190 years since the birth of the great scientist, educator and traveler of the Kazakh people Shokan Ualikhanov. Shokan Ualikhanov is one of the first Kazakh travelers. He was the first scientist to map and scientifically study Central Asia, China and East Turkestan.
In 1856, Semenov met with Tian-Shansky, who would guide the future eastern Explorer Shokan and influence his scientific work. This year, Shokan takes part in two expeditions. He studies in detail the economic, political and social structure of the Kokand Khanate, which had close ties with the southern regions of Kazakhstan, and writes a well-known work "a note about the Kokand Khanate". He takes part in creating a map of Issyk-Kul and describes this trip in the historical and ethnographic works "Diary of the Issyk-Kul trip", "western province of the Chinese empire and the city of Kulja", "notes on the Kyrgyz". Valikhanov's scientific activity attracted the attention of the Russian Geographical Society, and on February 27, 1857, he was admitted to membership in the society.
Шоқан Уәлиханов пен
Фёдор Достоевский,
Семей. 1859 жыл
Valikhanov's visit to Kashgar in 1858 was a new stage in his scientific activity. In the last quarter of the XIII century, Marco Polo, traveling to a foreign land that was only GEOs in 1603, wrote about him a wonderful work called "the six castles of Alashty city or Nan Lu province (little Bukhara) in the east of China." This is the largest of Shokan's scientific heritage, the first scientific work on the history of East Turkestan. The work was highly appreciated by Russian and foreign researchers of the East. It was translated into English and published in London in 1865 under the title "Russians in Central Asia". A number of his works have also been translated into German and French.
Russian scientists have great work in collecting and publishing Shokan's works. In his preface to the works of Shokan published by the Russian Geographical Society, academician Nikolai Ivanovich Veselovsky said: "When Shokan Valikhanov flashed like a comet in the world of Oriental Studies, Russian scientists of the East recognized it as a unique phenomenon and expected to make great discoveries about the fate of the Turkic people. But the untimely death of Shokan dashed our hopes",- he wrote.
In 1858-59, Shokan secretly traveled to Kashgar. It was a very dangerous and important scientific expedition. During the trip, he studied the life, political situation, culture of the local population and brought valuable information to European scientists. Thanks to this work, Shokan was elected a full member of the Russian Geographical Society. It was a great honor for the Kazakh people.
Shokan Valikhanov was not just a researcher, but a real educator. He knew that the reason for the backwardness of Kazakh society was the lack of education, the darkness of the people. Therefore, young people were invited to education, science, innovation.
In her works, she also paid attention to such social problems as female inequality, religion, and the way of life of the people. Shokan was a very advanced person than in his time, stating that it was necessary to raise the position of women in society, to ensure the education of children. One of the legacy left by him is works of Fine Art. They prove that Shokan became the first professional Kazakh artist in this field of art. The scientist was mainly engaged in portraiture, landscape and depiction of the way of life of the people. There are about 150 paintings left.
Unfortunately, Shokan Valikhanov's life was short. He died in the Semirechye region in 1865, before reaching the age of 30. But the legacy he left behind remained the golden treasure of Kazakh science. Through his works, the history, culture, traditions of the Kazakh people were recognized by World Scientists.
Shokan is a truly patriotic person who loved his people and worked for their future. He was a beacon of Science and culture, education and progress. Today in Kazakhstan there is the Shokan Ualikhanov university, schools, streets and museums. This is a sign of respect for his name and work.
Manshuk MAMUTOVA,
Karakat SERIK,
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology
2nd year students
