Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies under the Committee of Science at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Academician of the Kazakhstan Higher Education Academy of Sciences, Senior Doctorate in Philology, Professor

Specialist in Oriental Studies, Literature Studies and Religious Studies, Writer, Critic, Notable Scientific and Public Figure

Education:

· 1986-1988 – Doctoral Candidacy at the Institute of Oriental Studies under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow)

· 1985-1986 – Study Course at the Az-Zaytoun University (Tunisia)

· 1975-1976 – Study Course at the Mohammed V Royal University (Morocco)

· 1970-1975 – Study Course and Postgraduate Course at the Institute of Oriental Studies under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow)

· 1964-1969 – South Kazakhstan State University named after M.O. Auezov,

Honors Diploma

Academic Degree, Academic Rank:

· 1995 – Full Member of the Higher Education Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· 1989 – Awarded the academic rank of Professor

· 1988 – Senior Doctorate in Philology, dissertation on the theme of “The Evolution of Moroccan Arabic-Language Lore of VIII-XX Centuries”, 00.01.06 – Literature of Asian and African Peoples, Institute of Oriental Studies under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow)

· 1977 – Doctorate in Philology, dissertation on the theme of “The Main Stages of Development of Arabic-Language Literature in Morocco”, under the supervision of Professor Yu.N. Zavadovskiy, 00.01.06 – Literature of Asian and African Peoples, Institute of Oriental Studies under the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Moscow)

· 1997 - Diplomatic Rank of Minister-Counsel

· Awarded the title of Academician by the International Academy of Sciences of the Arabic Language (Cairo, Egypt)

Languages: Arabic, Chagatai, Turkish, English, French

Research and Educational Work:

· 1977-1985 – Kazakh State University, founder and Head of the Department of Arabic philology

· 1989-1992 – Kazakh State University, founder and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies

· 1992-1997 – Kazakh State University, Vice-Chancellor for Languages ​​and International Relations

· Honorary Professor, the University of Mosul (Iraq)

· Honorary Professor, the University of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

· Honorary Professor of 12 state universities of Kazakhstan

Absattar Derbisali is one of the founders of Kazakhstani school of Arabic studies and the organizer of training of specialists in Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Japanese, Chinese, Korean languages. In general, under his scientific supervision there are trained over 400 specialists in Oriental studies, including Senior Doctorates and Doctorates in Philology. He devoted much effort to denomination of the name of great encyclopedic scholar Abu Nasr al-Farabi to the Kazakh State University. He has also taken an active part in the opening of “Nur-Mubarak” Egypt University of Islamic Culture in Almaty.

Absattar Derbisali lectured at the universities of Baghdad (Iraq), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Tokyo (Japan), Kashmir University of Srinagar (India), Peshawar (Pakistan), Madrid and Toledo (Spain), University of Columbia (New York).

He has participated and presented papers at various international forums, including the UN Conference (Seoul - 1995), the UNESCO Congresses (Tashkent - 2000, Qatar - 2001), as well as numerous events organized by universities and Academies of Science in Japan, India, Pakistan, Singapore, China, Turkey, Yemen, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, Cyprus, the United States, Great Britain and Germany. He made presentations at the Moscow (2006) and Astana (2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012) Summits of Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions.

Published Works:

Absattar Derbisali has published over 600 scientific works on the study of Oriental written sources, topical issues of Arabic language and literature, Arabic-Kazakh literary relations, the early periods of the history of Kazakh literature, the history of Islam and Islamic science.

Studying Arabic manuscripts preserved in the libraries of Arab countries, Iran, Central Asia and Russia, India and Pakistan, Turkey, Spain and the United States, he has enriched the national science with the names of more than 250 scientists and thinkers of X-XVIII centuries. Their list includes such prominent figures as Abu-l-Qasim al-Farabi, Isma’il al-Jauhari al-Farabi, Abu Ibrahim Ishaq al-Farabi, Burhan-ad-Din Ahmad al-Farabi, Mahmoud al-Farabi, ten Kerderis, forty Sayramis (Isfidzhabis), twenty Turkistani, fifty Tarazi, Bailak Qipchaqi, Hasan ‘Ali Zhalayiri, Ghiyas-ad-din Jendi, Husam-ad-Din Sygnaqi and other persons numbering near 250 scientists, who wrote their works in Arabic. All of them were natives of Kazakh land previously unknown to the scientific community. Absattar Derbisali described their life and work paths, as well as the epochs of their creative activities.

He has made a great contribution to the study of versatile activities of an outstanding medieval historian, diplomat and poet Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat (1499-1551). On the basis of thorough and careful analysis of a large number of materials collected in Kashgar (1994), Pakistan (1995) and India (1998-1999), he has disclosed new dimensions of creativity of his great countryman. In Kashmir, he has found the tomb of Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat and deciphered the tombstone epitaph. He has also translated from Chagatai to the Kazakh language and published his poem “Jahan Namah” (Almaty, 2006).

