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The wife of Alimkhan Yermekov – Rakia Shagabetdinovna Yermekovna (1898-1960) 

Rakia Shagabetdinovna Yermekovna – one of the first women of Kazakhstan who got a higher medical education in Tomsk University.

Dramatic fate of Alimkhan Yermekov affected also his family. The family of Alimkhan Abeuovich saw how the apartment was searched, how things were turned over, documents were confiscated.

The profession of surgeon of Rakia Shagabetdinovna helped to her and her children to survive in period of Stalinist repression when her husband Alimkhan Yermekov was arrested and repressed.

After arrest of Alimkhan Abeuovich his wife Rakia Shagabetdinovna with children were evicted during 48 hours from the flat, where they has lived in Almaty to basement, but some time later absolutely from the city to Karatal village of Taldykorgan region. There already was situated large receiver-reservation of repressed migrants from Russia.

In that time typhus was raging and Rakia Shagabetdinovna saved people as best she could. She became a head of local hospital of railway men as an only certified doctor and being excellent organizer she looked after the subsidiary farm.

The wife of Alimkhan Yermekov Rakia was isolated from society for 8 years on felling in Soloviev. Niece of Yermekov – Zhurgeneva Damesh Amirkhanovna (1905-1990) also suffered. She was in Karlag from 1938 to 1946 as the wife of the “enemy of the people” – Temirbek Zhurgenev, the people’s commissar of education of the republic.

Alimkhan and Rakia Yermekovs most part of life had lived in Almaty. But they acquired with flat in Almaty too late. The door in their house was always opened. There someone necessarily was visiting and coming to dinner.

Later she worked as a surgeon in various cities of Kazakhstan. In 1953 she came with her husband from Dzhambul to Karaganda city, where their son lived and worked. Until the last her days, till 1960s, Rakia Ermekova worked in Karaganda oncologic dispensary.

 

Magauiya Alimkhanuly Yermekov  (1921-2006)

 

The representatives of Yermekovs family also contributed to the development of science and education in country. Son of Alimkhan Yermekov –Magauiya Alimkhanuly Yermekov (named in honor of beloved son of Abai Kunanbaiuly) is a scientist, Doctor of Geological and Mineral Sciences, Professor, corresponding member of Sciences Academy of KazSSR, academician of NAS of RK. He was a coal mine gas specialist.

Magauiya Alimkhanuly Yermekov was born on September 1 in 1921 in the village number 6 of Abai district of Semipalatinsk region (now the East Kazakhstan Region). He comes from the Sary Tanys subgenus of Karakesek genus of Argyn tribe.

From memories of Magauiya Yermekov: “More attention was paid to the upbringing of me and my younger sister, Rauilya. On that time I collected stamps as most children. And Temirbek (husband of Alimkhan Yermekov’s niece –Damesh) had quite a bit of stamps album gifted by foreign visitors. Until now I remember stamp of the Third Congress of Iranian Art. Later, during the father’s arrest I was requisitioned all stamps, as physical evidence of spy connections of my father with abroad.”

For the first time Magauiya at the age of nine was a witness of father’s arrest. The generation of children of national figures of Kazakhstan of the Stalinism era, of arrest period, execution has unhealed wounds.

In 1939 Magauiya graduated with honors from school in Almaty, went to Rostov machine-building institute. But already after two months in connection with the complication of international situation on the eve of impending war he was drafted into the army. He served in mountain rifle units in hot Turkmenistan and he was undergoing command training. At the beginning of war he graduated a crash course for junior lieutenants. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant as an excellent student. In 1944 he studied in advanced training courses for infantry officers, however despite his desire, he was not sent to the front as he was considered the son of a “state criminal”. In his memories Magauiya Alimkhanuly noted that he wanted to go to the front “then naively believed”, that his “heroic behavior at the front will ease the fate of his father”. Then many young boys and girls thought so, whose parents were repressed.

Magauiya Yermekov served in army six and a half years from common soldier to elder lieutenant – the head of separate battalion headquarters. He was awarded with the medal “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War” for military service. After the war he was in military service one and a half years yet. He worked as a teacher in Almaty rifle and machine-gun college, and then in 1946 he went to the Almaty mining and metallurgical institute, passing all exams for the first course as an external.

