A copy of the unique ancient book about Abulkhair Khan found in India has been brought to the Kazakh capital. As historians emphasize, it is not about the first khan of the Small Zhuz Abulkhair, who lived in the 18th century. It provides data on a descendant of the Shaybanid dynasty, who created an independent state in the vast territories of steppes of the country back in the 15th century, predating the formation of the Kazakh Khanate. The ancient manuscript comprises nearly 500 pages and is written in the Persian language.
“In those times, tribes such as Naiman and Zhalaiyr
inhabited that state. The book contains valuable information for the
history of our country. It is known that the book was written around 1541-1555
by Masood ibn Osman Kukhistani. He wrote it at the behest of Abd al-Latif Khan,
who was the ruler of the Shaybanid state,” said Almat Absalikov, chief expert
of the National Center of Manuscripts and Rare Books.
Also, a copy of another valuable book from
India titled ‘History of Mongols’ has been handed over to the National Center
of Manuscripts and Rare Books. The book, published in English back in
the 19th century, includes poems about well-known Kazakh historical figures and
khans, such as Zhanibek and Kerei, Kassym and Khaknazar, as well as copies of medieval
Turkic medical treatises written for the steppe elite.
“They extensively describe traditional methods of
treating eye diseases, containing a significant amount of information on how to
use various herbs or, for example, camel wool. We are talking about the
existence of Eastern, Chinese or Altai medicine. Our traditional medicine was
also developed, which can be confirmed through such written sources,” said
Zhandos Boldykov, director of the National Center of Manuscripts and Rare
Books.
It is noteworthy that expeditions of Kazakh researchers
to foreign archives for the search and study of ancient artifacts related to
the history of the country have been carried out under the Archive-2025
program. Last year alone, employees of the National Center of
Manuscripts and Rare Books managed to study the archives of 10 countries. In
Turkey, India, Iran, Egypt, Hungary and Russia, more than 3,000 documents related
to Kazakhstan’s history were discovered. There are plans to digitize all the
materials found, including ancient maps, books and photographs.
