The Duissenbekov family from Almaty kept rare books at home for a long time. Ancient manuscripts written in Arabic, Persian, Turkic and Tatar were published in Pakistan, India, Turkey and Kazan. Historical works that are highly valued not only in Central Asia, but throughout the world, are among them. The Quran, published in Egypt in 1324, is also in the family library, as are works in the fields of literature, religion, history, geography and pharmaceuticals.
“My grandfather collected all these books during his lifetime. He made a kind of contribution to the development of medical treatment as he studied oriental medicine. And actually, all these manuscripts and books are written from a scientific point of view,” said Bakytzhan Duissenbekov, grandson of Duissenbek Kabylanbaiuly.
One of the books, which was written in the Tatar language and published in Kazakh, describes the political and social situation of Akmola. At that time it was the center of the Kazakh steppe and served as a ‘golden bridge’ connecting Siberia and Central Asia and promoted cultural exchange.
“For example, there are books on 17th century medicine and on 18th and 19th centuries pharmaceuticals written in Persian that are very valuable. There is also a collection of Quranic manuscripts,” noted Zhanseit Tuimebayev, Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
The Duissenbekov family donated more than 300 valuable books to the library of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Now the scientists of the university will have a long and scrupulous work ahead to thoroughly study them all.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