During the period of three exiles of Alimkhan Yermekov childhood and youth of his son passed.  Magauiya grew up, became mature and independent guy, going through an army training school. He came to the father more than once, in army overcoat, to the other end of the world wading through long distances through swamps and off-road. That’s how the son of Alimkhan Yermekov remembered one of his trip to father.

Once the head of political department of camps – colonel picked up me and seated in his railcar. Obviously, my old officer’s overcoat helped me, which continued to warm me also in students’ life. The conversation was started, he interested in the aim of my trip. When I listed incriminated to my father articles – 58-1а, 2, 8, 11 that is espionage, anti-Soviet agitation, conspiracies and etc. he resumed “Somewhere he chatted something, probably”.

“When in the department of camp I made a request about a date, I was invited to the head of the camp – major. He completely unexpected offered to meet with father in prison. Later I understood that my free movement with my father in prison, bathing, and visiting medical unit, barbershop is a result of classes. After his work (he managed material warehouse and gave out shovel and other instruments) he taught command staff of camps in all subjects in the high school curriculum.  His “camp” friend Alexey Ivanovich Zavyalov provided the beginning for this. He actually saved life him”.

“In 1948 when my father was arrested my mother was allowed a date to which we came from Dzhambul. However in reception of the State political administration on Dzerzhinskyi Street we were said that he has already convoyed in Correctional labor camp. Somebody from the members from family repression prompted her, that they are on the station Alma-Ata 1 have waiting departure.

We went out there. It was sleeting. After long searching we have seen some mass of people at one distant impasse. We came up closer and saw surrounded by warders with sheep-dogs whole column of prisoners knelt in the mud, clasped hands behind the head.

I was a student of second course, but I continued to wear officer overcoat with ripped off shoulder straps. It was lent me boldness, despite the hail of warder, I got closer to column and asked loudly: “What’s going on here?” My maneuver is succeeded. I have heard my father who called my name. We managed to convey some money for my father”.

Magauiya on several occasions went on a date to his father to prison of Kansk and Taishet.

Magauiya graduated institute with the honor in 1950 at the age 25, received geological exploration engineer specialty. He was guided by the distribution as geologist to Karaganda to “Kazakh coal geology” trust. Then this city was considered the place of exile. He couldn’t get a job mine geologist as well precinct geologist in exploratory party, because he was not admitted to work with coal. He had to specialize on local building material. He visited quarry where prisoners worked, sometimes Japanese worked. He scouted without geological maps, which was secreted.

In 1953 he is appointed the head of the thematic group for the study of the gas content of coal-bearing deposits of the Karaganda coal basin under the same trust.

Since 1954 he began to do scientific work – organized sector for the study of the gas content of the Karaganda coal basin.

In 1957 Magauiya at the age of 36 went to graduate school in Kazakh mining and metallurgical institute. In 1958 he defended his PhD thesis on the topic: “Methods for studying the gas content of coal-bearing deposits of the Karaganda basin in the process of geological exploration on the example of the Churubai-Nurinsky region”.

In 1958-1963s he was a head of laboratory of CMI of SA of KazSSR. Since 1963 till 1968 he was a head of laboratory of KCRI of MUE of USSR.

In 1959 Magauiya Yermekov made a first map gas content of coal-bearing deposits which was mastering again by mine construction of the Churubai-Nurinsky region and in 1963-1965s – of all basin. These maps laid the foundation for a scientifically based forecast of the gas situation in the mines of the basin. According to these materials he defended his PhD in 1958 and doctoral dissertations in 1967.

In 1968-1970s he was a head of laboratory of Karagandy department of Vostochniy Research Institute for Mining Safety. Since 1970 till 1989 he was a head of the Department of geology in KarPTI. Since 1989 he was a Professor of Karagandy state technical university.

