Photographs and lifetime portraits of prominent figures arouse the natural interest of people who are interested in their biography and history in general, signs of the era, and also attract professional historians. Alas, it is far from always possible to find images made during their lifetime of persons of interest to us, and we are forced to believe in the imagination of an artist who thinks up images for us.
From the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, photography became quite widespread in our country, but in our country, unfortunately, many photographs were destroyed due to mass repressions. We all know that many relatives and relatives of unjustly persecuted people, fearing for the fate of their children, and for their own, often cut out or black out their faces from printed photographs, or even completely burned or tore the photographs.
However, I believe there are still treasures in the chests and attics, and the desired images will still be found.
Eshenaaly Arabaev (1882-1933) is one of the outstanding figures of Kyrgyzstan, whose photographs are very few. In our family archive there is one of the photographs with him, taken about 1 year before his tragic death.
The image of Eshenaaly Arabaev is familiar to the public mainly due to two photographs, a monument in the KNU named after I. Arabaev and an image on the facade of one of the buildings of the same university. Both the monument and the image on the facade were made on the basis of two well-known photographs. In my opinion, in the image of Eshenaaly Arabaev immortalized in the monument, he appears older than his years. Indeed, at the time of his death in the dungeons of the NKVD, he was not yet an old man – he was 51 years old.
Usually, two photos are cited in publications. They are on the left.
In addition, the Central State Cinema, Photo, Phono Documents Archive of the Kyrgyz Republic has a photograph of Eshenaaly Arabaev’s wife, Kadicha. From the photo, a pretty woman in an elechek with smiling eyes is looking at us. As you know, Eshenaaly Arabaev was married to the daughter of the Issyk-Kul manap 
Kaibylda Almataev, the brother of Sagaaly Almataev, known from the chronicles of 1916. The Almataev family helped Arabaev establish schools on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul. Together with Kaibylda Almataev, his own father-in-law, among other 10 prominent representatives of our people, Eshenaaly Arabaev signed a letter to V.I. Lenin on May 1, 1920.
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The letter can be read here
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The Daniyarov family archive contains a photo of Eshenaaly Arabaev in 1932, that is, about 1 year before his death. As you know, after active participation in the “Letter of the Thirty” dated June 12, 1925, Arabaev, among other figures who signed this letter, was severely punished by the authorities, was expelled from the party and removed from the post of Chairman of the Scientific Commission of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Region. Since that time, he continued exclusively teaching work, without holding leadership positions until his arrest and tragic death in 1933. In the period between 1925 and 1933, Arabaev was a teacher, including the Medical College.
In the photo of 1932 – students and teachers of the Medtechnikum. Daniyarov’s family archive.
To the left in the Kyrgyz tebetei is Eshenaaly Arabaev, in the center, in a leather jacket – Tolonbai Daniyarov, to the right of T. Daniyarov in a white blouse – Kakish Ryskulova, behind Tolonbai Daniyarov – the director of the medical technical school Zhukosh Mambetaliev, next to him – in a headscarf and a blouse with a light collar – Tenti Zhunushbayeva (Adysheva).
About those in the photo:
- Tolonbai Daniyarov (1910-1974), graduated in 1929 from Kirinpros, renamed the Central Kyrgyz Pedagogical College (CKPT), among the students of the very first graduation. These students became a prominent part of the creative Kyrgyz intelligentsia of that time. After graduation, he, together with Tazabek Samanchin and Karyp Chukin, went to Moscow to study at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute named after Bubnov (later named after Lenin). However, in connection with the arrest of his father, who became one of the first victims of Stalinist repressions, he was forced to return home, to Frunze, where he began work as a teacher at a medical college.
- Zhukosh Mambetaliev (1906-19?) – completed his studies at the same TsKPT and was appointed director of the Medical College, successfully worked in this position for 7 years. Member of the Great Patriotic War.
- Kakish Ryskulova (1918-2018), niece of E. Arabaev – in the future – a famous surgeon. By her own admission, it was Eshenaaly Arabaev who gave her advice to become a doctor. Having embarked on this path, she became a real specialist, scientist and practitioner, well known in her professional field.
- Tenti Zhunushbaeva (Adysheva) (1920-1984) – People’s Poetess of the Kirghiz SSR, Kyrgyz politician and statesman. Author of collections of poems “Zamanym”, 1961, “Zharyk duyno”, 1965, “Taalay”, 1972, etc., a number of stories, novels, memoirs. She was married to the famous poet Joomart Bokonbaev, years after his death she became the wife of Musa Adyshev, a scientist, later an academician, president of the Academy of Sciences of the Kirghiz SSR.
The quality of the photo, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. However, it is noticeable that Arabaev’s face is illuminated by a friendly smile, he is in high spirits. I must say that the features of his face here are very pleasant, this is the face of an intellectual. Perhaps this assessment of appearance is subjective, but I believe many will agree with me.
As in the other two photographs, it has a traditional tebetei, which is very natural for a person who was so striving and contributing for the national self-identification of his people and their enlightenment.
When publishing historical photographs in other sections, the title contains the word HISTORY IN PHOTOS (you can search in a search engine)
Here is a detailed history of Kirnpros (TsKPT) – the first Kyrgyz special pedagogical educational institution, which became the basis for the establishment of the first institute (Pedagogical Institute named after M.V. Frunze – 1932) and the first university (Kyrgyz State University – 1951), its leaders, teachers and alumni:
Telegram-channel in Kyrgyz & Russian:
Санжарбек Данияровдун коомдук фонду
Фонд Санжарбека Даниярова
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