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  • Vol. 3 No. 4 (2025)

    Dear readers!

    We are pleased to present you the latest issue of the academic journal The Qazaq Historical Review, published by the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI. The present issue’s articles concern the themes of the medieval history of Qazaqstan and adjacent regions of Eurasia. The editorial board of The Qazaq Historical Review has invited modern foreign and domestic historians who specialize in this period of history to contribute as authors. Historians from Finland, Japan, Ukraine, as well as researchers from Astana and Almaty, have responded to our invitation to publish the results of their research. We hope that this newly published material will contribute to the advancement of historical research and strengthen international academic cooperation.

    In the first section of The Turko-Mongol World, Dr. Napil Bazylkhan (Turkic Academy) explores little-studied aspects of the history of the Qazaq Khanate, specifically examining the origins of the ethnopolitonym Qazaq and the symbols of the khan's authority. The author believes that the term qasaq/qasγaq tergen (large cart/qasaq cart), mentioned in The Secret History of the Mongols, originally referred to a cart with a yurt. It later came to refer to the nomads who used these carts in general, and after the formation of the Qazaq Khanate, it became an ethnopolitonym. Ukrainian historian Vladislav Gulevich (The Office of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) examines the history of the transition of subordination of the vassal princes of Rus' from the Khaqan of the Great Mongol Empire in Qaraqorum to the Khan of the Ulus of Jochi in Sarai. This occurred following the weakening of central authority in Qaraqorum and the rise of Khan Mengu-Timur in the Ulus of Jochi after the Talas Qurultai of 1269. In the yarlyks to the princes of Rus', Mengu-Timur refers to himself as tsar, indicating the continuity of his authority from the tsars of Qaraqorum, not the khans of Sarai. Dr. Qanat Uskenbay's article (Central National Museum) analyzes medieval sources and historiography about Orda, the first son of Jochi. It examines the history of his double name (Orda Ejen/Ichen), as well as the meaning of the medieval Mongolian term Ezen (Ejen, Ichen). It is suggested that Orda's second name, Ejen, was his posthumous title.

    The Middle Ages in Documents section publishes research and translations of sources. Dr. Napil Bazylkhan (Turkic Academy) introduces a little-known document in Old Mongolian, "On the Law of the Qazaqs," into scholarly circulation. This document, recorded by Tseven Zhamsranov from the testimony of twelve elders of the Qazaq Abaq-Kerei clan in the 1930s, includes more than two dozen points, fourteen of which were recorded in writing. The article presents a scholarly transcription of this ancient Mongolian historical document and a translation into Qazaq. Vladislav Gulevich (The Office of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) examines Venetian documents on events in the Ulus of Jochi in the early 1340s. These documents contain information about the interregnum in the Ulus of Jochi following the death of Uzbek Khan in the autumn of 1341 and the accession of his son Janibek Khan to the throne at the end of that year. Associate Professor Hiroyuki Nagamine (National Institute of Technology, Oyama College), a researcher of the history of the Ulus of Jochi and the Qazaq Khanate from Japan publishes new materials from Persian sources on the term Toqmaq used in them to refer to the Ulus of Jochi. Finnish historian Dr. Roman Hautala (University of Oulu) publishes the original Latin text and annotated Russian translation of a fragment from the annals of Jan Długosz describing the Mongol invasion of Poland and Hungary in 1241.

    On behalf of the editorial board of the journal, I would like to express my gratitude to our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for your contribution to the preparation of this issue.

     

    Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal The Qazaq Historical Review, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor

     

  • Vol. 3 No. 3 (2025)

    From the Editor

    Dear readers!

    We are pleased to present you the latest issue of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review, published by the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI. We are pleased to present you the latest issue of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review, published by the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI. The present issue’s articles concern the history, archeology and ethnography of Qazaqstan. The authors are historians from Qazaqstan and other countries who published the results of their research. We hope that the published material will help Qazaqstani historians in further research.

