Ibrahim Altynsarin
Encyclopedia
Kazakh language
Kazakh is a Turkic language which belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic languages, closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak....
: Ыбырай Алтынсарин; Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Ибрай Алтынсарин) (1841 – 1889) was a major figure in pre-Soviet Kazakh
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
history. He was the most prominent Kazakh educator of the late 19th century, during the period of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n colonization of and cultural influence in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
Altynsarin was born in the Araqaraghai region of Torghai oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
(now Kostanay Province
Kostanay Province
Kostanay Province is a province of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Kostanay City. The population of the province is 900,300. Population living in Kostanay is 207,000 that makes 23 % of the population of province...
), and in his early career was an inspector of Torghai schools.
He is best known for introducing a Cyrillic alphabet for the Kazakh language
Kazakh language
Kazakh is a Turkic language which belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic languages, closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak....
, and was a proponent of teaching in the Western style. However, he opposed the teaching of Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
doctrines to non-Russian Kazakhs, but at the same time urged resistance to Tatar language and culture, in favor of Russian and Western influences. As an educator, he opened numerous Kazakh-Russian boarding schools, technical schools and schools for girls.
Altynsarin is also credited with authoring the first Kazakh grammar book, the first Kazakh-Russian newspaper, and with translation of a large number of textbooks and reference works. He was honored by the Imperial Russian government with numerous awards, including the title statski sovetnik (State Councillor
State councillor
State Councillor may refer to:* State Councilor, a high-ranking member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China* State Counsellor, a high civil rank in Imperial Russia...
).
A number of Kazakh institutions, including the Kazakh Academy of Education, and some streets, schools, and academic awards, are named after Altynsarin. There is an Altynsarin museum in Kostanay
Kostanay
Kostanay , formerly known as Kustanay and Nikolayevsk , is a city located in the northern part of Kazakhstan at the Tobol River. The population living in Kostanay is 301,317 people. Kostanay is the capital of Kostanay Province.-Public institutions:In Kostanay there are 8 higher educational...
.