Editing Abai Qunanbaiuly

{{Short description|Kazakh poet and composer (1845–1904)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Patronymic name|Abai|Qunanbaiuly|his}}
{{Infobox writer
| name         = Abai Qunanbaiuly
| image        = Abai Kunanbaev.jpg
| imagesize    = 
| alt          = 
| caption      = Abai in 1900
| pseudonym    = 
| birth_name   = Ibrahim Qunanbaiuly
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1845|8|10|df=y}}<ref name=bre>[https://bigenc.ru/literature/text/660097 АБАЙ КУНАНБАЕВ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812122544/https://bigenc.ru/literature/text/660097 |date=12 August 2019 }}. [[Great Russian Encyclopedia]]</ref>
| birth_place  = [[Tomsk Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (now [[Abai District, Abai Region]])<ref name=bre/>
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1904|7|6|1845|8|10|df=y}}<ref name=bre/>
| death_place  = [[Semipalatinsk Oblast, Russia|Semipalatinsk Oblast]], Russian Empire (now Abai District, Abai Region)<ref name=bre/>
| occupation   = {{hlist|''[[aqyn]]''|[[educator]]|[[philosopher]]|[[composer]]|[[political figure]]}}
| education    = 
| alma_mater   = 
| period       = 
| genre        = 
| subject      = 
| movement     = 
| notableworks = ''The Book of Words''
| spouse       = Dilda<br />Shukiman (Aigerim)<br />Erkezhan
| partner      = 
| children     = 10
| parents      = 
| awards       = 
| signature    = 
| website      = 
| portaldisp   = 

}}
'''Abai Qūnanbaiūly'''{{efn|{{langx|kk|Абай Құнанбайұлы}} {{IPA|kk|ɑˈbɑj qʊnɑmˌbɑjʊˈɫɤ||Kk-Abay-Qunanbayuli.ogg}}; {{langx|ru|Абай Кунанбаев}}, also known mononymously as '''Abai'''; born Ibrahim Qunanbaiuly}} ({{OldStyleDate|10 August|1845|29 July}}{{snd}}{{OldStyleDate|6 July|1904|23 June}}) was a [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] poet, composer and [[Hanafi]] [[Maturidi]] [[theologian]] philosopher.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://bulletin-orientalism.kaznu.kz/index.php/1-vostok/article/view/1395|title=Significance of the creed of the Maturidi school in the works of Abay Kunanbayev and Shakarim Kudayberdiev|year=2019 |journal=Journal of Oriental Studies|doi=10.26577/jos.v89i2.1395 |language=ru|last1=Шәкизaдa |first1=С.Б. |last2=Құрмaнбaев |first2=Қ. |last3=Әкімхaнов |first3=А.Б. |volume=89 |issue=2 |s2cid=241316856 |doi-access=free }}</ref> He was also a cultural reformer toward European and Russian cultures on the basis of enlightened [[Islam]].

== Early life and education ==
Abai was born in Karauyl village in Chingiz volost of [[Semey|Semipalatinsk]] uyezd of the Russian Empire (this is now in [[Abay District, East Kazakhstan|Abay District]] of [[Abai Region]], Kazakhstan). He was the son of Qunanbai and Uljan, his father's second wife. They named him Ibrahim, as the family was Muslim, and he stuck with the name for the first few years of his life.

Ibrahim first studied at a local [[madrasah]] under [[Mullah]] Ahmed Ryza. During his early childhood years in Ryza's tutelage, he received the nickname "Abai" (which means "careful"), a nickname that stayed with him for the rest of his life.  His father was wealthy enough to send Abai to a Russian secondary school in [[Semey|Semipalatinsk]]. There he read the writings of [[Mikhail Lermontov]] and [[Alexander Pushkin]], which were influential to his own development as a writer. Moreover, he was fond of reading eastern poetry, including the ''[[Shahnameh]]'' and ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