     

    Four articles are published in the Archaeological Research in Qazaqstan section. The article by Alexander Goryachev and Tatyana Egorova, researchers at the Institute of Archaeology, focuses on the petroglyphs of the Serektas Mountains in the Zhambyl District of the Almaty Region. They have documented approximately 800 petroglyphs from various historical periods, from the Bronze Age to the Modern Period, depicting scenes of humans and predators hunting, grazing livestock, and dwellings. The article by Prof. Dr. Gulnara Jumabekova, and Prof. Dr. Galiya Bazarbayeva, leading researchers at the Institute of Archaeology, presents the first analysis of the decoration of a ceramic vessel from the 4th–3rd centuries BC from Mound No. 10 at the Berel burial ground. According to the authors, the vessel's decoration is associated with the cult of a female deity and fertility. Prof. Dr. Asemgul Kasenova, leading researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, analyzes and systematizes Spatial Structure from the Turkic period in the territories of Zhetysu and Saryarqa. Currently, the digital registry of ancient and medieval stone sculptures in Qazaqstan includes 998 objects, but this figure is not final and requires further expansion. Emma Usmanova, a research fellow at the Saryarqa Archaeological Institute of Qaragandy University, and Polina Frikke, an independent German researcher, are examining specially hidden objects in nine Bronze Age burial structures in the Ural-Qazaqstan steppes. According to the authors, the objects in these caches demonstrate the professional and social status of the buried individuals.

     

    The Ethnography and Cultural History of the Qazaqs section includes three articles by contemporary Qazaq historians. Dr. Napil Bazylkhan, a senior expert at the Turkic Academy, examines the Bitig Turkic script. It represents a compact system for recording the phonetic, phonological, and morphemic processes of the ancient Turkic language. Aliya Bolatkhan, a doctoral student at the University of Zurich and our regular contributor, examines the origin and spread of the term “beshbarmak” during the Russian imperial period as a name for a boiled meat dish. According to the researcher, this term reflects not the name of the dish, but the methods of its consumption. Prof. Dr. Zhanerke Shaygozova, a professor at the Qazaq National Pedagogical University, explores the characteristics and specifics of traditional Qazaq carpet art, classifying carpets according to territorial and ethnic characteristics.

     

    On behalf of the Journal’s Editorial Board, I would like to thank our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for their contribution to this issue. Great help in translation and editing of texts in English were given by Dr. Zarine Dzhandosova (Saint-Petersburg State University).

     

    Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review, 

    Associate Professor, Dr. Qanat Uskenbay

  • Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025)

    We are pleased to present you the latest issue of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review, published by the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI.

    The present issue’s articles concern the history of Qazaqstan in the imperial colonial period. The authors are Qazaqstani historians who publish the results of their research. The colonial past of Qazaqstan has today become the object of close attention not only by academy, but by various politicians and public figures, including foreign ones. Qazaq textbooks and books on history, which speak about the colonial nature of the policy of the Russian Empire towards Qazaqstan, are often criticized. In this context, the research of contemporary Qazaq historians, which analyzes the unequal relations between the Russian metropolis and its colonies, is important. We hope that the published material will help Qazaqstani historians in further research.

    Four articles are published in the “Colonization and Scientific Study of Qazaqstan by the Russian Empire” section. The article by Prof. Gulbanu Izbassarova (Aqtobe Kudaibergen Zhubanov Regional University) deals with the Qazaq representation of borders and space, and its transformation in the Qazaq society of the 19th century under the influence of Russian colonial policy. Dr. Svetlana Smagulova (Abay Qazaq National Pedagogical University) considers the activities of missionaries in the Qazaq Steppe in the context of religious policy of the Russian Empire at the end of the 20th century. In the collective article by Gulshat Abikova (National Library of the Republic of Qazaqstan), Moldir Kulshigashova (Qazaq National Agrarian Research University) and Shyngys Tazhenov (Academy of Logistics and Transport) the preliminary results of the authors’ research work in archives, museums and libraries of Abay, East Qazaqstan, and Pavlodar regions, with the aim of identifying visual materials, are presented. Dr. Saule Uderbaeva (Al-Farabi Qazaq National University) is exploring the history of the establishment and activities of the Orenburg Scholar’s Archival Commission (1887-1917) and the historical significance of its «Works».

    The “Historical Figures of the Colonial Era” section includes three articles. The activities of Barlybek Syrtanov, the first Zhetysu Qazaq to receive higher education, are investigated in the article by Rashid Orazov (Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology) on the basis of new archival documents. Maral Satenova (Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology) is discussing the history of the Southern Qazaq Steppe and the Tashkent Oasis in the 1st half of 18th century, and analyzes the role of the Qazaq khan Zholbarys, who, in difficult geopolitical conditions, had to find a balance between the Uzbeks, the Dzungars and the Russians. Dr. Galiya Shotanova (Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology) is revisiting the topic of Zhangir-khan, the ruler of the Bokey Khanate, and describes him as the main reformer of traditional Qazaq society.

