Orazak Ismagulov

Orazak Ismagulov (Kazakh: Orazaq Smaǵululy, born 1930) is an internationally known anthropologist, doctor of historical sciences (1984), corresponding member of the Kazakhstan National Academy of Sciences (1994). Ismagulov uses anthropological studies of ancient and modern people as a source of historical information for ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Central Asia peoples. This work shed light on the origin of the Scythians, Sarmatians, Kangars, Alans, and other Central Asia peoples, following the anthropological development from the ancient to the modern times in the Central Asia.

From 1960, Ismagulov was a permanent participant and a head of anthropological expeditions in Kazakhstan and beyond: Indian-Soviet (1974-1975), Kazakh-Mongolian (1991-1993), Kazakh-Italian (1993-1994). In the 1993–1994, within the framework of scientific cooperation with the Institute of Anthropology at the Bolonia University in Italy, Ismagulov headed an international project for problems of adaptation of high-mountain Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan populations in respect to ethno-cultural processes in the region.

Ismagulov is the author of about 100 scientific works. Among them a special place takes a compendium of monographs for craniological series, genetic markers, and odontological attributes, compiled to establish a genetic continuity between ancient and modern populations of the Middle Asia, integrity of the historical process, study the Kazakh genetic fund, and the sources of its formation, and major historical phases of Kazakhstan local ancient populations and newcoming ethnic groups from Central Asia. Ismagulov is a frequent lecturer about anthropology in Delhi, California and Bolonia universities.