The "State Archive of Abai Region" Municipal State Institution of the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives of Abai Region, Ayagoz Branch

History of the Archive

By the decree No. 409 of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR dated May 21, 1963, regarding the "Dissolution of city and district state archives and the establishment of regional and provincial archive branches," and the decision No. 313-12 of the Semipalatinsk Regional Executive Committee dated June 4, 1963, the Ayagoz branch of the Semipalatinsk State Archive was established on July 1, 1963. Following the decree No. 3528 of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 23, 1997, regarding the "Administrative-territorial changes in Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Karaganda, and North Kazakhstan regions," the Semipalatinsk region was incorporated into the East Kazakhstan region, and the Ayagoz branch came under the jurisdiction of the East Kazakhstan Regional State Archive.

According to the decree No. 10 of the East Kazakhstan Regional Akimat dated January 23, 2012, regarding the "Renaming of State Archive Institutions," the Ayagoz branch was reorganized into the "State Archive of East Kazakhstan Region" Municipal State Institution under the Department of Culture, Archives, and Documentation of East Kazakhstan Region.

In January 2013, based on the decree No. 2 of the East Kazakhstan Regional Akimat dated January 10, 2013, regarding the "Reorganization of some state archive institutions of East Kazakhstan Region," the Ayagoz branch of the "State Archive" Municipal State Institution of the Department of Culture, Archives, and Documentation of East Kazakhstan Region was reorganized.

By the decree No. 188 of the East Kazakhstan Regional Akimat dated June 11, 2020, the "Digitalization and Archives Management of East Kazakhstan Region" state institution was established, and the Ayagoz branch was transferred to the East Kazakhstan State Archive.

With the establishment of Abai Region by the decree No. 887 of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 4, 2022, the Ayagoz branch was reorganized into the "Municipal State Institution of the State Archive of Abai Region" under the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives of Abai Region.

The building is located in Ayagoz city, Ayagoz district, Abai region, with a total area of 294 square meters, including a storage area of 186.2 square meters.

Functions:

The Ayagoz branch is a state institution authorized to collect (purchase), permanently store, and organize the use of documents from the National Archive Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan, provides organizational and methodological guidance to departmental archives, and monitors the organization of record-keeping in institutions that provide document storage. The staff of the state archive continuously provides practical and methodological assistance in the development of nomenclatures of cases, regulations on departmental archives and expert commissions, instructions on record-keeping, scientific-technical processing of documents, and submission of cases for state storage.

Every year, the branch strives not only to preserve documents but also to make them accessible to the public. Important steps in this direction include:

• Exhibitions and displays: The archive regularly organizes thematic and virtual exhibitions of rare documents and photographs that allow residents to see history with their own eyes.

• Electronic reference and database: To facilitate user access, the branch has created electronic reference materials with hyperlinks that can be viewed online.

• Events and lectures: The branch staff conducts seminars, lectures, and thematic evenings dedicated to the history of the region, archival work, and heritage preservation.

• Use of modern technologies: The introduction of QR codes and digital presentations invites visitors to quickly access information about documents.

• The website of the State Archive of Abai Region is actively being updated, with an official page on Instagram and a YouTube channel where information about the branch's activities is regularly published.

• Quarterly, articles are published in local newspapers.

• Every year, open lessons, master classes, and interactive quest games are held, which are effective ways to popularize the archive.

• A convenient search navigator for archival collections has been developed and implemented at the branch. It was created to facilitate access to electronic documents, expedite searches, and enhance the efficiency of working with archival information.

Characteristics of the Collections

As of January 1, 2026, the Ayagoz branch of the "State Archive of Abai Region" Municipal State Institution of the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives has 321 collections and 68,385 storage units. Among them: management documentation - 54,988 units, personal archival documents - 4 collections, 220 units, personal composition - 13,177 storage units.

As of January 1, 2026, 638 inventories, 6,823 cases, and 5,136 documents have been entered into the "E-Archive" information system. In honor of the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, the personal archival collection of Great Patriotic War veterans has been fully digitized.

There are personal archival collections of Great Patriotic War veterans in storage, including Orazbek Sabitov, Boris Borodin, Chaikh Blanov, Seken Junisov, Ishpekbay Ainazharov, Kuatjan Kaliev, and Sarmyrza Abekov. A virtual exhibition dedicated to the personal archives of participants in the Great Patriotic War operates on the official website of the State Archive of Abai Region. The exhibition presents fully organized information: photographs, biographies, letters, award documents, and other archival materials that showcase the life paths and contributions of the participants of the Great Patriotic War.

The state archive stores documents related to the personal composition of district institutions, organizations, and enterprises - including orders for hiring and dismissing employees, salary information, and personal files that are intensively used when fulfilling requests of a social-legal nature. Every year, the branch receives about 6,000 requests of a social-legal nature.

The Ayagoz branch serves as a platform for researchers and local historians studying the history of the region, genealogy, and socio-economic and cultural development based on archival documents.

Staff Composition

The branch has a staff of 14 people, including archivists and technical staff. The branch employs qualified specialists with extensive experience in the field of archival work. The archivists of the branch regularly undergo training and professional development at seminars.

In 2021, the branch director K.S. Kurentkeev, archivists B.S. Bostanova, J.O. Kenjebekova, and Q.Q. Chuenbekova were awarded the Honorary Certificate of the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in 2024, branch archivist B.O. Bostanova was awarded the "Excellence in the Archive Sector" badge by the Minister of Culture. Archivist Akhmeshov A.B. received a letter of thanks from the Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and archivist Satimbekova J.B. was awarded a letter of thanks from the head of the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives of Abai Region. In 2025, branch archivist J.O. Kenjebekova was awarded the "Excellence in the Trade Union of the Culture Sector" badge. Additionally, the branch archivists participated in professional development seminars in 2025 in Astana, specifically in the seminar "Providing State Services for Issuing Archival References, Copies, or Excerpts of Archival Documents" by G.D. Toktarova, "Current Trends, Methodologies, and Technologies in the Field of Archival Work" by K.S. Kurentkeev, and "Ensuring Document Preservation and Conducting State Control," as well as a regional seminar on working with the functions of the "E-EAD" information system in Ust-Kamenogorsk by Kenjebekova J.O. Archivist Alimzhanov D.D. was awarded the Honorary Certificate of the head of the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives of the region.

The Ayagoz branch carries out its activities based on the annual work plans developed in accordance with the targeted and comprehensive programs and recommendations of the Committee for Information and Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Department of Culture, Language Development, and Archives of Abai Region.

Today's archive is a bridge between generations. The Ayagoz branch has archival documents dating back to 1927. We preserve the past to lay a solid foundation for the future.

Archive address: Abai Region, Ayagoz District, Ayagoz City, 32 Sh. Ualihanov Street.

Phone: 8 (72237) 38278, email: agz_arhiv@mail.ru

Archive Director: Kurenkeev Qanagat Seleubaevich