    Two reviews are published in the “Critics and Bibliography” section in the end of the issue. Maral Satenova (Chokan Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology) is analyzing the new book by Pavel Shabley and Paolo Sartori «Дело Мансурова: империя и суфизм в Казахской степи» (“The Mansurov Case: Empire and Sufism in the Qazaq Steppe”). Dr. Zhanerke Shaygozova (Abai Qazaq National Pedagogical University) is presenting a new album on visual sources about the Nomad Civilization.

    On behalf of the Journal’s Editorial Board, I would like to thank our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for their contribution to this issue. Great help in translation and editing of texts in English were given by Dr. Zarine Dzhandosova (Saint-Petersburg State University) and Dr. Dinara Saykeneva. Special appreciation goes to Maral Satenova, who acted as special editor of the issue, corresponded with the authors and edited the texts.

  • Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025)

    We are delighted to provide you with the latest edition of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review, published by the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI. The articles in this issue deal with the history of the Soviet Qazaqstan. The problem circle, chronological framework, and the geography of the authors have been significantly enhanced. Leading foreign historians have kindly accepted the offer of the Qazaq Historical Review Editorial Board to publish their research findings. Modern representatives of the French and Italian historical schools have made a significant contribution to the study of some tragic pages of the Soviet past of Qazaqstan. We hope that the published material will help our domestic specialists in their further research.

    In the Soviet Qazaqstan from the Perspective of Contemporary Research section we draw the readers' attention to three following articles. The article by Dr. Xavier Hallez  (CETOBAC-EHESS, IFEAC) is based on extensive usage of archival documents and contemporary Qazaqstani genealogical publications (shezhire) and is revealing an issue completely unexplored by academy: the connection between the political views of the Qazaq intelligentsia and their tribal affiliation during the turbulent revolutionary events and the civil war in 1917–1920. Dr. Isabelle Ohayon (CERCEC-EHESS, CNRS) uses archival materials and a series of interviews with Qazaq livestock breeders and rural residents to study the process of the final disappearance of extensive nomadic cattle breeding in Qazaqstan in the post-war decades and the development of intensive pastoral cattle breeding among the Qazaqs in the 1960–1980s, as well as the consequences of this transformation for the economy of Soviet Qazaqstan. The history of scientific documentary filmmaking in Qazaqstan is still a “blank spot,” and the article of Dr. Marc Elie (CERCEC-EHESS, CNRS), about the scientific research  of mudflows in the vicinity of Soviet Alma-Ata (Almaty) and the creation of the first films about mudflows in the Soviet Qazaqstan in the 1970s and 1980s, is of even greater interest.

    The section Famine in Qazaqstan 1931–1933 publishes an important study by Dr. Niccolò Pianciola (University of Padua), in which he conducts a comparative historical analysis of the policy and economy of the Soviet state in relation to the Qaraqalpaqs and Qazaqs of the Aral Sea region. This study of the peculiarities of the development of the economy and transport infrastructure in the context of a specific historical region makes a significant contribution to understanding the causes of the mass famine of 1931–1933 among the Qazaqs of the Northern Aral Sea region.

    The World War II in World and Qazaqstan History section publishes an article by Dr. Masha Cerovic (CERCEC-EHESS, CNRS) dealing with the study of Soviet and German patriotic propaganda during the “Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945”, which is how the German-Soviet War of 1941–1945 was called in Soviet official documents from the first days of the invasion of German troops on June 22, 1941 into the territory of the Soviet Union. Were Soviet soldiers and citizens as patriotic during the war as we are used to thinking, or was it due to Soviet propaganda? Read about it in the article.

    Domestic historiography used to overly idealize the Soviet period of Qazaqstan's history for political reasons in the past. Will Qazaqstani historians be capable of providing an objective assessment of the Soviet past now? Perhaps the experience of foreign researchers will help us with this? According to the modern German historian Dr. Robert Kindler, the Bolshevik radical policy led the Qazaqs not to socialism, but to a catastrophe that turned Qazaqstan “into a huge death zone”.  In turn, the Editorial Board of the scholarly journal Qazaq Historical Review is ready to continue to be an academic platform for researchers of Qazaq and Qazaqstan history from all over the world.

    The issue concludes with a newsreel column titled At the Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI, which recounts a meeting with a group of French scholars, one of the outcomes of which was the publication of this journal.

    The Editorial Board expresses its gratitude to our authors, reviewers, editors, and translators for their contributions to the preparation of this issue. Translating and editing texts in English has been greatly assisted by Candidate of History Sciences, Associate Professor Zarine A. Dzhandosova (St. Petersburg State University).

