A shared literary legacy is being preserved.
School No. 34 in Qoramanas village, Bostanliq district of Tashkent region, has been named after prominent Kazakh writer, playwright, translator and public figure Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov. The decision was made at the initiative of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and in accordance with a decision by the governor of Tashkent region, DKNews.kz reports.
The step gives Rayimkulov’s name a permanent place in the village where he was born and adds a new cultural dimension to the close relationship between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The two countries continue to develop their strategic partnership, with their leaders reaffirming this course during talks in Bukhara in April 2026.
Ceremony scheduled for September 2
A celebration will take place at School No. 34 named after Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov on September 2, 2026.
The event will mark both the beginning of the new academic year and the commemoration of the writer in his native village.
Prominent state and public figures from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend, including:
- representatives of the leadership of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Preschool and School Education and Ministry of Culture;
- Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan Yeraly Tugzhanov;
- President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova;
- prominent Kazakh writers and literary scholars Kulbek Yergobek and Nurgali Oraz;
- representatives of the creative communities of the two countries;
- descendants of the writer;
- teachers, students and parents.
The gathering will therefore bring together education, literature and cultural diplomacy in the writer’s birthplace.
Library and memorial corner to open at the school
The traditional First Bell will sound during the September 2 ceremony, marking the start of the new academic year.
A renovated school library and a memorial corner dedicated to Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov will also open. Books will be donated to expand the library collection.
The program includes a cultural and educational evening aimed at:
- encouraging a culture of reading among young people;
- introducing students to Rayimkulov’s works;
- promoting his literary heritage among a new generation.
This makes the initiative more than a symbolic renaming. Rayimkulov’s legacy will become part of the school’s educational environment through books, exhibitions and activities for students.
Who was Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov?
Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov was born in Qoramanas village in 1913.
He left a substantial literary legacy and contributed to the development of Kazakh and Uzbek literature and culture, as well as to strengthening spiritual and cultural ties between the two peoples.
Among his well-known works are:
- «Jasil beles»;
- «Tuyeli adam»;
- «Baldaqti adam»;
- the novel «Qara jorga».
His contribution has been commemorated at major academic and literary events in Kazakhstan. In 2023, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to Rayimkulov’s 110th anniversary. A message from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented at the event emphasized the writer’s contribution to Kazakhstan’s spiritual development and his translation of foreign classics into Kazakh.
Why the school’s new name matters
The decision has particular symbolic importance because the school is located in Rayimkulov’s native village.
It connects a local educational institution in Uzbekistan with a figure whose work became part of Kazakhstan’s literary heritage, while also highlighting the historical and cultural connections between the two countries.
This cultural dialogue extends beyond individual commemorations. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have also been developing cooperation around their common historical and cultural heritage, including joint research, archival work, academic exchanges and publishing initiatives.
Literature remains an important part of that relationship. In 2025, an international conference in Tashkent dedicated to Abai Kunanbaiuly brought together writers, researchers, translators and cultural figures from across Central Asia, with participants describing literary heritage as a force connecting the peoples of the region.
For School No. 34, that broader cultural connection will now have a permanent local expression: the name of a writer born in Qoramanas in 1913 will become part of the school’s daily life.
We previously took a closer look at Rakhmetolla Rayimkulov’s literary heritage and how Kazakhstan marked the writer’s 110th anniversary.