== Contributions ==
Abai's main contribution to Kazakh culture and folklore lies in his poetry, which expresses great [[nationalism]] and grew out of Kazakh folk culture. Before him, most Kazakh poetry was oral, echoing the [[nomad]]ic habits of the people of the Kazakh [[steppe]]s. During Abai's lifetime, however, a number of important socio-political and socio-economic changes occurred.  influence continued to grow in [[Kazakhstan]], resulting in greater educational possibilities as well as exposure to a number of different philosophies, whether Russian, [[Western countries|Western]] or Asian. Abai Qunanbaiuly steeped himself in the cultural and philosophical history of these newly opened geographies. In this sense, Abai's creative poetry affected the philosophical theological thinking of educated Kazakhs.
==Legacy==
[[File:Abai Kunanbaev 2020 stamp of Russia.jpg|thumb|right|Abai on a 2020 Russian stamp]]
[[File:Kazakh schoolchildren pose with teacher in 2008 (Abai quote cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Abai's quote is displayed at a school in [[West Kazakhstan Region]], 2008]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Abay Monument in Almaty.jpg|thumb|Abai monument]] -->

The leaders of the [[Alash Orda]] movement saw him as their inspiration and spiritual predecessor.

Contemporary [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] images of Abai generally depict him in full traditional dress holding a [[dombra]] (the Kazakh national instrument). Today, Kazakhs revere Abai as one of the first folk heroes to enter into the national consciousness of his people. Kazakh National Pedagogical University is named after Abai, so is one of the main avenues in the city of Almaty. There are also public schools with his name. Abai is featured on postal stamps of Kazakhstan, Soviet Union, and India.<!-- See Commons category-->
The Kazakh city of [[Abay (town)|Abay]] and the [[Abai Region]] are named after him.
Among Abai's students was his nephew, a historian, philosopher, and poet [[Shakarim Qudayberdiuli]] (1858–1931).

[[File:Abai Qunanbaiuly (Sarajevo).jpg|thumb|Statue to Abai Qunanbaiuly in [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
[[File:Statue of Abai Kunanbayev (Budapest) 05.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of Abai Qunanbaiuly in [[Budapest]], Hungary]]

Statues of him have been erected in many cities of Kazakhstan, as well as [[Ashgabat]],<ref>[https://tdh.gov.tm/ru/post/42519/v-stolice-turkmenistana-otkryli-pamyatnik-abayu-kunanbajuly В столице Туркменистана открыли памятник Абаю Кунанбайулы]</ref> [[Beijing]], [[Moscow]], [[New Delhi]], [[Tehran]], [[Berlin]], [[Cairo]], [[Istanbul]], [[Antalya]], [[Kyiv]], [[Tashkent]], [[Sarajevo]], [[Bucharest]] and [[Budapest]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.caravan.kz/news/ulica-kazakhskaya-kak-pamyatniki-kazakhstanskojj-kultury-rasprostranilis-po-miru-849766/|title="Улица Казахская": как памятники казахстанской культуры распространились по миру|website=www.caravan.kz}}</ref>

Abai is featured on the [[Kazakhstani tenge|Kazakhstani Tenge]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kapital.kz/finance/42743/vypushcheny-pamyatnyye-monety-abay.html|title=Abay commemorative coins issued|website=kapital.kz|date=2015-08-14}}</ref> a subway station in Almaty is named after him,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://metroalmaty.kz/?q=ru/node/77|title=Station "Abay"|website=metroalmaty.kz}}</ref> along with a street, a square, a theater, and many schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/ru/abay-v-kazahstane-kak-i-konfuciy-v-kitae-yavlyaetsya-dushoy-kazahskogo-naroda-huancyu-shibao_a2512017|title=Abay in Kazakhstan, like Confucius in China, is the soul of the Kazakh people ("Huangqiu Shibao")|website=www.inform.kz|date=2012-11-21}}</ref>
In 1995, the 150th anniversary of Abai's birth, [[UNESCO]] celebrated it with the "Year of Abai" event. A film on the life of Abai was made by [[Kazakhfilm]] in 1995, titled ''Abai''. He is also the subject of two novels and an [[Abai (opera)|opera]] by [[Mukhtar Auezov]], another Kazakhstani writer.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
Another film describing his father's life was made in December 2015, titled "Qunanbai".<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/eNXGornbZPs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210202231245/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNXGornbZPs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|title=QUNANBAI/QAZAQFILM| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNXGornbZPs}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2016, Qunanbai film has been selected for the 12th Kazan International Muslim Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|title=XII Kazan International Festival Of Muslim Cinema 2016, 5-11th September|url=http://kazan-mfmk.com/en/archive/xii-kazan-international-festival-of-muslim-cinema/}}</ref> Only 60 of 700 applied films from countries passed the official selection.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ASTANA.KAZINFORM|date=10 August 2018 |url=https://lenta.inform.kz/ru/august-10-kazinform-s-timeline-of-major-events_a3349840}}</ref>
In 2016, Abai Qunanbaiuly was chosen as one of the nominees in the "proposed candidates" category of the national project «El Tulgasy» (Name of the Motherland) The idea of the project was to select the most significant and famous citizens of [[Kazakhstan]] whose names are now associated with the achievements of the country. More than 350,000 people voted in this project, and Abai was voted into fifth place in his category.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ЕЛ ТҰЛҒАСЫ / ИМЯ РОДИНЫ / События / Разделы сайта / Деловой журнал Exclusive|url=http://exclusive.kz/el-tulgasy-2016/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321153157/http://exclusive.kz/el-tulgasy-2016/|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 March 2017|date=21 March 2017|access-date=13 May 2020}}</ref>