    It is my sincere thanks to Dr. Isabelle Ohayon, who has served as the special editor of the issue and communicated with both the authors and the editors.

  • Vol. 2 No. 4 (2024)

    Dear readers!

    We are pleased to present to you the next issue of the academic journal Qazaq Historical Review. Although our journal is very young, we have already established a small tradition of dedicating our annual fourth issue to the problems of medieval history in Qazaqstan and adjacent regions of Eurasia. Therefore, following this tradition, the editorial board of "Qazaq Historical Review" has invited modern foreign and domestic historians who specialize in this period of history to contribute as authors.

    Historians from Ukraine, Finland, Japan, as well as researchers from Almaty, Karaganda and Semey, have responded to our invitation to publish the results of their research. We hope that this newly published material will contribute to the advancement of historical research and strengthen international academic cooperation.

    In the first section, entitled «The Turko-Mongol World», Ukrainian historian Vladislav Gulevich, from the Office of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, has been exploring the status of Mongol military leaders Kuremsa and Moguchey in the Dnieper region. According to his research, both these leaders were descendants of Genghis Khan's sons and were responsible for managing the territories allocated to them by Batu Khan in accordance with his instructions. This is precisely why Moguchey could not, on his own initiative, demand that Prince Danila Romanovich surrender the city of Galich to him in 1245.

    The renowned Qazaq historian Professor Amantai Isin, from Shakarim University, explores the diverse appellations of states established on the foundation of the Jochi Ulus in medieval written records, and the ways in which these names were preserved in the collective memory of the Qazaq people. In the final analysis, the author underscores the distinctions between scholarly and non-academic perspectives on the study of the history of the Jochi Ulus.

    A joint article by Qazaqstani archaeologists Emma Usmanova, from the Saryarka Archaeological Institute at Karaganda University, and Mikhail Antonov, from of the Institute of Archaeology, is dedicated to the famous Talas/Atlakh battle of 751 between the Arab and Tang armies. The uprising of the Qarluq tribes in the rear of the Tang forces played a decisive role in this battle. The authors approached the study of the conflict through the lens of the "landscape of military conflict" methodology, which allowed them to create a cartographic reconstruction of the movements of the Arab and Chinese armies and the battlefield itself.

    The section “The Middle Ages in Documents” presents a new analysis of medieval manuscripts, provides translations of sources, as well as new interpretations and commentaries on already known medieval documents.

    Renowned Japanese researcher Associate Professor Hiroyuki Nagamine, from National Institute of Technology, Oyama College, analyzes four little-known manuscripts of the anonymous Turkic work Daftar-i Chingiz-nāma from the libraries of London, Paris, Berlin and Edinburgh. The article discusses the historical significance of various versions of this text and provides interesting information about the conquest of Constantinople by Timur (Aqsaq Temir), as well as the nickname of Berdibek Khan and Toktamysh Khan’s beks and sons.

    Finnish historian Dr. Roman Hautala from the University of Oulu has published the original Latin text and Russian translation of a letter from Hungarian King Bela IV to Pope Innocent IV, in which he warns of a possible Mongol attack on Europe. The letter was written in response to the threat of another attack and requests assistance from the Apostolic See. The translation is accompanied by a detailed introduction explaining the historical context and circumstances surrounding the letter. Any unclear parts of the text have been explained with comments.

    Professor Ablet Kamalov (Turan University / Narxoz University) examines a Chinese-Turkic bilingual tombstone (epitaph) from Xi'an in honor of the Uyghur prince Kara Chor-tegin, who died in 795 and was buried in the imperial palace in Chang'an, the western capital of the Tang Empire. According to the author, this epitaph sheds light on a major event in the history of the Uyghur Khaganate: the replacement of the ruling Yaglakar dynasty by the Ediz dynasty.

    The issue ends with the section «Critics and Bibliography», in which Professor Nurlan Atygayev (Abai Qazaq National Pedagogical University) and Associate Professor Qanat Uskenbay (Institute for Humanities Studies ABDI) release a review of Erlan Karin's latest publication, a book-catalogue that focuses on antique maps and the representation of Qazaqstan on them.

    On behalf of the editorial board of the journal, I would like to express my gratitude to our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for your contribution to the preparation of this issue.

    Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Zarine Dzhandosova (St. Petersburg State University) helped in translating and editing the texts in English.

