are closely linked to this glorious name, and the opening of the first full-fledged monument to Abylai in all of Kazakhstan is a celebration of historical justice.”
The authors of this monument are the sculptor Baimukashev Yu. D. and the architect Dzhumagaliev T. M. according to the authors, it symbolizes peace, wisdom and unity of all peoples, as the aksakals called it.

According to the authors of the monument, the famous Khan, the commander, proudly sits at the vertical of the symbolic tree. The towering “tree of life” of three connecting trunks with a Falcon spreading its wings on top symbolizes the unity of the people.

The square itself, named after Abylai Khan since 2000, is a single architectural ensemble that noticeably adorns the city of Kokshetau, and has become a favorite place of recreation for citizens. Today, almost no holiday passes without laying flowers at the monument of Abylai Khan, around which a lot of greenery is planted, and flowerbeds and lawns with bright, fragrant flowers installed everywhere on the square seem to compete with the fountain in beauty. Visitors of the city and the younger generation come to see the monument. The Central square is a mandatory place for newlyweds who go here immediately after marriage registration to pay tribute to Abylai Khan.