Isabayev Beken (Bekmukhambet) Kanibaiuly (16.03.1930-2020) – genealogist, local historian, writer.

He was born on March 16, 1930, in the Mayan reserve near the village of Kokbai, now Aбай village, in the Shyngyrau region. He studied at the primary school in Sholaky-Espede from 1937 to 1941 and at the Kулмен secondary school in Kaskabulak from 1941 to 1944.

From 1944 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1950, he graduated from the pedagogical technical school in Semey and the philology faculty of the N.K. Krupskaya Pedagogical Institute, starting his career as the director of the Kулмен secondary school in the Abai district. From 1954 to 1959, he worked as an instructor and secretary of the district's Komsomol Youth Committee, and from 1959 to 1963, he served as the secretary of the party committee in the Stalin and "Kyzyl Tu" state farms. From 1963 to 1969, he was the head of the educational department at Kулмен secondary school, and from 1969, he became the director of Akbulak secondary school. From 1974 to 1987, he taught history, Kazakh language, and literature at the Janagazy Moldagaliev secondary school and supervised educational activities.

Since September 1987, he worked as the head of the Mukhtar Auezov Museum-House department in Borili, later becoming a research worker. Beken Isabayevich spent his youth among elderly people, collecting and memorizing genealogies and historical data he heard from them, organizing and systematizing all of it, and formulating conclusions based on scientific principles.

His articles and historical works were published in scientific journals such as "Abai," "Zhuldyz," and other periodicals, as well as in city and district publications like "Sovkhoz Tuy," "Ush Qiyan," "Semey Tany," and "Ertis Region." Beken Isabayevich's work titled "The Land of Greats," published in 2001, was a significant contribution to the study of Abai and Mukhtar. Many excerpts from various sections of this work received awards in a competition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Abai's birth.

As a sage with a deep knowledge of the history of Shyngyrau, Beken Isabayevich actively participated in the preparation of the encyclopedias of Abai and Shakarim, providing numerous materials and data, and became one of the authors.

Regardless of the field he worked in, Beken Isabayevich's contributions were recognized, and for his active participation in the political life of the Abai district, he received a certificate of appreciation from the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of Kazakhstan (1955) and a commendation from the Central Committee of the VLKSM (1957). In recognition of his long years of pedagogical work, he was awarded the honorary title of "Excellence in Education of the Kazakh SSR" (1987). For his efforts in promoting great personalities, he received certificates from the city and regional culture departments and was awarded the commemorative medal "10 Years of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" by the presidential decree on December 3, 2001, as well as the "Kultegin" medal (2015). He is a cultural figure of the Republic of Kazakhstan and an honorary citizen of the Abai district.