  • Vol. 2 No. 3 (2024)

    We are pleased to present you with the next issue of the scholarly journal Qazaq Historical Review. The present issue’s articles deal with the relations between Qazaqstan and other Central Asian states with the People's Republic of China/China, covering the history and current state of Central Asian and Chinese relations in the studies of Chinese researchers. The editorial board of the Qazaq Historical Review has invited modern historians and political scientists from China and Qazaqstan to publish the results of their research. The studies by six representatives of Chinese historical science and four Qazaqstani sinologists reveal different aspects of this topic. We hope that the new material will contribute to the strengthening of Qazaqstani and Chinese academic ties.

    The research conducted by Dr. Yue Shi (Beijing University) and Dr. Qairat Batyrbayev (Eurasian National University) examines various aspects of how Chinese companies operating in Kyrgyzstan contribute to enhancing the bonds between individuals within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. The authors successfully used the oral narrative of the local population and successful individual examples. The article by Dr. Jingcheng Li (Shenzhen University) raises important issues of Qazaqstani and Chinese cooperation in the field of digital economy and digital society. China's experience in integrating the digital economy and the real sector is shown. Dr. Guliziyi Baishan (Shanghai University of Foreign Studies) conducts a comparative analysis of the education systems of China and Qazaqstan and traces the process of Qazaqstan's integration into the Bologna Process, as well as cooperation between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Qazaqstan in the field of education. The study by Dr. Wang Haiyan (East China Pedagogical University) using extensive historical material and statistical data traces the dynamics of China's relations with the Central Asian states over a thirty-year period. The article by Dr. Yihao Qiu (Fudan University) analyzes information from Chinese sources about the Jochid appanages in the Yuan Empire, the dual administrative structures in these appanages, as well as the relations of the Golden Horde with the Yuan Empire during the reign of Berke Khan and after his death. Dr. Wang Yao (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) examines European historical maps of the late 19th – early 20th centuries that contain information about the cities of Western Xinjiang. He has collected and systematized 25 rare maps that provide new opportunities for studying the historical geography of the region. Professor Svetlana Kazhirova (Institute of Oriental Studies) examines some features of the initial period of Qazaq-Chinese trade and the role of Russian officials in it. A comparative and semantic analysis of gender aspects in the traditional culture of the Qazaqs and Chinese people using the example of birth rites of the Qazaqs and the Chinese is given in the article by Dr. Dinara Saikeneva (Ablai Khan Qazaq University of International Relations and World Languages). Professor Konstantin Syroezhkin's article examines the topic of the People's Republic of China's presence in Central Asia. The author draws attention to new aspects of China's policy in Central Asia and the specifics of its presence in this region.

    On behalf of the editorial board of the journal, I would like to express my gratitude to our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for your contribution to the preparation of this issue. I would like to express my gratitude to the special editor of the issue and the author, Prof. Svetlana Kazhirova, for her constant help and assistance in attracting foreign authors. I am also extremely grateful to Dr. Dinara Saikeneva for her assistance in translations from Chinese and correspondence with the authors. Dr. Zarine Dzhandosova (St. Petersburg State University) provided great assistance in translating and editing the texts in English.

  • Vol. 2 No. 2 (2024)

    Dear readers!

    We are happy to present you with the next issue of the scholarly journal Qazaq Historical Review. The current articles mainly deal with various aspects of the life of the Qazaqs in the traditional and modern periods, the description and theoretical generalization of issues of their origin, composition, settlement, cultural and everyday characteristics, material and spiritual culture. Being previously the subject of traditional ethnography, in modern conditions, these studies have entered the field of socio-cultural anthropology and are receiving new development in Qazaqstan. Ethnographic knowledge, along with historical and archaeological studies, are of paramount importance for the formation of the modern identity of Qazaqstan. Taking these factors into account, the editorial board of the Qazaq Historical Review has invited some contemporary Qazaqstani ethnographers and one ethnographer from Russia to publish the results of their research in the field. We hope that these articles will contribute to further research by Qazaqstani scholars in this sphere of historical studies.

