Akishev Kimal (23.05.1924 - 10.08.2003)

Kimal Akishev was born on May 23, 1924 in Bayanaul district of Pavlodar region. Immediately after graduating from the 10th grade of the 25th Alma-Ata secondary school, Kimal Akishevich was drafted into the army. After a short-term study in Samarkand at the School of Communications in the summer of 1943, he became the head of the battalion radio station in the 230th Stalin Rifle Division. In July 1944, during the crossing of the Dniester, K. Akishev was seriously wounded and demobilized after treatment. In 1945, he entered the Faculty of History of the Kazakh State University named after Kirov, and after his graduation, he started his postgraduate study. His teachers in postgraduate school were well-known scientists A. Margulan and M. Gryaznov. At a meeting of the Academic Council of the State Hermitage Museum in December 1953, Kimal Akishevich defended his Candidate's thesis on the topic "The Bronze Age of Central Kazakhstan". After defending his dissertation, from 1955 to 1989, K. Akishev headed the Department of Archaeology of the Ch. Valikhanov Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. From 1989 to 2001, K. Akishev worked as a Chief Researcher at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, and since 1991 (since the organization of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan) he headed the department there. In October 2001, he moved to Astana and headed the Laboratory of Archaeological reconstructions at the Gumilyov Eurasian State University. The scientist has published a significant number of scientific papers. He is the author of 10 monographs and more than 200 scientific articles, notes, reports published in Almaty, Moscow, Leningrad, Germany, Japan, USA, Italy and Hungary.
K. Akishev is one of the authors and leaders of the team of archaeologists who published the first in the USSR "Archaeological map of Kazakhstan" (Alma-Ata, 1960). His monograph "The ancient culture of the Saka and the Wusun valley of the Ili River", published in 1963, made a new contribution to the ancient history of Semirechye. Then, for the first time, the public and the scientific world learned about the rich and original Saka culture of Semirechye. The Saka mounds of Besshatyr, discovered by K. Akishev, stood on a par with such famous monuments as the Pazyryk and Bashadar mounds of Altai.
K. Akishev is the author of one of the most striking world discoveries of the 20th century - the burial of the "Golden Man" in the Issyk kurgan (1969-1970). The perfectly published book "Issyk Kurgan" not only published unique materials, but also made excursions into the field of social relations of the Saka. The writings found in Issyk allow the author to convincingly raise and resolve the question of statehood among the Saka. This important provision makes us take a fresh look at the development of civilization in Kazakhstan. In 1987, he defended his doctoral dissertation "Economy and social system of Southern Kazakhstan and Northern Kyrgyzstan in the era of the Saka and Wusun (5th century BC – 5th century AD)". For the first time, using archaeological material and data from written sources, the researcher substantiated the fact of the existence of statehood among the Zhetysu Saka, which was a breakthrough in the study of the ancient history of Kazakhstan and Eurasia.
Kimal Akishevich is a researcher of a wide range. Not only the monuments of antiquity, but also the middle Ages, as well as the problems of paleoethnography and architecture were among his scientific interests. He has done much in the study of medieval cities of Kazakhstan. K. Akishev, in collaboration with other scientists, has published three monographs dedicated to Otrar, the largest urban center in the Syrdarya. The main provisions developed by the scientist in his monographs and articles were included in the fundamental work "History of the Kazakh SSR" in five volumes. Kimal Akishevich is one of the main authors of the first volume (Alma-Ata, 1997).
It is clear that his monographs and articles are based on archaeological material that has been collected and accumulated over many years of field research. Perhaps, it is impossible to find an area in Kazakhstan where the expedition routes of the scientist would not take place. These are the mountain valleys of the Tien Shan, Kzylkum, the steppes of Saryarka and the Irtysh region. During the development of virgin lands, an archaeological expedition led by K. Akishev explored the steppes of Northern Kazakhstan, the Tobol and Ishim valleys. Dozens of burial grounds of the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and the middle Ages were discovered, recorded, partially excavated, dozens of Neolithic sites and many settlements of various eras were found. Since 1956, K. Akishev headed the Semirechye archaeological expedition. Its main task is to study the monuments of the Saka and Wusun. Since 1971, K. Akishev organized and became the head of the South Kazakhstan complex archaeological expedition. The main objects of its research are the monuments of the Otrar oasis and the entire south of Kazakhstan. Over the years, the SKCAE has received a huge amount of material characterizing the urban culture of Kazakhstan. A new direction in archaeology has been developed and recognized - late medieval archaeology. From 1997 to 2003, he headed the Ishim complex archaeological expedition, the main task of which was to study the medieval city of Bozok near Astana in the light of the concept of "steppe civilization of Eurasia".
The merits of K. Akishev as an organizer of science and educator of young specialists are significant. Kimal Akishevich is the founder of the Kazakhstan School of Archaeology. Many of his students became candidates and doctors of sciences under his leadership. The scientist paid great attention to the training of specialists in universities. For a number of years, he taught special courses in archaeology at the Historical Faculty of KazSU, at the Eurasian University, created the first textbook in Kazakhstan "Questions of archeology of Kazakhstan" (1981). A passionate propagandist of the history and achievements of science of our republic, he was also at exhibitions of achievements of Kazakhstan in Leipzig, Cairo, Tokyo, and Helsinki. K. Akishev is an Honored Scientist of the Kazakh SSR, laureate of the prize named after Ch.Valikhanov, laureate of the State Prize of the Kazakh SSR. K. Akishev was awarded the order of "Parasat", "Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class", "Badge of Honor", medals "For military Merit", "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War", his name is listed in the Golden Book of Honor of Kazakhstan.
Kimal Akishev died on August 10, 2003 in Almaty.
 

Акишев К.А. Древняя культура саков и усуней долины реки Или. - Алма-Ата, 1963 (в соавторстве).
Акишев К.А. Древние города Казахстана. - Алма-Ата, 1963.
Акишев К.А. Древний Отрар. - Алма-Ата, 1972 (в соавторстве).
Акишев К.А. Курган Иссык. Искусство саков Казахстана. - М., 1978.
Акишев К.А. Позднесредневековый Отрар. - Алма-Ата, 1981 (в соавторстве).
Акишев К.А. Древнее золото Казахстана. - Алма-Ата, 1983.
Акишев К.А. Отрар в XIII-XV вв. - Алма-Ата, 1987 (в соавторстве).