The Tombstone on Abai’s Grave, Installed by Mukhtar Auezov
In 1940, on the eve of the 95th anniversary of the birth of the great poet and thinker, Mukhtar Auezov traveled to Zhidebai — the sacred land where Abai rests. There, he restored the old four-sided grave and installed a new-style tombstone made according to the modern standards of the time. The stone, carved in Almaty, bears the inscription in Latin script:
“Ibrahim Qunanbaev Abai – The Great Kazakh Poet and Wise Thinker. August 10, 1845 – June 23, 1904.”
Below this was the same text in Cyrillic, in Russian. This act was a deep expression of love, respect, and remembrance for the writer whose fate was inseparably connected with Abai.
In 1957, during a special creative trip dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Mukhtar Auezov, he once again visited Abai’s grave to pay tribute to his memory. In one of the preserved photographs taken at the tombstone, the monument installed on Auezov’s initiative is clearly visible. The photo also captures prominent figures of that time: Gali Ormanov, Mukhtar Zhanagalin, Kalibek Kuanyshbaev, Esmagambet Smailov, and Mastura Sarmurzina.
Today, this tombstone, which the hand of the great writer once touched, is carefully preserved as a priceless relic in the memorial mausoleum “Abai – Shakarim.”