    The article by Dr. Rakhym Beknazarov (Aktobe Regional University) examines the history of the entry and assimilation of new, sometimes foreign ethnic groups into certain Qazaq clan groups using the example of Alim-Kyrgyz group as a part of a larger Qazaq ethnic association Alimuli (əlimuly) from the Younger Zhuz (Kishi Zhuz), compactly residing in the Shalkar District of the Aktobe Region of the Republic of Qazaqstan. Aliya Bolatkhan (Institute of History and Ethnology) analyzes the production of ethnographic knowledge about the food culture of the Qazaqs and convincingly demonstrates the erroneousness of the naming of the traditional Qazaq dish et as beshbarmak, in Russian-language ethnographic publications. The widespread erroneous usage of the last name appears to be a result, among other things, of Soviet propaganda, which promoted it as a symbol of the Qazaq national cuisine. Dr. Nazgul Baigabatova (Zhetysu University) reveals the features of traditional tribal settlement of the Qazaqs of the Lepsy, Kopal, Verny and Jarkent districts of the Semirechye Region of the Russian Empire and its further transformation, shows that traditional model of tribal settlement of the Qazaqs and its socio-cultural dynamics underwent profound transformations. Orynbay Oshanov (Institute of Archaeology) provides a comparative and contrastive analysis of early Turkic and Qazaq memorial traditions and the results of his field studies of places where ritual memorial actions called as beru are held. Russian ethnographer Larisa Popova (Russian Ethnographic Museum) uses extensive and original illustrative material to examine the decoration of the bride's horse in Qazaq traditional culture, highlights the general characteristics and regional features in the wedding saddle design and the wedding horse equipment complex in general, and shows the magical functions of its individual elements and materials. The article by Dr. Zhanerke Shaigozova (Qazaq National Pedagogical University) comprehensively reveals the significance of dolls (kuyrshak) in the traditional Qazaq culture. The author considers dolls an integral part of the female subculture. Based on comparative material from Turkic and Siberian cultures, she analyzes the cultural prototype of the traditional Qazaq doll and the types of traditional Qazaq dolls, including ritual doll and children's doll. The phenomenon of the contemporary artistic author's doll in Qazaqstan is examined separately. On behalf of the editorial board of the Journal, I express my gratitude to our authors, reviewers, editors and translators for your contribution to the preparation of this issue. Dr. Zarine A. Dzhandosova (St. Petersburg State University) provided great assistance in translating and editing texts in English.

  • Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024)

    The images of Qazaqstan's distant past never cease to arouse interest. Ruins of ancient settlements and majestic burial mounds, centers of ancient metallurgy and religious settlements, ancient tools, ceramics or coins, all this has a strong emotional impact. The study of the archaeological heritage of Qazaqstan in Soviet times and during the sovereign period has significantly expanded the horizons of national history, proved the existence of ancient and developed archaeological cultures, and their global connection with the most ancient centers of human civilization.

    Modern representation of archaeological discoveries in museums and school textbooks, modern monuments and symbols of the state testify to the importance of the ancient period in our days. Sometimes the past is incorrectly, or biasedly interpreted and non-existent sensations or fantastic phenomena are ‘found’ in it. To neutralize all this, archaeologists of Qazaqstan not only conduct scientific research, but also conduct an active dialogue with society, explaining in simple language the goals and methods of complex archaeological research.

    The current issue of the scholarly journal Qazaq Historical Review is devoted to the current results of archaeological research. The editorial board has invited modern Qazaqstani archaeologists as authors to publish the results of their research. We hope that the new published material will help in further research.

    Antonina Ermolaeva, Albina Erzhanova, and Ekaterina Dubyagina  – a Margulan Institute of Archaeology team, are publishing new data from the ancient metallurgy monument in the Zhezkazgan-Ulytau mining and metallurgical center, the Taldysay Settlement. Tatyana Loshakova, Senior researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, is presenting the results of research of the Bronze Age settlements (Toksanbay, Aitman and Manaysor) on the Ustyurt plateau in the North-Eastern Caspian region, against a broad historical and archaeological background. Ilyar Kamaltdinov's article is examining a medieval bowl from the 10th – 11th  centuries with an image of a steppe eagle and epigraphic decor, found during excavations in the northern part of the shakhristan of the medieval settlement of Otrar. Asemgul Kasenova, Candidate of History, Leading researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, is tracing the history of chamber sculptures of Central Qazaqstan, and their modern study. Zhanbolat Utubaev and Sergey Bolelov, both Candidate of History, have devoted their article to the history of the formation and development of the ancient delta of the Syr Darya and its settlement before the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, according to archaeological data. Dokey Taleev, Candidate of History, Leading researcher of the Institute of Archaeology, is reconstructing the sacred meaning of the Golden Horde cities of Saraychik and Barchinkent.

    The special editor of the issue is Asemgul Kasenova, a Candidate of History.