In 1995, Şair Abay Konanbay ([[English language|English]]: Poet Abay Konanbay) Anatolian High School was opened in [[Sultangazi]], Istanbul.

In 2020, the government of Kazakhstan announced plans to celebrate the 175th anniversary of his birthday throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abai's 175th anniversary to be celebrated throughout 2020|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/01/abais-175th-anniversary-to-be-celebrated-throughout-2020/|last=January 2020|first=Galiya Khassenkhanova in Culture on 22|date=22 January 2020|website=The Astana Times|language=en|access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> The same year, the Park and memorial plaque in honor of Abai opened in [[Antalya]], Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Park and memorial plaque in honor of Abay opened in Antalya, Turkey|url=https://kaztag.kz/en/news/park-and-memorial-plaque-in-honor-of-abay-opened-in-antalya-turkey}}</ref>

In 2021, Abay Kunanbayoğlu Square was opened in [[Zeytinburnu]], Istanbul.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mynet |title=Zeytinburnu’nda “Abay Kunanbayoğlu Meydanı” açıldı |url=https://www.mynet.com/galeri/zeytinburnunda-abay-kunanbayoglu-meydani-acildi-180105435311/4 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Mynet YurtHaber |language=tr}}</ref> The same year, a monument to Abai opened in Seoul, South Korea, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the opening ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web|last=August 2021|first=Maiya Li in International on 18|date=2021-08-18|title=Monument to Kazakh Poet Abai Kunanbayev Opens in Seoul|url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/08/monument-to-kazakh-poet-abai-kunanbayev-opens-in-seoul/|access-date=2021-12-13|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> A monument dedicated to Abai was unveiled in [[Berlin]], Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|last=October 2021|first=Saniya Bulatkulova in International on 25|date=2021-10-25|title=Kazakh Poet Abai Kunanbayev Immortalized With New Monument in Berlin|url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/10/kazakh-poet-abai-kunanbayev-immortalized-with-new-monument-in-berlin/|access-date=2021-12-13|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> Another monument was unveiled in Paris, France, as part of a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence,<ref>{{Cite web|last=December 2021|first=Staff Report in International on 9|date=2021-12-09|title=Monument Honoring Great Kazakh Poet and Philosopher Abai Kunanbayev Unveiled in Paris|url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/12/monument-honoring-great-kazakh-poet-and-philosopher-abai-kunanbayev-unveiled-in-paris/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> as well as in [[Atyrau]] in front of the center of Abai.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://atpress.kz/en/18097-monument-to-the-great-abay-was-opened-in-atyrau|title=Monument to the Great Abay Was Opened in Atyrau|website=atpress.kz|date=2021-12-30}}</ref>

In 2022, a monument was opened in [[Tbilisi]]; the avenue next to the square where the monument was erected will also bear the name of Abay Kunanbayev.<ref>[https://qazaqtv.com/en/news/society/19945-monument-to-abai-unveiled-in-georgia-s-capital Monument to Abai unveiled in Georgia's capital]</ref> The same year, a monument dedicated to the friendly relations between [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]] was unveiled in [[Bishkek]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/monument-to-abai-unveiled-in-bishkek_a3937599|title=Monument to Abai unveiled in Bishkek|website=www.inform.kz/en|date=2022-05-26}}</ref> A bust of Abai was installed in San Martin Square in [[New Delhi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/bust-of-abai-installed-in-new-delhi_a3940002|title=Bust of Abai installed in New Delhi|website=www.inform.kz|date=2022-06-02|access-date=2022-11-01}}</ref>

