Kazakh historian Zhaksylyk Sabitov has debunked the main myth about Abulkhair Khan. According to him, Abulkhair was the ruler not only of the Junior Juz but of the entire Kazakh Khanate. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
As the historian notes, Khan Abulkhair is widely known, but many details of his life are not sufficiently described.
"One of the big misconceptions is that he is considered only the khan of the Junior Juz. In 1718, Abulkhair was already the supreme khan of the entire Kazakh Khanate. It's just that in the following years of his life, his power somewhat wavered in this regard," the scientist explained.
Furthermore, Abulkhair actively participated in all military affairs of the Kazakh Khanate from the 1700s. He took part in the Bashkir uprisings and battles with the Dzungars.
"When the 'Aktaban Shubyryndy' ('Years of Great Disaster') began, he was the commander-in-chief. In 1722-1723, together with Bogenbai Tabyn, they renounced allegiance to the Dzungar Khanate," Sabitov added.
Nevertheless, after the 1730s, his power began to weaken, but he continued to rule until 1748.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote about which ruler the Kazakh Khanate reached its peak of power and which khan historians did not recognize for a long time.