  • Vol. 1 No. 1 (2023)

    The past decade in Kazakhstan was marked by a noticeable interest of researchers and the general public in the history of the Kazakh statehood of the late Middle Ages. Considerable attention was paid to the information of ancient maps about the medieval Kazakh state. Along with scientific research on medieval cartography, not always objective publications appeared, and that is why the thematic block of the first issue is devoted to this topical topic. In this regard, the editorial board and the staff of the ABDI Institute for Humanitarian Studies unanimously decided to devote No. 1 2023 of the journal "Qazaq Historical Review" to the problems of historical cartography of Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the whole of Eurasia. The Editorial Board invited leading modern historians, geographers, ethnographers as authors to publish the results of their scientific research. We hope that the new published material will set the right scientific direction for the development of historical, geographical and cartographic science in Kazakhstan.

    We tried to give the cards in good digital quality and accompanied them with a QR code. Using the camera of a mobile device, you can scan it and get access to a high-quality image.

    The publication by Galina N. Ksenzhik and Erlan T. Karin is devoted to the analysis of the consolidated catalog of Russian cartographic materials of the XVII – early XX centuries on the history of Kazakhstan.

    A significant part of the issue is devoted to the medieval cartographic thought of Europe about Central Asia and, in particular, the wonderful maps of Anthony (Antonio) Jenkinson's. Svetlana M. Gorshenina, professor at the National Center for Scientific Research of France, analyzes a new cartographic scheme of Central Asia of the XVI century, proposed by Jenkinson. In particular, the author of the article interprets the Chinese Lake known from his maps as the Aral Sea.

    Dr. Nurlan Kenzheakhmet in his article suggests that this lake corresponds to the modern Teletskoye Lake. In his article, the information of European maps about the Kazakh steppe and Central Asia is studied in detail.

    The first part of the article by Kazakh ethnographer, chief researcher of the Institute of Humanitarian Studies ABDI Rashid S. Kukashev is also dedicated to the newly discovered "Wroclaw" map of Jenkinson.

    Researcher of the Astana MNC, Candidate of Geographical Sciences Sergey V. Rasskazov describes the results of his research and provide copies of unique Russian historical maps of the XVIII – early XIX century.

  • Vol. 1 No. 2 (2023)

    The modern political culture of Kazakhstan is the experience of interaction of Qazaq society with neighboring peoples and states that lasted for many centuries. The most important stage in its formation was the period of the second half of the 18th – the beginning of the 20th centuries, when the Qazaq Steppe became the object of Russian imperial expansion and entered active international relations with the Qing Empire and the Central Asian khanates. It is important to understand which political features of Qazaq society were formed due to the conditions of such frontier interaction, further colonization, conquest and integration of the Qazaqs into the Russian imperial space, the subsequent waves of immigrants, and the final loss of political independence. The events and processes of this period of Qazaq history were one of the many factors determining the new political order. To understand them helps to find some answers to modern challenges.

    In this regard, the editorial board of the scholarly magazine “Qazaq Historical Review” and the team of the ABDI Institute for Humanities Studies has focused on the transformation of Qazaq political culture in the second half of the 18th – early 20th centuries as the theme of the next issue (No.2, 2003). The editorial board has invited the leading modern historians to publish the results of their research. We hope that the new publications will be helpful for our readers and specialists.

    Articles by Maral A. Satenova and Rashid E. Orazov trace the new political realities for the Qazaqs of the Senior and Middle Zhuzes, their interaction with Russia and China, and the struggle against increasing colonization. Historians Gulfira E. Otepova, Pavel S. Shablei, and Gulmira S. Sultangalieva analyze changes in the politics and culture of Qazaq society, and their reflection in books and newspapers. Dr. Gzavier Allez addresses the topic of integration of the Qazaq elite into the colonial structure of Russian Empire. An important historical document from one of the Russian archives about the peculiarities of the production of Qazaq gunpowder is published and commented by Vladimir T. Tepkeev. Professor Svetlana I. Kovalskaya reviews a new study on the historical cartography of the Qazaq Steppe in the 17th – the beginning of the 20th centuries in the section “Critics and Bibliography”.

  • Vol. 1 No. 3 (2023)

    In the field of historical policy in Qazaqstan in recent years, the studies of the tragic pages of the Soviet past and the influence of the dramatic events of those years on the fate of the Qazaqs occupy a special place. The political leadership of Qazaqstan speaks of the need for an objective study of the past by qualified specialists. Much attention is paid to the problems of the 1930s famine among the Qazaqs, repression, and forced deportation of peoples to Qazaqstan. According to the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a restrained and responsible approach from a verified scientific position, without loud slogans and populism, will contribute to an objective assessment of the tragedy of the mass famine of the Qazaq people. For more than three years (2020–2024), the State Commission for the complete rehabilitation of victims of political repression of the 1920–1950s has been working in Qazaqstan. It has carried out extensive research work, opened more than 2.6 million documents and materials, and rehabilitated more than 311 thousand victims of political repression. Historians and archivists in Qazaqstan continue their work in this direction. Taking all this into account, the editorial board of the scholarly journal “Qazaq Historical Review” and the team of the ABDI Institute for Humanities Studies have devoted the current issue (2023, 3) to the history of famine, repression, and deportation of peoples in the Soviet Union. The editorial board has invited leading modern historians to publish the results of their research and hopes that the newly published material will help specialists in further research.

