Abai Center
“You are a little brick in the wall of the world.
Find your place in it!”
Publications
Academic articles
Joo-Yup Lee on His Travels to Kazakhstan and the Russian Translation of His Book
In 2016, Joo-Yup Lee, a historian from the University of Toronto, published Qazaqlïq, or Ambitious Brigandage, and the Formation of the Qazaqs: State and Identity in Post-Mongol Central Eurasia (Brill, 2016). The book dealt with the formation of the Kazakhs (Qazaqs) as a nation and as those who pursued qazaqlïq, or the qazaq way of life. In fact, qazaqlïq, a political fluidity or vagabondage, was also practiced by the founders of the Shibanid Uzbeks and the Ukrainian Cossacks. The book was translated into Russian and published in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in June 2022. In this essay, Joo-Yup Lee tells of his recent trip to Kazakhstan, where he participated in a book presentation and discussion, met old friends, and made new ones.
Mother, wife, sister and daughter…A Kazakh woman at the top of the society
Women wielded decisive power, control and influence within the traditional family structure of nomadic people of the Great Steppe. Exclusive to the Abai Center, Inga Stasevich, Central Asia expert at Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology in St. Petersburg,
The Legacy of an International Partnership: Kazakhstan and the Smithsonian
Dr. Paul Michael Taylor writes of the collaboration between Kazakhstan & The Smithsonian’s Asian Cultural History Program (ACHP).
Some Observations on Depictions of Early Turkic Costume
There are important data on the costume of early Turks of the 7th-10th centuries CE in petroglyphs found across Inner Asia from the mountains of the Mongolian and Russian Altai and Tuva to the central Tian-Shan in Kyrgyzstan and Karatau Mountains in the middle Syr Darya basin. In a number of cases, of course, dating them to the early period of Turkic history may be problematic, and despite the large number of such compositions, there is very little detailed and realistic depiction of costume in them. Of additional value are images on the coins of Chach (Tashkent Oasis) of the 7th-8th centuries
Podcast
The Sounds of the Great Steppe
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Through Artists' Eyes
Abai Kunanbaiuly is one of the most inspiring figures in Kazakh art. Classic paintings, rare photos, and modern pop images depicting Abai transcend generations and social constructs. Every artist sees him differently, from their own soul, leading to particular representations and unique visuals.
Interviews
Abai Center Series
Western Travellers
Kazakhstan & Central Asia: Through the Eyes of Western Travelers
The Great Steppe has long attracted the intrepid and curious adventurers from the West. The Abai Center’s collection of their writings—travelogues, academic field work, diplomatic dispatches, and personal journals—are among the earliest observations of Turkic and nomad culture and customs to be published at large scale.
In the Kirghiz Steppes by J.W. Wardell
Courtesy of Personal Library of Former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States of America H.E. Erzhan Kazykhanov Avid readers of the Abai Center are well acquainted with the works of Western scholars and journalists who travelled across the Kazakh steppes from 1800s to 1900s. This volume by John Wilford Wardell presents our readers with a unique opportunity to take a glimpse into a bygone era beyond the nomadic heritage. First published in 1961 in London, the book introduces us to the author’s travels through the Kazakh steppes in his capacity of staff at the Spassky Copper Mine Ltd. from
A Traveller’s Companion to Central Asia by Kathleen Hopkirk
Courtesy of Personal Library of Former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States of America H.E. Erzhan Kazykhanov Kathleen Hopkirk’s portrayals of Kazakhstan and the region entitled “A Traveller’s Companion to Central Asia” first published by John Murray Publishers Ltd. in London in 1993 would be a delightful treat for the readers of the Abai Center. Wife of Peter Hopkirk, a British journalist and historian who wrote extensively on Central Asia and the “Great Game”, Kathleen acknowledges her husband’s contribution in writing this book full of interesting and unique observations. Alma-Ata, capital of Kazakhstan, is now a large modern city in a
Turkestan Reunion by Eleanor Holgate Lattimore
Courtesy of Personal Library of Former Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States of America H.E. Erzhan Kazykhanov Eleanor Holgate Lattimore was born in Evanston, Illinois, where her father was on the faculty Northwestern University. After graduating from Northwestern, Lattimore taught school in St. Louis and later organized girls’ clubs and camps for the Y.W.C.A in the North West. In 1921 she travelled in China with her parents. After two years in New York she returned to Beijing in 1924 where she taught for a year in Chinese schools and later became secretary of the Peking Institute of Fine Arts.
Events
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