On 21 March 2023, a monument to Abai Kunanbayev was unveiled in [[Taldykorgan]]. The architects of the monument is Akmyrza Rustembekov and Manarbek Dzhakipbayev. The sculptor is Mirlan Azmaganbetov.<ref>{{Cite web|lang=ru|url=https://www.inform.kz/ru/pamyatnik-abayu-otkryli-v-taldykorgane_a4048489|title=Памятник Абаю открыли в Талдыкоргане|website=www.inform.kz|date=2023-03-21|access-date=}}</ref>

==Works==
Abai also translated into Kazakh the works of Russian and European authors, mostly for the first time. Translations made by him include poems by [[Mikhail Lermontov]], [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]], [[Lord Byron]], [[Ivan Krylov]]'s ''Fables'' and [[Alexander Pushkin]]'s ''[[Eugene Onegin]]''.

Abai's major work is ''The Book of Words'' ({{lang|kk|қара сөздер|italic=no}}, {{lang|kk-Latn|Qara sözder}}), a theological philosophic treatise and collection of poems where he encourages his fellow Kazakhs to embrace education, literacy, and good moral character in order to escape poverty, enslavement and corruption. In [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425232149/http://abay.nabrk.kz/index.php?page=content&id=106 Word Twenty Five], he discusses the importance of Russian culture, as a way for Kazakhs to be exposed to the world's cultural treasures.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

==Moscow protests in May 2012==
{{main|2011–13 Russian protests}}
[[File:Internet freedom rally in Moscow (2017-07-23) 185.jpg|thumb|Human rights activist [[Ildar Dadin]] with an "Occupy Abai" t-shirt in Moscow (2017)]]
On 9 May 2012, after two days of protests in Moscow following Vladimir Putin's inauguration as President of the Russian Federation for the third term, protesters set up camp near the monument to Abai Qunanbaiuly on the [[Chistoprudny Boulevard]] in central [[Moscow]], close to the embassy of Kazakhstan. The statue quickly became a reference point for the protest's participants.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.gazeta.ru/news/2012/05/10/a_4578133.shtml |title=May protests in Moscow: The Whats and Whys |last=Vinokurova |first=Ekaterina |date=10 May 2012 |work=Gazeta.ru |access-date=12 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128000316/http://en.gazeta.ru/news/2012/05/10/a_4578133.shtml |archive-date=28 November 2014 }}</ref> OccupyAbai was among the top ranking hashtags on Twitter for several days thanks to Russian opposition leader [[Alexey Navalny]] who set up a meeting with his followers next to Abai Qunanbaiuly's monument in Moscow that he called "a monument to some unknown Kazakh". This spurred a wave of indignation among ethnic Kazakhs, who highly esteem Abai. This also brought Abai's poetry into the top 10 [[AppStore]] downloads.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.tengrinews.kz/unrest/9918/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710101218/http://en.tengrinews.kz/unrest/9918/|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 July 2012|title=Russia had to provide security of Kazakhstan embassy during OccupyAbai campaign|work=Tengrinews.kz English|access-date=18 May 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikisource author}}
{{commons category|Abai Kunanbaev}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030202140626/http://www.kz/eng/abai/abai1.html Biography of Abay]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110722142430/http://www.abay.nabrk.kz/index.php?lang=en Site dedicated to Abay]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171109142413/http://kitap.kz/reader/qarasozder_men_ocherkter «Kara Sozder» (Book of Words)] {{in lang|kk}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071202113631/http://www.tyurk.ru/file3_43_1.shtm Poems by Abay] {{in lang|ru}}
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272429/ IMDb page for the 1995 biopic]

{{Authority control}}

{{Hanafi scholars}}
{{Maturidi}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qunanbaiuly, Abai}}
[[Category:1845 births]]
[[Category:1904 deaths]]
[[Category:Kazakh people from the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:People from Abay District, East Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Kazakh-language poets]]
[[Category:Kazakh-language writers]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani Muslims]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani translators]]
[[Category:Russian–Kazakh translators]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani composers]]
[[Category:Male composers]]
[[Category:19th-century poets]]
[[Category:19th-century translators]]
[[Category:19th-century male musicians]]
[[Category:Translators of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]
[[Category:Hanafis]]
[[Category:Maturidis]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani male writers]]
[[Category:Muslims from the Russian Empire]]