Kayum Mukhamedkhanov: 110th birthday
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of Kayum Mukhamedkhanuly, the scientist who laid the foundations for the scientific study of the work of the great Kazakh poet, the spiritual pillar of the nation Abay Kunanbayev. In this regard, a special memorable evening was held at the Abai Museum, filled with deep meaning and educational content, dedicated to perpetuating the name of the scientist.
Museum director Ulan Sagadiev recalled that the Abai Museum was founded in 1940 on the initiative of Mukhtar Auezov and Kanysh Satpayev, and especially noted the dedicated work of Kayum Mukhamedkhanov, who collected museum relics, carefully systematized them and carefully researched the spiritual heritage of the poet.
In turn, Candidate of Philological Sciences, head of the Center “Abai and National Spirituality” at Shakarim University Akmaral Smagulova emphasized that her mentor, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Arap Espenbetov, guided her in studying the scientist’s creative heritage.
“Kayum Mukhamedkhanov is a personal phenomenon in Kazakh literary criticism. He is not just an Abay scholar or a Shakari scholar, but a researcher who has formed an example of the scientific method, national responsibility and fidelity to the source. That is why Kayum’s legacy requires systematic study and actually dictates the need to establish an independent scientific direction - Kayum studies.
On the 100th anniversary of the scientist in his hometown of Semey, a street in the very center of the city was named after him; previously, a monument was erected near the Abai library. In 2022, a majestic monument to Mukhtar Auezov and Kayum Mukhamedkhanov was erected in honor of the teacher and student. And in 2025, three books by Kayum Mukhamedkhanov were published in the “Abai’s Path” series.
It would be especially appropriate if, on the 110th anniversary of the scientist, one of the schools in our city was named after Kayum Mukhamedkhanuly. This is necessary not so much for Kayum, but for the entire Kazakh people,” notes A. Smagulova.
According to the Kayum scholar, renaming the former International Street into Kayum Mukhamedkhanov Street was not easy. We had to go around every house, knock on every door, seeking the consent of the residents, because of which there was neither daytime rest nor night sleep. Shagangul Zhanaeva, the director of the Pedagogical College named after M. Auezov in Semey, made a significant contribution to this noble cause, together with Arap Espenbetov, as a student, with sincere devotion to the work of her mentor.
At the end of the evening, those gathered visited a specially prepared exhibition “Aldymda akyn Abay - Temirkazyk”, dedicated to the rich scientific heritage of the scientist.
