Kazakhstan's lost diplomat: Rare archive reveals Nazir Torekulov's hidden legacy
Kazakhstan's National Archive Receives Priceless Legacy of Nazir Torekulov, the First Kazakh Diplomat
In a landmark event, Kazakhstan's National Archive has accepted for permanent preservation the invaluable historical heritage of Nazir Torekulov, an eminent son of the Kazakh people and the first ethnic Kazakh diplomat.
This milestone was made possible through an agreement with Zhappar Zhuman, President of the Nazir Torekulov International Charitable Foundation, a distinguished figure in Kazakhstan, an honorary academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and a Doctor of Economic Sciences. Decades of meticulous research by Professor Zhuman have painstakingly reconstructed the life and work of this extraordinary Kazakh statesman, linguist, and diplomat—piece by piece, like a historical mosaic.
Among the most striking items in the collection are photocopies of historic decrees and resolutions concerning the demarcation of the young Kazakh Autonomous Republic's borders. Of particular significance is the pivotal decision to incorporate Adaevsky Uyezd into the Kazakh autonomy—a move initiated and directly shaped by Nazir Torekulov. The archive also includes original photographs from 1929, capturing Torekulov among global diplomats and standing beside King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
The transferred materials feature rare manuscripts exploring the Turkestan Autonomy, as well as exceedingly rare photographs of Torekulov alongside Akhmets Baitursynuly, Alikhan Bokeikhan, and other leaders of the Alash national liberation movement.
The collection also contains a terse execution record, marked with the chilling notation: "Sentence carried out." Following Torekulov's execution on November 3, 1937, on fabricated charges, diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia remained effectively frozen for half a century. It was not until 1958 that the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court posthumously exonerated him for lack of evidence, with full diplomatic ties only resuming in 1990.
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