    Qazaq historian Aliya Bolatkhan considers the history of Kalmyk “special settlers” in the Alma-Ata region of the Qazaq SSR from 1944 to 1953 as a special group that had confirmed its “Sovietness.” Articles by Natalia Kuzovova and Svetlana Smagulova analyze the severe consequences of famine in Ukraine and Qazaqstan among ethnic minorities and children. Professor Turganbek Allaniyazov analyzes the review reports of the KGB of the Qazaq SSR on the armed uprisings of 1929–1931. German historian Professor Victor Dönninghaus explores the tragic pages of the mass emigration of the German population from the Soviet Union in the late 1920s to Europe and America, called “American fever." The young Belarusian historian Kiryl Latyshau summarized information from post-Soviet historiography about the Bukhtarma Old Believers, who, under conditions of Soviet repression, tried to preserve their identity and traditionalism. The article by Yulia Prostakova is devoted to the problem of representing the image of the “West” in the periodical press of the Soviet Union in the second half of the 1950s and 1960s. Professor Albina Zhanbossinova, tells the story of the tragic fate of three generations of the Aldiyarov family, who found themselves at the epicenter of the socio-political events of the 1920s–1950s, based on archival documents,

    The special editor of the issue is Albina Zhanbossinova, a Doctor of History and Professor of the Lev Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

  • Vol. 1 No. 4 (2023)

    In its search for new guidelines for the emerging identity and national idea, modern Qazaqstan increasingly appeals to the experience of its medieval history. This direction becomes relevant and socially significant in new historical narratives dedicated to the process of cognition of the historical past. The legacy of the Golden Horde and its influence on Qazaq history and statehood occupy a particularly important place in the new national history writing. Public consciousness forms a stereotype about the deliberate distortion of the “true history” of the Golden Horde in previous eras and especially during the Soviet period. This makes it necessary for a modern rethinking of this stage of national history. This rethinking is embodied in the organization of anniversary events on a national scale, dedicated to the 750th anniversary of the Golden Horde (Ulugh Ulus) in 2019 and the 800th anniversary of the formation of the ulus of Jochi in 2024. According to the country’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Qazaq people are the direct heirs of the Golden Horde, which constitutes an important link in the cultural code of the Qazaqs. Such anniversary events are designed not only to consolidate society, but they should contribute to more in-depth scholarly research and the formation of academic traditions. Rational scholarly cognition of the past, free from ideology and myth-making, is the most important condition for an objective study of this past. Also, world scholarly experience in studying the history of the Golden Horde and the entire medieval period is important. Based on this, the editorial board of the academic journal “Qazaq Historical Review” and the team of the Institute for Humanitarian Research ABDI dedicated the current issue (4, 2023) to new research in the history, source study and historiography of the medieval history of Qazaqstan and Eurasia. Leading modern historians from Qazaqstan, Canada, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Ukraine, Finland and Japan are invited as authors. Qazaq historian Nurlan Atygayev explores the features of Qazaq-Qalmaq relations in the 16th century. An article by Moscow professor Alexander Kadyrbaev outlines a broad panorama of events during the era of the “Great Migration of Peoples.” Ukrainian researcher Vladyslav Gulevych reconstructs the history of the little-known and mysterious embassy of the Golden Horde’s Khan, Mengu Timur, to the Bohemian king Přemysl II Otakar. Canadian historian, Dr. Joo-Yup Lee, continues to study the Qazaqlïq phenomenon. Qazaq-American professor Uli Schamiloglu shows the impact of the bubonic plague epidemic, known as the “Black Death,” on the political crisis in the Golden Horde. The “Publications” section contains new annotated translations of sources from Latin (article by Roman Hautala), Persian (article by Hiroyuki Nagamine) and Turkish (article by Ilias Mustakimov and Qanat Uskenbay) languages. The issue ends with a review of two new books by Joo-Yup Lee and Marie Favereau