Major published works include:

· Fathomless Springs (Studies and Articles). - Almaty: Zhazushy, 1981;

· Arabic Literature. Classical Era. - Almaty: Mektep, 1982;

· Arabic-Language Literature of Morocco. - Almaty: Science, 1983;

· In the Country of “Thousand and One Night”. - Almaty, 1986;

· In the Ancient Arab Land. - Almaty, 1992;

· Literature of Morocco. - Moscow: Nauka, 1993 (co-authors: S.V. Prozhogina, O.A. Vlasova);

· Stars of the Kazakh Steppe. Historical-Philological Study. - Almaty: Rauan, 1995;

· Mohammed Haidar Dulati. Autobiographic-Bibliographic Reference Book. - Almaty, 1999;

· Islam and the Epoch (Interviews and Articles, Travelogues and Literary Studies). - Almaty, 2003;

· Islam – Religion of Peace and Creation // Proceedings of the International Conference “100 years of the Muslim Congress being held in 1906 in the Semirechye”). - Almaty, 2006;

· Ancient Taraz and the Islamic Monuments // Proceedings of the Scientific-Practical Conference. - Almaty, 2007;

· Absattar Khaji Derbisali: Scientist, Mufti, Public Figure. - Almaty, 2007;

· The Diamonds and the Monuments of Islam. Historical-Philological Studies, Essays and Sketches. - Almaty, 2008;

· Proceedings of the International Scientific-Practical Conference “Imam Agzam Abu Hanifa”. - Almaty, 2009;

· Islam – Religion of Peace and Creation. - Almaty, 2010;

· Islamic Personality. - Almaty, 2010;

· Religious Educational Institutions of Kazakhstan (in Kazakh, Russian, Arabic and English). - Almaty, 2011;

· Hibatulla at-Tarazi and His Spiritual Heritage. - Almaty, 2012;

· Islam – Religion of Peace and Creation. Shaykh Abdsattar Haji Derbisali. – London, 2012;

· Proceedings of the Scientific-Practical Conference “Medieval Scholars of Kazakh Land and Their Role in the Civilization of Islam”, dedicated to the Day of Science, April 16, 2012. - Almaty, 2012;

· Kauam ad-din al-Itkani (Ikani) al-Farabi at-Turkistani (1286-1357): Life and Legacy. - Almaty, 2013.

Social Activities:

· 1997-2000 – Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

· 2000, 2002 – First Deputy Chairman of the Eurasian Islamic Shura

· 2007 – Chairman of the Muftis Council of Central Asia

· 2000-2013 – Chairman of the Religious Board of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Grand Mufti

· President of the Association of Kazakh-Arab Friendship of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· Chairman of the Educational-Methodical Council of Orientalists of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· Member of the Kazakh Branch of the Association of Orientalists of the USSR

· Member of the Council on the Coordination of Oriental Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR

· Member of the Dissertation Council for defending Senior Doctoral thesis at the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art under the Committee of Science at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Specialty 10.01.02

· Member of the Department of Social and Human Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· Member of the Union of Writers and Journalists of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· Member of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan

· Member of the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

· Member of the Board of the World Religious Council at the UN

· Member of the Editorial Board of “Eurasia” Journal.

· Member of the Editorial Board of “The Minaret of Islam” Journal (Moscow)

Awards:

· Honorary Diploma of the Public Education Committee of the USSR, 1984

· Egyptian Order of “Science and Art” of the First Class for the services in foundation of the school of Arabic Studies in Kazakhstan, 2002

· Order of “Parasat” for personal contribution to science and education in Kazakhstan, 2004

· Order of “Barys” of the Second Class, 2009

· Anniversary Medal “10 Years of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, 2001

· Anniversary Medal “10 Years of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, 2005

· Anniversary Medal “The 10 Years of Astana”

· Honorary Badge “For the Contribution to the Development of Science in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, 2007

· Title of Honorary Citizen of the Tyulkubas district and the South Kazakhstan region, 2005

· Honorary Diploma of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan for his contribution to the promotion of foreign-policy activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and peaceful multi-vector policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2006

Publications about him:

Kazakh SSR. The Concise Encyclopedia. - Almaty, 1988, Vol. 3, p. 150; F. Orazaev. Researchers of Kazakh Literature. - Almaty: Rauan, 1991, pp. 67-68; The Elite of Kazakhstan. - Almaty, 1997, p. 116; Absattar Derbisali. Bibliographical Index (in Kazakh, Russian and English). - Almaty, 1997; Kazakh Literature. - Almaty: Encyclopedia, 1999, p. 150; Personalities of Kazakhstan’s Higher School. - Almaty, 2000, pp. 177-178; Turkestan. The International Encyclopedia. - Almaty, 2000, p. 275; Who is Who in Kazakhstan. - Almaty, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2013; Kazakhstan. The National Encyclopedia. - Almaty, 2001, Vol. 3, pp. 201-202; Kazakhstan’s Writers. XX Century. - Almaty, 2004, p. 99; Otrar. Encyclopedia. - Almaty, 2006, pp. 178-179; Absattar Derbisali and the Issues of Oriental Studies and Spirituality // Proceedings of the International Scientific-Practical Conference. - Almaty, 2007; Muhtar Auezov. Encyclopedya. Almaty, 2011, p.299; The literature of Kazakhstan. Almaty 2010, p. 141; Science of Kazakhstan. Encyclopedia. А., 2009, p. 360; Unknown pages of Russian Oriental Studies. Moscow. 2004, p. 59.