In 1967 he defended doctoral dissertation in Kazakh Polytechnic Institute on the theme: “Gas content of coal-bearing deposits and gas content in the mines of the Karaganda basin”. In 1968 he became a doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences, in 1970 – professor and in 1983 – Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR and then he became an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

He was learning coal deposits of Kazakhstan, gas content of coal-bearing deposits in Karaganda. He was engaged in the development of physical and chemical foundations of mine safety (fight against methane); he had scientific school and prepared scientific personnel. He has published more than 150 scientific works including 1 monograph.

The most important development concerns improvement and introduction in researches of unconventional method, modeling complicated multifactorial processes with application of ECM and PECM.

He has the medals of participant of the Great Patriotic War, he has diploma of the prize of academician A.A.Skochinskyi, he is a holder of two degrees of the order “Miner’s glory”, twice State Prize nominee of USSR (in 1983, in 1994), and he is listed on the Board of Honor and in the Book of Honor of the Karaganda region.

Later, in mature years, being known and great scientist-academician, Magauiya Alimkhanuly has written a book about his father “My father is Alimkhan Yermekov”. There are a lot of facts and materials from family archive in this book. Author more than once mentioned that people who were with his father in camp, having got free, spoke about my father with a big human’s warms and attention and they wanted to find him. This is evidenced by the letters contained in the book of Magauiya Alimkhanuly.

Untill last days of his life he wrote articles, representing a public role and merit of one of the leader of “Alash Orda”, state figure and scientist A.A.Yermekov. In 2004 Magauiya Yermekov was awarded a rank of academician NSA of RK. Magauiya Alimkhanuly died in 2006.

Oleg Magavyanovich Ermekov  (Grandson of Alimkhan Yermekov) (1953)

 Grandson of Alimkhan Yermekov is candidate of technic sciences, candidate of economic sciences, successfully having begun to work in the field of geophysics, taught in Karagandy polytechnic institute, was a head of regional economic department, went over in educational business sphere and he manages together with his son «Maryadieducation» company in Great Britain. Great-great-grandson of Alimkhan Yermekov – Danial grows up in London.

Oleg Magavyanovich remembered: “In my youth I for example had to prove that I deservedly get good marks not for the surname, but for the really knowledge… I talked from early age with my grandfather… He took part in my preparation of my admission to the polytechnic institute, but I entered in 1970 already after his death”.

Not only Alimkhan Yermekov, but also representatives of Yermekov’s genus contributed in development of science and education in country. Older and middle generation of this family devoted oneself to education, public health and science.

 

Adil Olegovich Yermekov (Great-grandson of Alimkhan Yermekov) (1978)

The family of Alimkhan Yermekov lived in Karaganda at the Lenin Street 58-8. His great-grandson Adil also was born in this house. Adil got two higher educations in London and he engaged in consulting in foreign education, primarily, English. “Adil” in translation from Arabic means “fair”. He articulates the tasks precisely, as his great-grandfather.

 

Bibliography:

1. Kydyralina Zh. Alimkhan Yermekov. – Astana: Foliant, 2015. – P.258-265, 286-293
2. Kydyralina Zh. Alimkhan Yermekov and Kanysh Satpayev: lines of destinies // Mysl (The thought). – 2014. – №8. – P.89-71
3. Oskembayev K.S. Alimkhan Yermekov: Tulga tagylymy (The sample of personality). – Karaganda: Arko, 2013. – P.220-226, 271-272
4. Ryzhkova N. Oleg Yermekov: My grandfather was deeply intelligent man // Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. – 2016. – December 9.

Internet resources

1. Alimkhan Yermekov //https://e-history.kz/ru/prominent-figures/show/12699/
2. Yermekov Magaviya Alimkhanovich // https://www.inform.kz/ru/ermekov-magav-ya-alimhanovich_a2208206. – 2009. – October 29.
3. Popov Yu. Alimkhan Yermekov: New return in Karkaraly // http://inkaraganda.kz/articles/140408. – January 23, 2016.
4. Ryzhkova N. Oleg Yermekov: My grandfather was deeply intelligent man // https://www.kazpravda.kz/articles/view/oleg-ermekov–moi-ded-bil-gluboko-intelligentnim-chelovekom/. – 2016. –